Thiruthani Murugan Temple
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The Subramaniya Swamy Temple or Murugan Temple is a
Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
temple, on the hill of
Tiruttani Tiruttani is a historic temple town situated in the Tiruvallur district and serves as a suburb of Chennai within the Chennai Metropolitan Area in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The town is famous for the Tiruttani Murugan Temple, an a ...
,
Tiruvallur district Thiruvallur District, also spelled as Tiruvallur District, is one of the 38 districts (an administrative district) in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The fast developing city of Tiruvallur is the district headquarters. The district has a mixture ...
,
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, dedicated to
Murugan Kartikeya (/ kɑɾt̪ɪkejə/; ), also known as Skanda ( /skən̪d̪ə/), Subrahmanya (/ sʊbɾəɦməɲjə/, /ɕʊ-/), Shanmukha ( /ɕɑnmʊkʰə/) and Murugan (/ mʊɾʊgən/), is the Hindu god of war. He is generally described as the ...
. The hill has 365 steps indicating 365 days of the year. It is fifth among the
six abodes of Murugan The Six Abodes of Murugan () are six temples situated in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India, dedicated to the Hinduism, Hindu deity Kartikeya, Murugan. These six sacred abodes of Murugan are mentioned in Tamil Sangam literature, in the texts ...
(Arupadai Vidu) The other five are
Palani Murugan Temple Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Murugan situated atop a hillock amidst the Palani Hills in Palani, Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the Six Abodes of Murugan. The temple is managed by the Hindu Religio ...
,
Swamimalai Murugan Temple The Swaminatha Swamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to god Murugan. It is located in Swamimalai, 5 km from Kumbakonam, on the banks of a tributary of river Kaveri in Thanjavur District, 290 km from Chennai, the capital of Tamil N ...
,
Thiruchendur Murugan Temple The Arulmigu Subramanya Swami Temple, Tiruchendur is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Murugan (Kartikeya). It is second among six abodes of Murugan (''Āṟupatai vitukal'') situated in Tamil Nadu, India. It is located in the eastern end of ...
,
Thiruparankundram Thiruparankundram, also spelled Tirupparankundram or Tiruparangundram, is a neighbourhood in Madurai city in Tamil Nadu, India. It is about from Periyar Bus Terminus, the centre of the city and constitutes the southwest part of the Madurai cit ...
and Pazhamudircholai Murugan Temple. Tiruttani is from
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
. It is the only adobe located within the Greater Chennai Metropolitan Area limit. During the
Sangam era The Sangam literature (Tamil: சங்க இலக்கியம், ''caṅka ilakkiyam''), historically known as 'the poetry of the noble ones' (Tamil: சான்றோர் செய்யுள், ''Cāṉṟōr ceyyuḷ''), connotes ...
, Tiruttani was known as Kundruthoradal. After killing the asura Tarakasura in
Tiruchendur Tiruchendur (Tamil language, Tamil: ''Tiruccentūr'' t̪iɾɯtːʃen̪d̪uːr also ''jayantipuram'') is a municipality in Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is home to the Arulmigu Subramaniya Swamy Temple, Tiruchendur, Arulmigu ...
, he came here to subside his anger, so Surasamharam is not conducted here.


History

The origins of this temple, are buried in antiquity. This temple has been mentioned in the Sangam period work ''Tirumurugatruppadai'' composed by Nakkeerar. It has been patronized by the
Vijayanagara Vijayanagara () is a city located in Vijayanagara district of Karnataka state in India.Vijayanagara
rulers and local chieftains and zamindars. The original animal mount of Murugan is believed to have been an elephant, compared to the peacock which is considered to be the most common mount. The white elephant, is considered a powerful, terror striking animal. The iconography is maintained only in two places, namely, this temple and Tiruttani Murugan Temple.


Legend

According to the regional legend of the temple,
Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war.  volumes Indra is the m ...
, the king of the devas gave his daughter
Devasena Devasena (, , ) is the Hindu goddess of aspirations, and the consort of the war god Kartikeya (Murugan). She is also known as Devayanai, Deivanai, and Deivayanai in Tamil texts. Her name is also spelled as Teyvanai or Tevayanai (). Devasen ...
in marriage to Murugan, and along with her presented his elephant
Airavata Shachi.html" ;"title="Indra (alias Sakra) and Shachi">Indra (alias Sakra) and Shachi riding the five-headed Divine Elephant Airavata, Folio from a Jain text, Panch Kalyanaka (Five Auspicious Events in the Life of Jina Rishabhanatha), c. 1670 ...
as part of his offering. Upon Airavata's departure, Indra found his wealth waning. Murugan is said to have offered to return the white elephant, however Indra bound by protocol refused to accept a gift that he had made, and insisted that the elephant face his direction, hence the image of the elephant in this temple also faces the east. Another legend has it that Indra presented a sandal stone as a part of his daughter's gift. The sandal paste made on this stone is applied to the image of Murugan and the applied paste is said to acquire medicinal value. Murugan is also believed to have imparted knowledge of
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
to the sage
Agastya Agastya was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the Indian tradition, he is a noted recluse and an influential scholar in diverse languages of the Indian subcontinent. He is regarded in some traditions to be a Chiranjivi. He and his wife ...
and he is heralded with the epithets Veeramurti, Jnanamurti, and acharyamurti in this shrine. On worshipping at Thanikai, the king of the snakes,
Vasuki Vasuki () is the king of the nagas in Hinduism. He is described as having a gem called '' Nagamani'' (serpent's ornament) on his head. Shesha, another king of the nagas and the bed on which Vishnu rests, is his elder brother, and Manasa, a ...
got his bodily wounds healed, which had been caused during the
Samudra Manthana The Samudra Manthana () is a major episode in Hinduism that is elaborated in the Vishnu Purana, a major text of Hinduism. The Samudra Manthana explains the origin of the elixir of eternal life, amrita. Nomenclature *Sāgara manthana (साग ...
to secure the
amrita ''Amrita'' (, IAST: ''amṛta''), ''Amrit'' or ''Amata'' in Pali language, Pali, (also called ''Sudha'', ''Amiy'', ''Ami'') is a Sanskrit word that means "immortality". It is a central concept within Indian religions and is often referred to i ...
(nectar of immortality) by the devas and
asura Asuras () are a class of beings in Indian religions, and later Persian and Turkic mythology. They are described as power-seeking beings related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the wor ...
s when the Mandara mountain was used as the churning base and the snake king Vasuki as the rope. Sage
Agastya Agastya was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the Indian tradition, he is a noted recluse and an influential scholar in diverse languages of the Indian subcontinent. He is regarded in some traditions to be a Chiranjivi. He and his wife ...
worshipped Murugan at Tanikai when he was blessed with the divine gift of the
Tamil language Tamil (, , , also written as ''Tamizhil'' according to linguistic pronunciation) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. It is one of the longest-surviving classical languages in the world,. "Tamil is one of ...
.


Architecture

The temple is located on a hill named Thanigai hill reached with 60 steps. The temple has a five-tiered
gopuram A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Telugu: గోపురం, Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of th ...
and four precincts. There are several water bodies associated with the temple. The temple has two shrines, namely, Murugan in the form of Shaktidharar and the shrines of
Valli Valli () is a devi, Hindu goddess, and the second consort of the deity Murugan. An incarnation of the goddess Sundaravalli, daughter of Vishnu, Valli is born on earth as the daughter of a chieftain, leading a life of a huntress. Murugan, the god ...
and
Devasena Devasena (, , ) is the Hindu goddess of aspirations, and the consort of the war god Kartikeya (Murugan). She is also known as Devayanai, Deivanai, and Deivayanai in Tamil texts. Her name is also spelled as Teyvanai or Tevayanai (). Devasen ...
in two other shrines.


Religious significance

Apart from its puranic greatness, Saint
Arunagirinathar Arunagirinathar (', ) was a Tamil language, Tamil Shaivism, Shaiva saint-poet who lived during the 14th century in Tamil Nadu, India. In his treatise ''A History of Indian Literature'' (1974), Czechs, Czech Indologist Kamil Zvelebil places Aru ...
has praised this hill as the chosen place for worship by devas and the favorite abode of saints performing prolonged tapas. He also compared this hill to Shivaloka (Kailasha) and as the very soul of the world. Sri
Muthuswami Dikshitar Muthuswami Dikshitar (Mudduswamy Dikshitar) (, 24 March 1776 – 21 October 1835), mononymously Dikshitar, was a South Indian poet, singer, veena player, and a prolific composer of Indian classical music. He was the youngest member of what is re ...
, who lived 200 years ago (one of the trinity of Carnatic music) had his inspiration in Tiruttani when Murugan (in the guise of an old man) met him on the steps and sweetened his tongue with the prasadam of this temple, which impelled him to compose and render his first kriti "Sri Nathadhi Guruguho Jayati Jayati" (song) Murugan of Tanikai. The temple
vimana Vimāna are mythological flying palaces or chariots described in Hindu texts and Sanskrit epics. The "Pushpaka Vimana" of Ravana (who took it from Kubera; Rama returned it to Kubera) is the most quoted example of a vimana. Vimanas are also menti ...
m was covered by gold.


Administration

The temple is maintained and administered by the
Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu manages and controls the temple administration within the state. The Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act XXII of 1959 controls 36,425 ...
of the
Government of Tamil Nadu The Government of Tamil Nadu () is the administrative body responsible for the governance of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the capital of the state and houses the state executive, legislature and head of judiciary. Under the Const ...
.


Timings

Usually the temple is open from 5:45a.m. to 21:00. On special days, the temple is open full day in between 12pm to 3 pm is closed on some festival time.


Festivals

Besides the monthly Karthikais which attract a large number of devotees to this shrine, the two outstanding annual festivals are the Aadi Krittikai and 31 December New Year Step Festival. The float festival is celebrated in the month of Adi, Brahmotsavam in the month of Masi, during which Valli Kalyanam is celebrated on the 8th day, and the Murugan Shashti is celebrated in the
Tamil month The Tamil calendar (தமிழ் நாட்காட்டி) is a sidereal solar calendar used by the Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It is also used in Puducherry, and by the Tamil population in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singap ...
of Aippasi.


Aadi Karthigai

Aadi Karthigai festival (in July–August) lasts for three days with Float Festival when hundreds of thousands of devotees come to this holy place from far and near.


Notes


References

* * {{Authority control Hindu temples in Tiruvallur district Murugan temples in Tamil Nadu