ABOUT

Thiruchendur Murugan Temple is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Murugan situated in Tamil Nadu, India. The puranic name or historical name for this temple is Jayanthipuram. It is also one of the Arupadaiveedu, the six major abodes of Murugan. It is the only one among the six sacred temple complexes to be situated near the sea shore.It is one of the largest temple complexes of India and it is one of the most visited temple complex in India.[citation needed] This temple is the fourth Hindu temple in Tamil Nadu to get ISO certification. The temple has an eleven tiered rajagopuram, the gateway tower facing the East. The tower was built by Thiruvaduthurai Adheenamunder the aegis of the pontiff Desikamoorthy Swami around 1650.[citation needed] There are three precincts in the temple, with the third precinct on the shore of the Bay of Bengal. The entrance of the temple faces the South and has pillared halls leading to the sanctum. The first hall from the entrance is called the Shanmugha Vilasa Mandapam. There are separate shrines of Valli and Devyani, the consort of Muruga in the second precinct. There are shrines of Viswanatha and Visalakshi on the western side, while a cave on the northern side has the shrine of Valli. The image of the presiding deity, Subramanian Swamy is housed in the sanctum, sported with four hands. The image of the festival deity is sported with six faces and twelve hands. There are eight lingams in the temple, which is believed to have been worshipped by Muruga before waging the war with Surapadma