temples and churches: Kumara Swamy Temple - Subramonia Swamy Temple

KUMARA SWAMY TEMPLE- SUBRAMONIA SWAMY TEMPLE, KUMARACOIL, INDIA

Valli belongs to the Devendra Kulam. However– due to a curse - she had to take birth in a family of Kuravar caste - called Kuravar Kulam. Kuravars are tribal people.

Valli was born at Vallicholai in Velimalai in the Kanyakumari District of the Tamil Nadu state, India. Her father- Nambi Rajan- was a local king of Kuravars.

Valli longed for Lord Murugan to become His wife.

Here, Lord Murugan is called Subramonia Swamy.

Subramonia Swamy knew that Valli had been from Devendra Kulam, and he wanted to marry her.

In order to win the heart of Valli, Subramonia Swamy - disguised as a bangle seller -called valayal seller - went to her house. However, he could not catch her attention.

Subramonia Swamy then went to the house of Valli camouflaged as an old man - called kizhavar. On sighting Valli, he requested her to give him some honey and corn flour – called thinai flour. Then he wanted water to clear his hiccup. Valli quickly fetched a little water from the stream in front of her house and gave it to him. While receiving the water, he touched her hand. As her heart had gone forth to Lord Murugan, Valli was not conscious of his touch. Subramonia Swamy was disappointed.

Subramonia Swamy had not remembered his brother- Lord Ganesa- before starting his journey to see Valli. Subranonia Swamy considered this act of forgetting on his own part as the sole reason for his failure to win the heart of Valli.

The moment Subramonia Swamy thought of Lord Ganesa, the latter appeared before the former in His original form. In order to help his brother, Lord Ganesa transformed into an elephant and went near Valli. Subramonia Swamy immediately chased the elephant to save the frightened Valli. Then the elephant transformed into Lord Ganesa - also called Ganapathi- and told her that the young man –Subramonia Swamy- was Lord Murugan. Valli felt that her wish had materialized.

Thus Valli went with Subramonia Swamy.

On sighting this, her father and the neighbours chased them. Subramonia Swamy searched for a hiding place but did not get any. The moment he realized that he would be caught, he suddenly transformed himself into a Venkai tree.

On sighting a new tree, Nambi Rajan issued orders to cut the tree. While cutting, the tree began to bleed blood and Lord Murugan appeared in His cosmic form. They realized that the young man was Lord Murugan and gave their consent to make her his wife

Veli in Sanskrit means marriage and hence the name of the mountain is called Velimalai – Marriage Mountain.

The stream from which Valli fetched water for the old man still exists.

The place where Subramonia Swamy disguised himself as an old man is called Kizhavan Cholai. This place exists. Vallicholai - the native place of Valli - also exists. Some Kuravars live in this place even now.
The stock of a big Venkai tree still remains in front of the deities.

As Ganapathi helped conduct marriage, he - in this temple - is called Kalyana Ganapathi or Marriage Ganapathi.

The deity is a 3 metre tall granite statue. It is said that it is the tallest Murugan statue. The statue of Valli is 2 metre tall. The statues appear as beautiful clay statues due to Channanakkappu and abizhesham.

As in many other temples, the deities are east facing.

There are at least two sculptured granite pillars with some characteristic features.
There exists a very big stone vessel chiselled out of a solid rock. Now it is being filled with common salt offered to the deity.

Besides Subramonia Swamy, Lord Murugan has many names like Shanmugan, Karthegayan, Kumaraswamy.

Now the Subramonia Swamy temple at Kumaracoil is called Kumaraswamy temple.

A 10- day festival takes place every year in the Tamil month of Pankini -Meenam in Malayalam-during Anuzha star.

A ritual called Kuravar Padukalam –also called Veduvar Padukalam – is characteristic of the festival of this temple. For this ritual, some Kuravars living in Vallicholai go to the temple and create a scene before giving their consent for the marriage between Subramonia Swamy, and Valli. This ritual is not seen in any other Murugan temple. Based on this, there exists a belief that Lord Murugan lived in this place.

Another characteristic feature of the temple is that the deity in this temple responds to any reasonable and just demand of any devotee immediately. Therefore, this deity is called Pesum Perumal or Speaking God. In fact, it is said that the devotees -irrespective of their religion- momentarily envisage the reply of the deity. Many devotees experience this even now.

Many devotees perform a ritual with common salt and black pepper - particularly for the cure of skin diseases.

During Saraswathi Puja a small panchaloha statue of Urchavar Murthy is taken in procession to Padmanabhaswamy temple at Trivandrum.

This temple might have been built by Pandia kings because the Gopurams resemble Pandian architecture. Some inscriptions found in the temple support this theory.

The temple is situated in a 3 acre plot at the base of Velimalai –a mountain of the Western Ghat.

The temple door remains open from 4.30 AM to 12.30 PM and from 5 PM to 8.30 PM everyday.

There are many shooting spots around the temple.
Everyone must see this temple at least once.

Kumaracoil is a place situated about 15 km north of Nagercoil in the National Highway-(NH47). It is 60 km south of Trivandrum in the NH 47. From this place one must travel about 1.5 km towards Velimalai. Buses and autos frequently ply between this place, and the temple.

A few images of the temple are given below: