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Thursday, November 16, 2017

Kirathamurthy Temple, Pannippagam, Kanyakumari

Kirathamurthy Temple, Pannippagam, Kanyakumari
Kirathamurthy Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Pannippagam in Kanyakumari District of Tamilnadu. The temple is a part of the famed Shivalaya Ottam conducted during Shivaratri. It is the sixth temple in the run sequence.


Legends
Lord Shiva blessed Arjuna with Pasupatha Asthra:
Arjuna, to win the war in Mahabharata, wanted to get the Pasupathasthiram. So, he went to the forest and did meditation upon the Lord Siva. To spoil this, Duryodhana sent Moohasuran. Moohasuran metamorphosed himself into a Pig and attacked Arjuna. Lord Siva came to his rescue as a hunter and attacked the pig with his arrow and at the same time, Arjuna also did the same. But Arjuna's bow broke and he beat the hunter with his broken bow on his head and it was felt by all the people of the world. Then Arjuna understood that he was the Lord Siva and Arjuna fell at his feet. Since the Lord Siva came as a hunter to kill the Pig, this Place has got such a name. Lord Shiva blessed Arjuna with Pasupathasthiram (missile of the Lord of the animals). There is another temple in the middle of the paddy field and it is still known as Kattalan Koil.
Pannippagam:
The name of the village Pannippagam itself means pig (Panni=Pantri). True to its name, wild boar menace is a problem for farmers in this part of Kanyakumari district.
Sage Vyakarapadhar worshipped Lord Shiva here:
Sage Vyakarapadhar visited this place and worshipped Lord Shiva here.
The Temple
The temple is surrounded by lush green fields and located near the foothills of Mookkunnimala. The Lord here is in the form of Kirathamurthy or the hunter incarnation. This is a small temple built in Tamil architectural style. The Vimana or the roof above the sanctum is well sculpted. The temple has a state of Nandi wherein, the bull sits in a mandapa surrounded by lamps facing his Lord. There is a shrine for Kala Bhairavar in the north-east corner of the temple.


Temple Opening Time
The Temple remains open from 5.00 AM to 11.00 AM and 5.00 PM to 8.00 PM.
Festivals
·        Shivalaya Ottam
·        Shivaratri
·        Thiruvadirai
·        Chittirai kodiyetram Peruvizha
Connectivity
The Temple is located at about 10 Kms from Kumaracoil, 24 Kms from Vilavancode, 16 Kms from Marthandam, 20 Kms from Kuzhithurai, 13 Kms from Thiruvattaru, 17 Kms from Nattalam, 7 Kms from Thuckalay, 18 Kms from Colachel, 20 Kms from Nagercoil, 10 Kms from Eraniel, 27 Kms from Boothapandi, 44 Kms from Kanyakumari and 62 Kms from Thiruvananthapuram. Nearest Railway Station is located at Eraniel and Nearest Airport is located at Thiruvananthapuram.