Vaikunda Chella Pathi is one among the oldest

Nizhal Thangal Nizhal Thangal () () also called Inai Thangals) are secondary worship places of the Ayyavazhi, often smaller in size than Pathis, built per the instructions of Akilattirattu Ammanai. Cleanliness is strictly enforced. Though the common people, m ...

s in the Western Kanyakumari district. It was located 6 km North-east of

Marthandam Marthandam is a major trade centre in Kuzhithurai municipality across National Highway (NH 47) in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, India. Formerly known as Thoduvetty (another name for the Marthandam market region), it was a portion ...

midway between Marthandam and

Kulasekaram Kulasekharam is a town located in the district of Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the most important business centres in the district, after Marthandam. Kulasekharam has many rubber plantations that yield high quality latex, whic ...

Thiruvattar Thiruvattar is a panchayat town in Kanyakumari district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. About the town This town is situated northeast of Marthandam and northwest of Nagercoil. The two main rivers, the Pahr ...

. It is also the only Nizhal Thangal in the district to conduct three Thiru Eadu Vasippu festivals annually.

at Attoor is located nearby.

Legend

The land where the Thangal stood today was owned by ''Sankaran Thamby'', Changumugam,

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

until the 1940s. The legend goes that ''Chellan Samiyar'', was a

palmyra Palmyra ( ; Palmyrene dialect, Palmyrene: (), romanized: ''Tadmor''; ) is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first menti ...

climber. He being a staunch devotee of lord

vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

, had set a pedestal at his hut and used it to offer his daily prayers. He was said to be instructed by

Lord Narayana Narayana (, ) is one of the forms and epithets of Vishnu. In this form, the deity is depicted in yogic slumber under the Kshira Sagara, celestial waters, symbolising the masculine principle and associated with his role of creation. He is als ...

in his dream to construct a

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

. Samiyar, who was then a teenager, was unable to realise his dream as he had no land of his own. Disappointed by this, he appealed to Lord Narayanathat how he could construct a temple without any land. He was said to receive command to make all the arrangements and that the land would be made available when it was time. Meanwhile, Sankaran Thamby received a dream the following day in which a Pandaram (

mendicant A mendicant (from , "begging") is one who practices mendicancy, relying chiefly or exclusively on alms to survive. In principle, Mendicant orders, mendicant religious orders own little property, either individually or collectively, and in many i ...

) ordered Thamby to offer land for a Temple to Chellan Samiyar, whom he did not know. Though Thamby ignored the dream initially, after he and his mother received repeated dreams in the following days, he came to

to find the person to whom he was to donate the land. He found Samiyar and the land was donated in 1944. The current Temple was constructed in 1959 C.E. and inaugurated by

Pattathu Ayya Payyan dynasty is the family which manage and administer Swamithope pathi, the temple of Ayyavazhi. Payyan in Arul Nool A quote in Arul Nool The Arul Nool is a supplement to the Akilattirattu Ammanai, and is likewise considered a holy ...

''Krishnanama Mony''.

Festivals

The Thiru Eadu Vasippu is conducted during the Tamil Months of Vaikasi, Avani and Margazhi. The Vaikasi festival lasts 10 days while the Avani and Margazhi festivals last 3 days each.

References

* Nellai Malai Murasu Ayya Vaikundar Avathara Mahimai (2007), ''Nellai Malai Murasu'', Special Edition. {{District of Kanyakumari Kanyakumari Nizhal Thangals

Legend

Festivals

See also

References