Ponniyin Selvan Varalaatru Peravai

Tiruchendur - Skanda Sashti

Thiruchendur is one of the oldest temples refered in Tamil litrature. Intrestingly it a temple of Kurinjik Kadvul in a Neidhal thalam.

Apart from Tirumurugatruppadai, Many other old Literartuires refer Senthil/Thirucheer alaivai.


Puranaooru:

55. மூன்று அறங்கள்!
பாடியவர்: மதுரை மருதன் இளநாகனார்.
பாடப்பட்டோன்: பாண்டியன் இலவந்திகைப் பள்ளித் துஞ்சிய நன்மாறன்.
திணை: பாடாண். துறை: செவியறிவுறூஉ

........வெண் தலைப் புணரி அலைக்கும் செந்தில்
நெடுவேள் நிலைஇய காமர் வியந்துறைக்
கடுவளி தொகுப்ப ஈண்டிய
வடுஆழ் எக்கர் மணலினும் பலவே!

Here Pandya's Valour is compred with the way Muruga fought at Senthil.The sooran legend is mentioned in Puram iteself.

Agam 266
அலைவாய்ச்
செருமிகு சேஎயொடு உற்ற சூளே!

Silapdhikaram Vanjikandam:


சீர்கெழு செந்திலும் செங்கோடும் வெண்குன்றும்
ஏரகமு நீங்கா இறைவன்கை வேலன்றே
பாரிரும் பெளவத்தின் உள்புக்குப் பண்டொருநாள்
சூர்மா தடிந்த சுடரிலைய வெள்வேலே;
அணிமுகங்க ளோராறும் ஈராறு கையும்
இணையின்றித் தானுடையான் ஏந்திய வேலன்றே
பிணிமுகமேற் கொண்டவுணர் பீடழியும் வண்ணம்
மணிவிசும்பிற் கோனேத்த மாறட்ட வெள்வேலே;
சரவணப்பூம் பள்ளியறைத் தாய்மா ரறுவர்
திருமுலைப்பா லுண்டான் திருக்கைவே லன்றே
வருதிகிரி கோலவுணன் மார்பம் பிளந்து
குருகு பெயர்க்குன்றம் கொன்ற நெடுவேலே;


Appar in His thevaram mentions Thiruchendur as

செந்தின் மேய
வள்ளி மணாளற்குத் தாதை கண்டாய் ( 6.23.4)

Adisankara in his Subhramanya Bhujangam mentions-
yathAbdhes tharangA layam yAnthi thungA, thatthaivA padha sannidhou sevyamAne
itheevormi panktheer nrinAm darshayantham, sadA bhAvaye hrithsaroje guham tham

{The waves of worries that haunt the minds of the devotees get destroyed like the waves of the ocean when they hit the shore; Thou stands on the sea-side town of Tiruchendur exemplifying this truth that the mental worry-waves get destroyed when the devotees surrender themselves at Thy feet. O Lord Guha (one who resides in the cave of the heart)! I meditate on you always!}.


Adisankara also mentions the practise of giving the vibhuthi in the leaves of panneer tree. ( the custom existed even in 8th C)

apasmAra kushta kshayArsha prameha, jvaronmAdha gulmAdhi rogA mahAntha
pishAchAshcha sarve bhavatpatra bhoothim, vilokya kshanAth tArakAre dravanthe

{Oh Conqueror of Taraka! Severe epilepsy, leprosy, consumption, lung diseases, venereal diseases, fevers, mental diseases of all types, they run away the moment they see Thy vibhuti contained in a leaf}.


The earliest inscriprion recorded in the temple is of Pandya Varaguna in 875 AD.





16A/S11/Vol IV




The inscription reads that in 875 A.D King Varagunan, who ruled this area, gave 1400 gold coins to village sabhas around Tiruchendur to conduct the worship of Lord Muruga. Every village was asked to give rice, ghee, curd, banana, sugar, coconut, flower, thoopam ,peppper, turmeric, cumin, custard, coriander etc. This should be given in double during festival season. This inscription helps to understand the exchange rates in 9th C.



The Dutch entered the temple, damaged the moola moorthi, took away the utsavar. Suddenly a strom came and fearing the dutch dropped the utsavar in the sea. Vadamalayappa Pillai under Tirumalai Nayak, searched the sea as advised by the lord, found with the help of divine signs and found the utsava idol. The imapct of sea water on Shanmuga can be seen even today.

he made another Moolavar with the rocks of Kurukkuthurai. With the rock left out after making the moolmoorti, they made another moorti, made another temple in Tirunelveli, which is the salai Muthukumarasamy temple, near Jn,

The Dutch agression is recorded in an epigraph.






Kollam year 650 (1476 A.D), 1903 No 156




According to this inscription found at the local Sivakkolundeeswarar temple, Tiruchendur was called as Thirubhuvana Madevi Sathurvedi Mangalam. Through a small inscription, we are informed that the idol of Arumuga Peruman, stolen by the Dutch pirates was redeemed in the year 1653 A.D by Thirumalai Naikar.
Intrestingly the Moolasthana is a cave. ( pandya country has many cave Murugan temples - Tirupparamkundram, kazughumalai, Valliyur ) A big boulder is carved and the moorti is installed. This symbolically represent the concept of Guha.

Guha is a fire in the devotee's heart ( heart refered as a cave)

Bharathiar refers this concept as

குஹனே பரமன் மகனே
குகையில் வளரும் கனலே

Murugan is called Skanda when he is the Devasenapati.

We saw earlier how the Skanda becomes Alexander in Greek and the emaning of Skanda in sanskrit and Alexander in greek are the same - " the warrior"

On this day of Skanda sashti, may he shower his blessings to us.