Tiruchendur Temple (திருச்செந்தூர் )

Tiruchendur Temple (திருசெந்தூர் )

The Tiruchendur Temple (Arulmigu Subramaniaswamy Temple) is the celebrated seashore temple of Lord Subrahmanya and is one of the six 'Aarupadai veedu' shrines of Murugan. It is situated in the Tiruchendur taluk of the TiruneIveli District. The distance from Tirunelveli is about 60 Km. The temple is on the shore of the Gulf of Mannar. The surging cool tides of the sea wash the foot of the temple. There is no other shrine in Tamil Nadu with such a beautiful natural setting. The Gulf of Mannar is shallow and is safe for sea bath.

Before entering the temple pilgrims either wash their feet or take a bath in the sea. The bathing that contains nine teerthams according to the sthalapuranam. A bath in any of these teerthams is believed to confer miraculous benefits on a devotee. It is said that once, when Brahma lost one of his five heads due to the anger of Siva, he came to this teertha, took a holy dip in it and had his head restored. Similarly one Angasundari, a Pandyan princess born with the face of a horse, was blessed with a beautiful face after a bath at Vathararamba Teertham.

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’s 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.

The war against Surapadman and the success over him are celebrated every year at Tiruchendur on the days till Skanda Shashti, i.e. the sixth day of the waxing moon in the Tula month (October - November). These six days are considered to be very sacred in the Hindu religious calendar. The Kanda Puranam is read at this time with devotion, in private houses and in the temple, with the hope of getting both material and spiritual benefits from Lord Skanda. Many devotees observe nirjala fast on these days that are they do not drink even water.
Originally the temple was of a very modest construction, but during the course of about 1,000 years many additions and alterations were made by different Pandya and Chera kings, their vassals, and the wealthy people of the locality, as a result of which the present gigantic structure has grown up.

'Tiruchendur’ means a sacred and prosperous town of victory. The temple was originally constructed on the sandstone reefs of the beach, but due to corrosion by the sea, the stone began to disintegrate. A noble sannyasin, Mouna Swami, took up the renovation work and it was followed by two others in succession for 72 years and the noble edifice of three prakarams was constructed anew in black granite stone.

The gopuram is on the west (instead of being in the east as usual because of the sea) and is a gigantic structure of nine storeys with a height of 137 feet, commanding a good view of the surrounding area. History states that the gopurarn was constructed roughly 300 years ago by Desikamurti Swami, an Odukathu Tambiran of the then Head or Maha Sannidhanam of Tiruvaduturai Mutt, Tanjore District.