Indian Columbus

Madurai  city is famous for its magnificent Meenakshi Sundareswara temple, a well-known fact. Sundareswara temple is the first Devara Paadal Petra Sthalam of the Pandya region. (The important temples of Lord Shiva that were revered in the verses of Shaivite saints are called Devara Paadal Petra Sthalams). The second Paadal Petra Sthalam in the Pandya region is  the Tiru Aappanoor  temple. It is located in the Sellur locality in Madurai. Even though it is an ancient and prominent temple of the city, it remains less popular.   Highlights: Sambandhar  revered the temple in his verses in Devaram. God  - Aappudaiyaar Goddess  - Kuravankamazhum Kuzhali Other names of God - Annavinodhan, Rishabhapuresar, Idapuresar Other names of Goddess - Sunganda Kundalambal Teerth  (Holy water) -  Idaba Teerth Sthala Vruksha  (Holy tree) -  Bilva Second Devara Paadal Petra Sthalam in Pandya region Legend: As per the legend, a Pandya King,  Cholantaka Pandya  by name, fainted

Those who go to Madurai, the Temple City of India, get overwhelmed by visiting the grand Meenakshi Temple and generally do not explore further. Few people go beyond this gigantic temple and visit various sites of historical and heritage values. However, not even those few would have heard about this hidden treasure called  Samanar Malai . At a distance of around 10 km from Madurai Junction, in a small hamlet called  Keezha Kuyilkudi , the hillock that stretches about 3 km of area is located. Due to 1000+ years old Jain sculptures on the hill, it is named  Samanar Mala i (in Tamil, it means the hillock of Jains). A distance of 10 km is not a big deal. However, this village remains lesser known and is not easily accessible. Public transport is poor, and the mobile signal is weak; it may be impossible to book call taxi from this village. There are no other means of transportation available here. It is advisable to go in your own vehicle or book a cab for half a day from Madurai. The