Meenakshi in the land of Kantimati

Is this a slightly larger roadside temple? It seems to be quite popular among the locals, given the consistent crowd. Is there any particular significance to it? The architecture appears contemporary. Numerous sub-shrines and icons are clustered throughout the temple complex, indicating a more recent addition. Surprisingly, it turns out that it was composed by Appar over 1300 years ago? Let's delve into the details of this historically lesser-known yet popular small temple situated in Tirunelveli Junction.

In the heart of Tirunelveli, within the realm of Kantimati, stands a temple. Here, Kantimati has kindly embraced her counterpart from Madurai, none other than Meenakshi. This temple resides in Sindhupoonthurai, a quaint enclave nestled within Tirunelveli Junction, dedicated to venerating Meenakshi and Chokkanatha, the revered deities of Madurai.

The riverbank of Tamraparani, called Sindhupoonthurai, carries a fascinating legend. The revered sage Agastya once bathed in these waters and was blessed with a divine vision of Shiva and Parvati's celestial wedding. As Uma herself, desired to cleanse here, the Devas showered golden-like divine flowers. This origin story gives the ghat its name, SindhuPoonthurai, a Tamil term intertwined with this captivating tale.

The temple comprises two primary shrines, enshrining Chokkanatha and, on his right, Meenakshi. Both shrines are oriented towards the east and are accompanied by Nandi icons facing them. The doors of the Chokkanatha shrine feature depictions of Ganesha and Subramanya. Among the various additions to the temple are deities like Kannimoola Ganapati, Subramanya along with Valli and Devasena, the Navagrahas, Bhairava, Shaneeswara, as well as the customary representations of Dakshinamurti, Lingodbhava, and Durga as niche icons – all of which bear a distinctly new quality.

What remains relatively unknown is that this temple, in its original form, was documented by Appar, adding to its historical significance. This gives it the status of a Devara Vaippu Sthalam, a shrine recognized in the religious context.

A Devaram Sthalam or a Paadal Petra Sthalam is a holy site of Shiva, which is mentioned in the works of Appar, Sambandhar and Sundarar, the Tamil Shaivite poets. All those hymns are compiled as "Devaram" by Nambiyandar Nambi in the 12th century CE. There are 276 such divine sites. Besides, many other important Shiva temples are casually mentioned in the hymns. They are called Vaippu Sthalams.

Appar has casually mentioned this site in his hymn, which is recorded in 6th Tirumurai. (Reference no - 6.71.11). The hymn written in Tamil is given below. 

கயிலாயமலை யெடுத்தான் கரங்க ளோடு

சிரங்களுரம் நெரியக்கால் விரலாற் செற்றோன்

பயில்வாய பராய்த்துறைதென் பாலைத் துறை

பண்டெழுவர் தவத்துறைவெண் டுறைபைம் பொழிற்

குயிலாலந் துறைசோற்றுத் துறைபூந் துறை

பெருந்துறையுங் குரங்காடு துறையி னோடு

மயிலாடு துறைகடம்பந் துறையா வடு

துறைமற்றுந் துறையனைத்தும் வணங்கு வோமே.   

Happy travelling.