Shanmughanathar Temple : Shanmughanathar Temple Details | Shanmughanathar- Viralimalai | Tamilnadu Temple

Sri Shanmughanathar temple

Moolavar	:	Shanmughanathar – Aarumugam
Urchavar	:	-
Amman / Thayar	:	Valli and Devasena
Thala Virutcham	:	Virali Creeper
Theertham	:	Naga Theertham
Agamam / Pooja	:	-
Old year	:	1000-2000 years old
Historical Name	:	-
City	:	Viralimalai
District	:	Pudukkottai
State	:	Tamil Nadu


	Singers:

	-

	Festival:

	10 day Vaikasi Visakam in May-June; 10 day Thai Poosam; 6 day Aipasi Skanda Sashti – Soora Samharam in October-November; and Arunagirinathar Music Festival each year are very grandly celebrated in the temple. Also the devotee crowd will be huge on Deepavali, Tamil New Year day and all Muruga related days.

	Temple's Speciality:

	The temple is praised in the hymns of Saint Arunagiriar. Cigar is offered as nivedhana to Lord Muruga in this temple.

	Opening Time:

	The temple is open from 6.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. and from 5.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.

	Address:

	Sri Shanmuganathar Temple, Viralimalai – 621 316, Pudukkottai district.

	Phone:

	+91 4322 221084, 98423 90416

	General Information:

	The hill has a huge population of peacocks. The peacock bearing Lord Muruga on its back is called Asura Mayil – giant peacock.

	Prayers

	Those realizing their child boon leave the child with Lord. The maternal uncles of the child offers husk to Lord Muruga and take back the child and entrust with its parents. The place is one of the noted prayer centres in the state. People pray to Lord for health, happiness, longevity, education, wisdom, good yields in farming.

	Thanks giving:

	People follow different methods of prayer commitments. Tonsuring, ear boring, carrying Kavadi, Milk pots, Anga Pradakshinam-whole body circumambulating (men), Kumbidudandam and step by step prakshina by women, performing Shanmuga archana and Shanmuga Velvi, fasting on Kruthika days, feeding the poor and contributing to temple renovation fund are the prayer commitments undertaken by the devotees.

	Greatness Of Temple:

	Saint Arunagiriar came to this place as instructed by Lord Muruga after the darshan granted in Vayalur. The saint was in search of the way to Viralimalai. Lord Muruga came and lead the saint to the place. Muruga wrote the OHM letter in the saint’s tongue in Vayalur and taught him the arts of Ashtama Siddhis-eight great miracle arts including the one of entering into others body known as Koodu Vittu Koodu Paithal. The saint lived in this place for a while. His hymns are a holy record of the history of Viralimalai. Viralimalai had been the home of many Siddhas next only to Tiruvannamalai. This is also the place where Lord offered a sweet preparation called Appam in Tamil to the devotees of Tiruvarur Lord Dakshinamurthy. Great four sages – Sanakar, Sanantanar, Sanantar and Sanatkumarar performed penance here and were granted darshan by Lord Muruga. A Nagar – idol of a snake is installed at the centre of Naga theertham. A devotee, Karuppamuthu by name was engaged in the renovation of the temple. One day it rained heavily accompanied by wild winds. The river was in spate. He was trembling with cold. Praying to Lord Muruga, he lighted a cigar to fight the cold. Another man came near him also trembling. Karuppamuthu offered him a cigar. The second man disappeared. When Kauppamuthu went to the temple, he was shocked to see cigar bits before the Lord. He told the gathering in the temple what happened. Since then, cigar nivedhana became a practice in this temple. Later, Maharaja of Pudukkottai banned this system in the temple. Lord Muruga is believed to have appeared in his dream saying that the cigar nivedhana system had behind it the noble quality of helping one when in need and not to encourage smoking, hence this need not be prohibited. People take the cigar and keep it in their houses. This is to show that love and devotion are important in the offering and not the object offered, it is said.

	Temple History:

	According to one story, there was a Kura tree in the place where now the temple exists. A hunter was chasing a tiger. It disappeared at this spot. It was believed that Lord was there where the tiger disappeared and people began their worships. Lord Muruga showed the way to Viralimalai to Saint Arunagiriar who was coming from Vayalur and also taught him the rare eight miracle arts-Ashtama Siddhis. This is a Muruga temple that has 18 Tirupugazh hymns sung by Arunagiriar.

	Special Features:

	Miracle Based: This is a hill temple.

Location :
The temple is on the Madurai-Trichy highway with comfortable conveyance facilities. Town bus facility is available to the temple from Trichy bus stand.

Near By Railway Station :
Manapparai

Near By Airport :
Tiruchi

Accomodation :
Pudukkottai:

Hotel Satyam: +91-4322-221 177; 223 311
Hotel Marris: +91-4322-225 874; 226 874
Hotel Royal Park: +91-4322-227 783 and 784
Prince Lodge: +91-4322-222 409; 224 991
Hotel Shivalaya: +91-4322-221 860; 220 956