Kartikeya, the God of War is a much-honored deity in South India. Referred by many names such as Muruga, Skanda, Subramanya, he is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi.When the five elements governed by Lord Shiva (Panch Mahabhoota – Earth , Water, Fire, Air and Ether ) united with Shakti ( Pure consciousness ) , Lord Kartikeya was born into this world .
He is considered the God of Tamil Language and is mentioned extensively in Tamil literature. All the major six abodes of Muruga are in Tamil Nadu and it was only natural that I would take this wonderful opportunity to visit at least few of them.
The state of Tamil Nadu has among its foremost attractions, a varied array of historic temples dedicated to various Gods and Goddesses and this was my main focal point during the short visit to this state. Being inclined to learn about the ancient history of India, this was a great opportunity which I embraced whole heartedly.
Siruvapuri Sri Balasubrahmanyam temple
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A 500-year-old temple located on the Chennai Kolkata highway dedicated to Lord Kartikeya was my destination one early Sunday morning. Located near Village Ponneri, the original name which was Chinnamdebu. This was my first visit to a temple of Lord Kartikeya and there was so much anticipation in me owing to this fact. History says that Lava and Kusa, the sons of Rama lived in this place and one day they unknowingly fought a war with the Lord himself. As the young people waged the war here, the place came to be known as Siruvar Por Puri (children waging a war with arrows) .
The temple showcases the Peacock which was vehicle of Lord Mururgan made out of green stones known as “Margatham”. The Annamalaiyar statue of Lord Shiva too is also made of green granite. It is said that this temple is very powerful in aura, granting the wishes of devotees. The road to the village passes through the farmer fields and maybe in the early days would have been scenic to see but now modernization has caught up with this just as everything else.
The idol of Lord Muruga is seen in a wedding posture (Valli Manalar). Lord Muruga is believed to be very powerful who grants wishes to his followers. There was immense crowd on that Sunday morning and later I came to know that Sunday was one of the most crowded days of the week when large number of devotees visit the temple and offer prayers. There were also many marriage rituals being conducted here and it is said that this temple is considered very auspicious for newlyweds. The temple prayer timings are thrice a day and there is generally quite a large queue involved in visiting the inner sanctum .the inner sanctum has a narrow passage which deities adorned and carved out of granite and rock on both side while the Lord Muruga deity stands straight ahead , lifelike in length .
The inner sanctum was lit with earthy lamps just like olden times and adorned with flower garlands and vermillion Lord Kartikeya was a sight to see, an aura of deep powerful presence is so distinctly felt out here in these surroundings but then this is felt only in the inner sanctum for it has been preserved just the way it was with no additions of modernity undertaken.There can be no photos taken of the inner temple/sanctum and this is to be followed strictly.
The temple is in a village hence the roads are very narrow, and parking is an issue. There is no proper management of the devotees who come here by the administration, so this is definitely something that needs to be thought about. There is no public utilities as well so this is again a downside.But hey these temples have been the pillars of faith , support for decades and a visit to them is something worth all the downsides summed up on one side.
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