From Elephant to King - A lesser-known part of Kantimati Temple

By Indian Columbus - June 10, 2023

In the previous seven sections of this series, I have provided an overview of various aspects of the Kantimati temple in Tirunelveli, including the Raja Gopuram, sanctum, front side mandapas, Mukha mandapam, and inner prakara. Now, in this eighth part, our attention will turn toward the outer prakara of the temple.

It is not widely known among visitors that there exists an outer prakara, which is a circumambulatory path encircling the sanctum of Kantimati. Even the local residents seldom venture into this area, and recently, access to the southern prakara has been restricted.

Within the southern section of the outer prakara, one can find the sub-shrines of Ganesha and a stunning mural painting depicting Kantimati. Moving toward the western side, there is a sacred tank known as Karumari Teertham. According to legend, a Pandya King engaged in a deep meditation once neglected a sage. Feeling disrespected, the sage cursed the king to transform into an elephant. However, after bathing in this holy tank, the elephant regained its original form. In Tamil, the tank came to be known as Kari Uru Mariya Teertham, which later evolved into Karimari Teertham or Karumari Teertham. (The legend also provides more details, like an encounter between a lion and this elephant. As it is not relevant to this article, I leave that part. As per other version, the King was named Indradyumna and the sage was Durvasa).

At the southwest corner, there is an icon of Ganesha. Meanwhile, the northwest corner houses a grand shrine with a separate prakara and a long mukha mandapa. The mandapa features beautifully crafted circular pillars. Inside the shrine, there is a magnificent four-armed Subramanya seated on a peacock, accompanied by his consorts Valli and Devasena. This shrine can be considered a small temple in its own right, and it is commonly referred to as Karumari Subramanya.

On the opposite side of the prakara, facing west, there is a shrine dedicated to Dharma Shasta, with his consorts Poorna and Pushkala by his side. Additionally, a Shiva Linga is also present in this shrine, accompanying Shasta.

Happy travelling.

This article is Part 8 of the series of articles I write about Kantimati Sameta Nellaiyappar Temple.

The other parts of the series can be accessed through the below-listed links.