Saturday, May 21, 2016

Thathagiri Murugan Temple, Muthugapatty, Sendamangalam, Namakkal

Thathagiri Murugan Temple, Muthugapatty, Sendamangalam, Namakkal
Thathagiri Murugan Temple is located around 10 km away from Namakkal on the road to Muthugapatty. The Thathagiri Murugan Temple was built on a small hill. It is said that Saint Kirubanandha Variyar often visited this temple to find peace and tranquility.

Thathagiri Murugan Temple or Namakkal Kolli Patti Murugan Temple is a prominent temple situated near Namakkal town. This temple is dedicated to Lord Murugan. This temple lies about half a kilometer off the State Highway 95 near Muthugapatty.
Geographical Position
Thathagiri Murugan temple in Namakkal is located at 11°16'19.9"N 78°13'52.1"E or 11.272201, 78.231134.
The Temple
This temple is located 10 kilometers from Namakkal towards Sendamangalam. Kripananda Variyar visited this temple frequently. Another famous temple in this region is the Samadhi temple of Svyamprakasha Swamigal, Guru of Santhananda Swamigal of Pudukottai.

Quite close to Senthamangalam, there is a small hill top called Dattagiri. The temple is primarily dedicated to Dattareyar, unison of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. However, very few locals are aware of the temple as belonging to Dattareyar. There is also a sanctum for Muruga here and that is what the locals associate with the temple. The same foundation of Skandasramam is also credited with construction of the Dattagiri temple.

A certain distance to the temple can be covered by your vehicle. However, one would also have to climb a series of about 50 steps as well to reach the temple. The temple primarily has two deities at the top, Lord Muruga and Lord Dattatreya, both being quite magnificent structures. There is also a provision to take a round around the temple premise. This is quite a fascinating one given the cool breeze around.

There is also a small temple at the foot hill. Although small, this houses four sanctums for Vana Durgai, Ayyapan, Dakshinamoorthy and Saneeswara. One has to take a round trip of the premise to catch sight of the four wonderful sculptures. As though to say it has been set up by the same foundation as Skandasramam, the four statues are quite big in size and the artistry is spell binding. In specific, the statue of Vana Durgai is such a wonderful sight and is worth all the effort.

Connectivity
Kongu region is dotted with Murugan temples in top of the hills. This is yet another famous temple located in a small hill near Sendamangalam of Namakkal district.
Sendamangalam is located 12 km northeast from Namakkal on State Highway SH-95 (connecting Mohanur Namakkal - Muthugapatti - Akkiampatty -Sendamangalam - Gandhipuram - Kalappanaickenpatty, Rasipuram, 54 km long).
The nearest cities from Sendamangalam are Namakkal (12 km), Karur (45 km), Salem (50 km), Erode (62 km), and Tiruchirapalli (93 km). Chennai, the capital of the state, is 380 km from Namakkal. The nearest airport is in Salem (55 km). The nearest major railway station is at Salem (55 km).