Poomparai Kulandai Velappar Temple

Site Name: Kulandai Velappar Temple

Site Type: Hill station, View Point, Village, Temple

Location: Poomparai village, near Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu state, India

Highlights: An ancient temple of Lord Subramanya

Nearest Railway Station: Kodai Road 

Nearest Airport: Madurai 
How to reach: Well connected by road from Kodaikanal town

Hotel: A lot of options are available in Kodaikanal and Dindigul; hardly one of two options near Poomparai

Restaurants: All options - vegetarian and non vegetarian; North Indian, Chinese, South Indian, etc. in Kodaikanal; no option in Poomparai

A lot of tourists visit Kodaikanal as it is a popular tourist destination. However, not all of them go to the nearby Poomparai village. Poomparai is a small but beautiful village located near Kodaikanal.

Poomparai has two important places of interest, Maha Lakshmi temple and Kuzhandai Velappar Temple. Let us explore about Kuzhandai Velappar Temple in this article.

The word Kuzhandai means infant in Tamil language. Kuzhandai Velappan means the infant God holding the weapon Vel. Although it is supposed to be written as Kuzhandai, people generally mention the name of this temple as 'Kulandai' Velappan Temple.

Kulandai Velappan Temple or Kulandai Velayudha Swamy temple is a temple which comes under the administration of the popular Palani Temple. It is located at the heart of Poomparai, a scenic village, near Kodaikanal.

The temple is located in a scenic location surrounded by beautiful hills and valleys. The breathtaking Poomparai village view point is very nearby. 

Legend:

Kulandai Velappan temple is one of the popular temples in Kodaikanal region. Although the current structure of the temple located in a huge complex is new, it is believed that the original idol of the main deity was installed by Bogar, the Siddha who migrated from China to Tamil Nadu. Although his period is not confirmed, it is generally believed that he lived between 3rd and 5th century CE. It should be noted that he installed Palani Murugan idol too. Similar to Palani idol, Kulandai Velappan idol is made of nine alloys (Nava Pashanam), which has great medicinal values.

It is believed that a devotee prayed to Lord Velappan in this temple and then he got a child. He immediately offered chocolates and candies to his friends and well wishers. Lord appeared in his dream and asked why he did not offer chocolates to him. He immediately rushed to the temple and offered chocolates and candies to Lord Velappan. It has become a ritual and even the other devotees follow this. It is very rare to find chocolates and candies being offered in a Hindu temple in South India.

Temple Layout:

Kulandai Velappan temple is located in a very huge complex. You don't need to worry for parking space even if you come by a bus or truck. 

The temple is built in a typical South India temple architectural style. There is no tower. The sanctum sanctorum faces towards the east direction. The main idol, Kulandai Velappan is present in the standing posture in the sanctum sanctorum. His mound (vaahan) peacock is found near the bali peetha and flag staff facing towards the main shrine.

There is a sub-shrine where the metal utsava idols of Ganesha and Subramanya with his consorts are placed. It is found near the sanctum sanctorum.

The wall around the main shrine has Nataraja and Dattatreya as the Koshta idols. It is very rare to find Nataraja and Dattatreya in the form of carvings as the Koshta idols. Moreover, it is also rare to find the carving or idol of Dattratreya.

The temple also houses many sub-shrines of various deities such as Shiva Linga, Ganesha, Navagraha, Bhairava, Idumban, Dakshinamurti and Nagas.

Happy travelling.