Vaikunda Chella Pathi, Thiruvattaru, Kanyakumari
Vaikunda
Chella Pathi is one among the oldest Nizhal Thangals in the
Western Kanyakumari District of Tamilnadu. It
was located 7 Kms North-east of Marthandam midway between
Marthandam and Kulasekaram at Thiruvattaru. It is also the only Nizhal Thangal in the district to
conduct three Thiru Eadu Vasippu festivals annually.
Legends
The land
where the Thangal stood today was owned by Sankaran Thamby, Shanmugam, Thiruvananthapuram until 1940s. The legend goes that Chellan
Samiyar, was a palmyra climber. He being a staunch devotee of lord Vishnu, had set a pedestal at his hut and used it to offer his
daily prayers. He was said to be instructed by Lord
Narayana in his dream to construct
a Temple. Samiyar, who was then a teenager, was unable to realize
his dream as he had no land of his own. Disappointed by this, he appealed to
Lord Narayana that how he could construct a temple without any land. He was
said to receive command to make all the arrangements and that the land would be
made available when it was time.
Meanwhile,
Sankaran Thamby received a dream the following day in which a Pandaram (mendicant) ordered Thamby to offer land for a Temple to Chellan
Samiyar, whom he did not know. Though Thamby ignored the dream initially, after
he and his mother received repeated dreams in the following days, he came
to Thiruvattaru to
find the person to whom he was to donate the land. He found Samiyar and the
land was donated in 1944. The current Temple was constructed in 1959 C.E. and
inaugurated by Pattathu Ayya Krishnanama Mony.
Festivals
The Thiru Eadu Vasippu is conducted during the Tamil
Months of Vaikasi, Avani and
Margazhi. The Vaikasi festival lasts 10 days while the Avani and Margazhi
festivals last 3 days each.
Connectivity
The
Temple is located at about 7 Kms from Marthandam, 1.5 Kms from Thiruvattaru, 8
Kms from Thirparappu, 14 Kms from Thuckalay, 22 Kms from Colachel, 27 Kms from Nagercoil,
48 Kms from Kanyakumari and 52 Kms from Thiruvananthapuram. Nearest Railway
Station is located at Marthandam and Nearest Airport is located at
Thiruvananthapuram.
