Ettukudi Sri Subramanya Swamy Temple
Ettukudi Sri Subramanya Swamy Temple is dedicated to Lord Murugan. The temple is located at Ettukudi in Nagapattinam district. The chief deity of the temple is Lord Shiva in Lingam form as Soundara Nayakar.
More about Ettukudi Sri Subramanya Swamy Temple
According to popular folklore, the idol of Lord Murugan has been sculpted by the same person who carved the sculpture at Sikkal and Engan Murugan Temple.
Ettukudi Murugan temple gained popularity through reverence in songs, including the hymns by Saint Arunagirinathar (14th century Tamil poet).
What stands out about the temple is the position of the peacock, the mount of Lord Murugan. The head of the peacock in all Murugan temples is seen facing the right, however in Ettukudi it is seen facing the left.
Dating back to around the 14th century, the temple is in the architectural style of the Chola period. The monolithic sculpture is Lord Murugan with 3 faces and 12 arms is seated on a peacock facing north.
Legend behind the Temple
There are many variants to the story behind the temple that are more or less very similar. In a village by name Porulvaithaseri, there once lived a sculptor who was an ardent devotee of Lord Murugan. He incessantly chanted the glory of Lord Murugan through the mantra ‘Om Saravana Bhava’.
He sculpted an idol of the Lord with six faces. Such was the beauty of the idol that an envious Chola king cut off the thumb of the sculptor so that such beauty cannot be resculpted. The sculptor still continued to make idols enduring all the pain. The first idol was installed at Sikkal, the second at Ettukudi and the third idol at Enkan.
Lord Murugan in the temple appears in different forms (as a child, an adolescent or an elderly person) to the eyes of the devotees based on their imaginations about the Lord.
Temple Timings of Ettukudi Sri Subramanya Swamy Temple
The temple remains open from 4:30 AM to 12:30 PM and from 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM.
Ettukudi Sri Subramanya Swamy Temple Festivals
Chithirai Pournami is a 10 day festival celebrated during the Tamil month of Chithirai (April-May). Devotees throng in thousands during this festival. Other noted festivals religiously celebrated are Skanda Sashti, a six day festival observed during the Tamil month of Aipasi (October-November) and Vaikasi Vishakam during the Tamil month of Vishakam (May-June).
How to reach Ettukudi Sri Subramanya Swamy Temple
The temple is located 30 kilometres from Nagapattinam on the Thiruthuraipoondi Road and 28 kilometres from Thiruvarur on Thiruvarur- Thiruthuraipoondi National Highway. Buses are an easy way of access to Ettukudi. The nearest railway station is at Nagapattinam (around 30 kilometres away) and the nearest airport is at Trichy (around 134 kilometres away).