Friday, February 16, 2018

Vellimalai Kumaraswamy Temple, Kumarakoil – The Temple

Vellimalai Kumaraswamy Temple, Kumarakoil – The Temple
This is a famous Lord Muruga temple situated at the Kerala – Tamilnadu border. This is a very ancient temple. The temple faces east and can be reached by a flight of thirty-eight steps. Presiding Deity is called as Kumaraswamy Manavala Kumaran. Lord Murugan graces the devotees with his consort Valli. He is facing the east and said to be facing Sthanumalayan (Lord Siva) of Suchindram. The idol of Lord Murugan is a monolithic sculpture measuring eight feet and eight inches in height. Its long ears indicate that it belongs to the Buddhist period.




Goddess Valli who adorns the sanctum is six and a half feet tall. Nandippadam and Murugan Padam on the top of the hill are believed to be the imprints of Nandi and Murugan. Kalyana Vinayakar, who aided his brother in his marriage with Valli is in the right side of the entrance to the inner circumambulatory path. On the western circumambulatory path there is a shrine for Kasi Lingam and on the southern circumambulatory path there are shrines for Mahadevar, Sivakami and Chandikeswarar.



The unique feature of this temple is that there is a shrine for Daksha, the maternal grandfather of Lord Murugan. The sacred tree of the temple is a venerated vengai tree that is a hundred years old. Here, Arumuga Nayinar (Lord Murugan) is flanked by both his consorts, Valli and Deivayanai. Shrines of Dharma Sastha and Ilaya Nayanar can be found in this Temple. This temple is associated with the legends of Valli’s marriage with Murugan.



This is said to be the birth place of Valli. Valli Guhai is on the top of the hill which is two kilometers off the main temple, Valli Sunai, a pond where Valli took bath, Valli Solai, the millet field that Valli guarded, and Kizhavan Solai is where Murugan came in the disguise of an old man to woo Valli. The Theppakulam (sacred lake) where the devotees take bath before darshan of the Lord bears fresh stream water all the time.


There are separate enclosures for the sacred cows, bulls, peacock etc., in the temple enclosure. Devotees feed them and the fish in the Theppakulam (sacred tank). The protocol of worship offered here is Kerala Tantram. Majority of the devotees are from Kerala state. A police party and band from Kerala state is present on certain celebrations of this grand temple. Many children get their first feed (choor\Oonu kodupu) in this temple.