Loud chanting of ‘arogara’ followed by ‘Kandanukku and Vetrivel Muruganukku’ rented the air as devotees from Tamil Nadu and abroad gathered at coastal Tiruchendur to witness the historic consecration of the Lord Murugan temple (Subramania Swamy) in Thoothukudi district in southern Tamil Nadu on Monday.
Of the six sacred abodes of Murugan, the hugely popular deity among the Tamils, Tiruchendur holds a special place since according to legend, it was here the lord had waged a war against the demon king Surapadman and defeated him to save the gods. It also draws substantial devotees from neighbouring Kerala. The other five are Palani, Thiruparankundram, Pazhamudhir Solai, all three around Madurai, Tiruttani in north Tamil Nadu and Swamimalai near Thanjavur in the Cauvery delta.
Significantly, the consecration also happens close on the heels of the Sangh Parivar’s ‘Murugan Devotees Conference’, which was used to paint the ruling DMK as anti-Hindu. The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department has carried out renovation at a cost of Rs 300 crore, besides the allocation for the consecration. The god is known as Subramanian, Saravanan, and Dhandayuthapani as well.
Earlier, Tamil activists and the ultra-Tamil nationalist ‘Naam Tamilar Katchi’ (NTK) of Seeman among others have demanded that the consecration be held in Tamil and not in Sanskrit. As a compromise, the HR&CE has ensured that Tamil would be accorded primacy with the recital of the sacred hymns of Thevaram by the Traditional Odurvars.
The consecration was held between 6.15 am and 5.50 am and the administration had made steps to sprinkle the holy water on the devotees through drones. A team of Murugan devotees from Japan took part in the consecration festival and had a special darshan.