Thiruchendur Murugan Temple – Nazhi Kinaru
About 200 yards south of this temple, at the seashore,
there is a rare natural phenomenon inside a square. It is a well 14 sq. feet in
area and with a flight of 34 steps. Inside this well, there is another small
well, one square foot in extent and seven feet deep. The water in the smaller
well is crystal clear and sweet to taste whereas that in the bigger well is
highly sulphurous in smell and brackish.
It is said that when Shanmukha troops returned to the
shore after vanquishing Surapadman at Mahendragiri, they felt thirsty and
wanted fresh water. To quench their thirst, Shanmukha planted his Vel on this
spot and caused fresh water to gush out.
Almost imbedded in a rolling high sand dune, and
about 200 yards to the south of the Shanmukha Vilasa on the sea beach, lies this
remarkable spring known as 'Skanda-Pushkarani' - the Nazhi Kinaru. It is a
natural phenomenon.
One is a remarkable spring of fresh crystal water almost
in a stone receptacle known as Nazhi Kinaru. It is a foot square and about 7
feet deep and inset within the larger major well referred to. The latter is one
of saltish and highly sulphurous smelling and muddy-looking water. This swells
up during the day and pumped out daily so as not to allow it to over-flow into
the smaller one.
Where from do these two distinct supplies of water with
different tastes spring and how they are kept separate are a mystery and a
problem for the geologists to solve. A bath in the sea as well in these two waters
is considered to be of much spiritual merit. The Nazhi Kinaru swells
up and maintains its level in spite of bailing out any quantity of water as the
worshippers bathe out of it.
Nazhi Kinaru is said to have sprung up as Shanmukha
planted his lance the Vel on the spot. The demons Surapadma and Tarakasuran had
enslaved the Devas after attaining divine boons. People were tortured by the
regime of Tarakasuran in the North and Surapadma in the South. After the
annihilation of Tarakasuran in the North, Lord Muruga came down to South at the
request of the Devas to exterminate Surapadma. Celestial King Indra was the
peacock, Lord Murugan’s mount.
Lord Murugan’s intense battle with Surapadma went on for
five days. Surapadman brothers and his army were wiped out. On the sixth day
Surapadman came to the battlefield all alone. He fought with Lord Muruga with
all his might. But he could do nothing against the might of Lord Muruga. At the
end, he lurked in his palace under the sea.
He emerged as a huge mango tree and confronted Lord Kartikeya.
But the mighty spear of Kartikeya-Murugan split the tree in two. A part of it
turned into a rooster and the other into a peacock. Lord Murugan accepted the
peacock as his ride and let the rooster adorn his staff. Only after this he is
seen with peacock and a rooster on his staff.
To quench the thirst of his war-weary warriors, Lord
Muruga thrust his lance into the ground bringing out water and forming a well,
called Naazhi Kinaru. The square well with the circumference of 14 feet square
has a small well within it. The water in the larger well is brackish and salty
in contrast to the smaller one with one foot square in extent which contains
crystal clear sweet water. These two wells, despite their proximity, give two completely
different tastes which is indeed a divine miracle.
