Kumara coil

KUMARAKOIL(Template:Lang-ta)

The temple faces east and can be reached by a flight of thirty eight steps. The statue of Murugan is eight feet eight inches height. Apart from Valli sametha Murugan sannithanam, sannithanams are dedicated to Lord Shiva (Mahadevar). Parvathy (Shivakami Ammai), Kalyana Vinayagar, Shree Dharma Sastha, Ilaya Naynar, Arumuga Nayinar, etc. The unique feature is that there is a Sannithanam dedicated to Dhakshan who was punished by Lord Shiva for his misdeeds. The Theppakulam (sacred lake) where the devotees take bath before darshan of the Lord bears fresh stream water all the time. There are separate enclosures for the sacred cows, bulls, pecock etc., in the temple enclosure. Devotees feed them and also the fish in the theppakulam (sacred tank). Anna Thanam (feeding poor people) is being done on a daily basis. It is believed auspicious to feed the first feed to the children in the precincts of the Lord. Marriages, ear boring ceremonies, head trouncing, etc., are being done there by devotees as offer to the Lord. During Navarathri Pooja, Annai Adi Parasakthi (the divine mother of Lord Muruga) leave Sushintharam temple situate in Nagercoil, and perform a yatra in Pallakku to Trivandrum, the headquarters of the Kerala State, to participate in the Navarathiri Pooja celebrations at the Devi Koil in the vicinity of the Trivandrum Palace. Lord Muruga from Kumarakoil also accompany Annai in a procession, riding a horse. This practice has been in vogue since 1840 when the rulers of the erstwhile Trivancore Samasthanam (province) changed their headquarters from Padmanabhapuram in Thuckalay to Trivandrum. This practice exemplifies the strong connection between the erstwhile Malai Nattu (kerala) rulers and Kumarakoil. Kumara Koil could be reached by road from Nagercoil (15 kilameters) and Thuckalay (3 Kilometers), Trivandrum (about forty five kilometers).

References

• [1] (archived link, January 26, 2010)