Thiruparamkundram : The "Non" muruga temple
  • I'm not sure how many are aware of this controversy. The Jatila
    parantaka inscriptions of thiruparamkundram cave temple clearly
    state that his wife took cave temples for Kaali - Ganapathy and
    JEYESTA devi. Today in the main san.sanctorum, Jeyshta has become
    murugan - the rest two gods are in tact.

    The parangundram temple sung in thirumurugatruppadai could be a
    different parangundram or a different temple within parangundram.

    Lord muruga is fully covered with kavachams that hide almost the
    whole of his body. Notice his feminine face carefully. And ask
    yourself why no abhishekams are performed to this lord and only the
    vel gets abhishekams inspite of moolavar being made of stone
    (Normally only sudhai sirpams will not get abhishekams).

    Even in Marudhamalai, you can see the old temple (kundruthoradal ?)
    and the new muruga temple close to each other

    Opinions welcome
  • what? the home town of nakkirar is not a murugan temple?


    thats what I call the roots of a tue contreversy

    where muruga reportedly married deivanai
    the first of his 6 homes
    now has nothing to do with him?

    anyway sambanthar and sundarar sang about this tempe and call it by
    the same name.

    sambanthar calls this parangkundrE

    so the name must have been during his time

    what time was this kalvettu ?
    the most famous kalvettu in this temple is about a rajakopalarayar
    diwan of the nawabs(?) wh fought against european invasion of this
    temple and fell from the gopuram in the war. his family has been
    given lands and that deed recorded in the temple kalvettu.
  • this is some info I got on param kundram

    i dont know exacty when kalithogai or aganaanuuru was written
    was written
    but in it

    onnaarthaan kadanthu
    muravuniir adavu
    maakondra venvElaan
    kundrinmel

    aganaanuuru says

    suurmarungarutha
    sutarilai neduvEl
    sinamigu murugan
    thanparangkundram

    nappannaars parpaadal also links murukan and paramkundram

    i was told that sambanthar also mentions the muruga legend in his
    thevaram here( or aalavai) must check up
  • Dear venkat

    I'm in total sync with you on the murugan temple and parankundram
    connection since sangam times.

    Interesting questions are :

    * Is the parankundram near madhurai the paramkundram of ancient times ?
    (I think the current madurai is atleast the second one if not first)

    * Is the muruga temple as we see today the old muruga temple ? We have
    very solid inscriptional evidence that this kudaivarai is a middle
    pandiya excavation. The paramkundram and umai andavar kudaivarais are
    both middle pandiyan excavations. Jatila parantaka's inscriptions are
    the earliest available in the temple. His minister and wife contribute
    to the temple if I am not mistaken. So the question is whether the
    current temple was the one sung by nakkerar (may not be).

    But the worst is ofcourse the deity as we worship today is muruga or
    not.

    I look forward to your further opinions.
  • Here's the inscriptional evidence from South Indian Inscriptions vol
    XIV
  • This temple is a cave temple. So we can not go around
    the main statue. So they dont do the abishekam there.
    Per local legend, the power of the god there is in the
    spear ( because of killing of a giant ) so they do the
    abishekam only for the spear.
  • Dear Gokul

    true many of the temples of today are not in the actual locations
    they were in
    my favourite- kapali temple in mylapore is one.

    if we can find evidence that sambanthar or sundarar mentioned muruga
    in paramkundram( thats the same temple they sang about) then we can
    be sure.
    i was told sambanthar mentions a hill where muruga marries near
    aalavaai( madurai) but need to check up.

    I think I will study the structure of the hill from books I have.

    one thing I remember now is muslims call it sikandar malai because
    of a dargah on top of the hill>
  • Hi Gokul
    many interesting things are coming up about param kundram

    its also called kOththittai( thittai- medu)
    . sundarar in his ten songs calls it by this name. in the last song
    calls it param kundru
    but if you are talking about the temple being changed in naik
    periods remember that arunagiri sang 25 of his best songs here soon
    after.we could look for clues in his songs

    venketesh
  • Dear venkat

    Yes, "Paramkundram over the ages" is a topic for research. We will
    collect as much as we can and consolidate everything.

    It's been a very interesting discussion so far.

    Please note that aanaimalai and paramkundram were excavated in approx
    same period.

    Pl see if you can find some info on Umai aandavar guhai koil.closed for
    public view
  • dear Gokul
    info on umai aandavar kugai koil

    on the southern part of paramkundram hill
    pandya ,possibly 8th century AD
    one excavated cave mandapam and one room on the west

    in the room there is a pudaippu sirpam of arthanaarishwarar
    on the south facing walls of this room beautiful sculptures are seen
    mainly nadaraja damaged beneath the waist
    above the nadaraja ganapathy and muruga statues also
    to the east of the nadaraja statue subramanya and deivayanai


    on the west facing walls of the mandapam maravarman sundara pandyan
    the first( 1216-1238) inscription is there
    statues most propably damaged in hindu jain warring

    sorry if the words sound telegraphic. i am translating from a book
    directly
  • a trivia about thiruparamkundram

    hindus call param kundram "kanthar malai"
    muslims call it " sikanthar malai"


    there is a dargah atop the hill close to the kasi vishwanathar temple .
  • Thiruparankundram is a rocky hillock.
    Behind the Dargah, there is a perinnial spring,
    with ice cool fresh water.
  • Hi Venkat

    I was hoping to get some info on a varaahamoorthy statue there. The
    nataraja is beautiful as quoted I believe.

    No detailed information is available on the sculptures. A must visit
    during Madurai trip. Requires ASI permission as it is normally closed
  • Interesting Gokul..There was a similar controversy sometime back that the Tirupati temple is a temple dedicated to Lord Muruga..

    Iam sure a lot of us might have heard of that too..
  • > Whenever I hear of Thiruparankundram, what I recall is the famous
    > Sundara Pandya inscription

    Dear SPS

    I am not sure about thirupparamkundram inscription.

    The atrur kottathu nandhipuram appears in srivilliputhur inscription.
    Kudavoil thanks kudanthai sethuraman in his book for this

    The palai mandapam inscription is from Thiruvellarai. I have
    photographed the inscription myself.

    Love and Rgds
    G
  • >
    > It is said TIRUVENGADU BUDHAN (MERCURY) IS ALSO PANDYA MURUGA ! SPS

    My exposure to pandiyan murugas is almost zero but I have seen some
    pallava and chola murugas as well as the muruga in kudaivarai in
    trichy.
    Features :

    * Senni - MUST. No muruga without senni
    * No vel sculpted into most sculptures.
    * 4 hands
    * Sannaveram in most - not sure if this should be all.
  • > Tiruparankundram speaks of Sundara Pandian's insccriptions.
    > Srivilliputhur speaks of a Donee from Sundara Pandia who confirms
    > his grant at the occasion when SP performed his Vijaya /
    > Veerabishekam in Nandhipuram. sps
    >

    This took me to the scene when kudavoil was actually explaining in full
    ecstacy the joy he had in finding the inscription. It was an evening in
    vayiram kaichi thoppu, Nandhipuram which is hard to forget.

    G

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