In Tamil Nadu as the popular maxim goes, "Wherever there is a mount there is a shrine for lord Muruga".

This Portal dedicated to the devotees of Lord Muruga across the globe. Lord Muruga - called by various favourite names like Karthilkeya, Arumuga, Shanmuga, Guhan, Skanda, Subramanya and Kumara - by his ardent devotees - is a Hindu god. He is considered to be the son of Lord Shiva - the Hindu God of distruction and the brother of Lord Ganesh - the most famous elephant headed god of India.

The portal provides vital information on temples of Muruga - across the globe, with special emphasis on the arupadai veedu group of shrines. It includes specific details like location, legends, purana, mythology, places to stay, festivals, links to other websites etc. on these six most famous temples of Lord Muruga - called Aru padai veedu.

Lord Muruga Aaru Padai Veedu(Six Battle Filed)

Thiruparamkundram : Soora Samharam, Chariot Festival and Laksha archana (worship to Lord Muruga by hundred thousand names)

Thiruchendur : Swing Festival (Oonjal Sevai - where Lord Muruga swings with his consort in a highly tranquill atmosphere)

Palani : The Golden Chariot Festival (A very famous occation in which golden image of the Lord goes around the temple in Gold Plated Chariot)

Swamimalai : The Soora Vahana Festival (Lord Muruga is seated above the Asura Soorapadhman and is taken around the temple)

Thiruthani : Mirror Festival (Kannadi Sevai - where the Lord's Six faces are exposed through a mirror and worshipped)

Pazhamudhircholai : Bathing Festival (Abhishekam - where the Lord's image is bathed in several holy waters, amidst the veda chanting - Sri Rudhram and Chamakam)

Thiruvaiyaru – literally (in Tamil) the holy land of five rivers is about 15 Kms from Thanjavur. The five rivers are the tributaries of the Kaveri and form a sort of network around this town, giving it its name. The main temple here is to the lord who shares the name with the town – Panchanadeeswarar in Sanskrit, or Ayyaarappan in Tamil.

Thiruvaiyaru Temple Gopuram
 
Detail of Ravana Lifting Kailas on his ten heads, on the Thiruvaiyaru Gopuram

 The story of how the temple came into being is an interesting one. A king’s chariot once got embedded in the ground. While digging around the wheels of the chariot to get it out, they chanced upon a lingam. A wise minister advised them to dig further, but carefully, and they were rewarded for their efforts with the idols of the goddess Dharmasamvardhini, Vinayaka, Muruga, and also a Nandi. To top it all, they also found a Siddhhar (saint) deep in meditation underground. The saint advised the king to build a temple at the same place, and also told him to dig under the hoofs of the Nandi where he would find the wealth needed for building the temple. 


The temple is huge and beautiful. The pragaram surrounding the sanctum of Panchanadeeswarar has some lovely wall paintings, of which you can see a sample below. Temple paintings
 
Outside the temple (the back entrance), is a shrine to Alkondar, a form of Shiva, where He is shown as a fearsome deity, wearing a garland of scorpions and other poisonous creatures, and is believed to be the form in which He punished Yama, the god of death. There is a huge pit outside the sanctum of Alkondar, where kungilyam (Benzoin) is offered to fire. It is believed that the smoke from the Benzoin removed the fear of death, and also wards away death due to the bite of poisonous creatures. 

The Thiruvaiyaru temple is one among a group of seven, collectively known as the Saptha Sthaanam temples. These temples are unique, for they are related to the marriage of Shiva’s foremost attendant, Nandi, and the part that Shiva played in this marriage. 

Nandi was born to Siladha Maharshi and performed great penance to his favoured deity, Shiva. Shiva was so pleased with his worship, he not only made Nandi his prime attendant, He also got him married. The marriage itself took place at Thirumazhapadi near Thiruvaiyaru, and Shiva took his devotee around these seven temples as part of the Sapthapadi. Every year, this occasion is celebrated in April/May with the idol of the Lord starting out in a beautifully decorated glass-encrusted palanquin from Thiruvaiyaru, and taking a round of these seven villages. At each village he is received at one boundary by the Lord of that village and accompanied by him to the next village, where he is received by the next one. In such a way, he completes a full circle and returns to Thiruvaiyaru.
 
These seven temples are: 
1. Thiruvaiyaru 
2. Thiruchotruthurai 
3. Thiruvedikudi 
4. Thirupponduruthi 
5. Thillaisthanam 
6. Kandiyur 
7. Thiruppazhanam 

All these temples are situated around Thiruvaiyaru (see the map) and it is possible to visit all these temples within 4 hours.
 

 

Nellaiappar Temple is one of the famous temples in Tamilnadu steeped in tradition and history and also known for its musical pillars and other brilliant sculptural splendors. This temple is a shrine to Shiva and Parvati and covers 14 acres. Agastya worshiped Shiva in a bamboo grove and by Rama after killing Mareecha nine miles away. There is a shrine dedicated to Vishnu near the sanctum, supporting the belief that Nellai Govindan (Vishnu) visited Tirunelveli to officiate the marriage of Shiva and Kantimathi. Near Tirunelveli, there are nine Vaishnavite temples dedicated to Vishnu.

Antiquity: The temple dates back to 700 AD. There were two distinct temples for Shiva and his consort built by the Pandyan kings and the Sangili Mandapam linking the two was built in the 17th century. The towers date back to the 17th century. There are many inscriptions dating back to 950 AD in the temple.

Architecture: The temple covers a vast area. The musical pillars in the Mani Mandapam produces sound in various pitches and was built in the 7th century AD by Nindrasir Nedumaran or Koon Pandyan, the Somavara Mandapam - the 1000 pillared hall, the Tamra sabha with intricate woodwork, and the Vasantha Mandapam are worth seeing. Life size sculptures adorn several mandapams including the Sangili Mandapam which links the Nellaiappar and Kantimathi mandapams. Tamra Sabhai: The Copper Dance Hall is a work of art, and is located within the precincts of the temple.

A shrine to Sandana Sabhapati is adorned with sandal paste and is located right behind the Tamra Sabha. There is another shrine dedicated to Nataraja here,- the Periya Sabhapati shrine. Religious services are carried out here on special occasions, and the festival idol is never moved from here.

Festival: Navaratri, Tirukkalyanam in Aippasi, (Oct 15 - Nov 15) and Arudra Darisanam are important festivals here. The temple charriot is massive. The Bhrammotsavam lasts for a long period of time during the Tamil month of Aani (June 15 - July 15).