Uncovering the History of Salai Kumaran Temple: From Stolen Deities to Renowned Murugan Temple

Everyone in Tirunelveli knows the Salai Kumaran Temple, but not many are aware of its four-century history. Interestingly, this temple's origin story is tied to the theft of the Shanmukha and Nataraja icons from the famous Tiruchendur Murugan temple by the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century.

The Salai Kumaran Temple, located in the Junction locality of Tirunelveli, is one of the most renowned Murugan temples in the region. In the 1600s, the road leading to the nearby Palayankottai was called Palayan Salai Road, which is how the deity got its name Palayan Salai Kumaran.

During the war between the Dutch East India Company and the Portuguese, the famous Murugan temple at Tiruchendur was occupied by the former from 1646 to 1648. The locals' attempts to free their temple were unsuccessful, and the Dutch left only after receiving orders from the Madurai Nayaka. However, before departing, they took the metal icons of Shanmukha and Nataraja with them.

According to tradition, during their sea voyage, the Dutch encountered a fierce storm and realized their mistake of stealing the deities. They dropped them in the middle of the sea and saw the storm stop immediately. Later, Lord Murugan appeared in a dream to Vadamaliyappa Pillai, a devoted worshipper of Murugan, and revealed the location in the sea where the icon had been abandoned. Vadamlaiyappa Pillai went to the spot in a fishing boat and retrieved the murti in 1653, as depicted in the painting at the Tiruchendur temple.

Vadamalaiyappa Pillai, who served as the Tirunelveli Viceroy under the Madurai Nayaka ruler, requested sculptors in Kurukkuththurai, a locality in Tirunelveli, to make a metal icon of Shanmukha before discovering the original icon. The metal icon was on its way to Tiruchendur when it was kept in a site in the current Junction locality. Since the original icon was discovered later, the metal icon was kept permanently in the same place, and a temple was built. This led to the construction of the Salai Kumara temple in 1653.

The south-facing entrance serves the main gate, while the eastern gate is rarely used.

The sanctum houses the stone icon of Shanmukha, a six-headed deity with four arms, seated on his peacock. His consorts, Valli and Devasena, are uniquely positioned facing him.

Inside the Maha mandapa's south-facing shrine, there is the metal icon of Shanmukha flanked by Valli and Devasena. This icon was originally made for the Tiruchendur temple and is quite beautiful.

Upon entering from the main entrance, one can see Siddhi Ganapati and the bronze icon of Murugan with his two consorts.

Idumban, Kadamban, Ganesha, and the bas-relief of Shiva Linga are located at the entrance of Maha mandapa.

The Parivara deities in the prakara are Shaneeswara and Chandikeshwara.

Happy travelling.