Sri Perungaraiyadi Meenda Ayyanar Temple
Encyclopedia
Sri Perungaraiyadi Meenda Ayyanar Temple (Tamil: ஸ்ரீ பெருங்காரையடி மீண்ட அய்யனார் கோவில்) is one of the famous temples in Pudukkottai
District
, Tamil Nadu
. It is located at Kulamangalam
in Alangudi
Taluk.
State Government.
Like in many Ayyanar temples, this temple also located in the border of the village as a means of securing and assuring wealth and health for all. The temple is in the bank of Villuni River.
, a two days grant festival is celerabted during
Masi Magam or Masi Makam (It is one of the most important Tamil Hindu festival celebrated in the Tamil
month of Masi, February – March by Tamilians).
Devotees from the nearby villages and from various part of the State gather in thousands on these days to workship the Ayyanar and get his blessings.
Though there are regular Pujas in the temple, considerable number of devotees visit on Monday and Friday of every week throughout the year.
This is a custom found nowhere else in the world. Every year there would be a minimum of 100 garland, hence leaving only the Horse nose visible. Separate iron rods are built to hang the garland, thus by protecting the idol not damaged by the heavy weight.
. A new Temple Mandapam is constructed to add to the beauty of ancient Kuthirai (The Horse) which also got re-painted as part this. After the renovation, the Maha Kumbhabhishekam happened on 22, May 2010. There were around 20 thousand people gathered on that day do get the blessings of Ayyanar.
K. R. Periyakaruppan
, the minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments of Tamil Nadu
was an honourable guest of this festival.
The Maha Kumbhabhishekam was followed by a grand Annathanam (lunch) for all the devotees. There were 400 cooks involved in preparing the meals. More than 1500 devotees came forward to serve the delicious vegetarian food to the gathering.
Pudukkottai
Pudukkottai is a town and a municipality in Pudukkottai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Pudukkottai District was carved out of Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur districts in January 1974.It is the administrative headquarters of Pudukkottai District....
District
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. It is located at Kulamangalam
Kulamangalam
Kulamangalam is a village in the Orathanadu taluk of Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, India.- Demographics :As per the 2001 census, Kulamangalam had a total population of 2811 with 1405 males and 1406 females. The sex ratio was 1001...
in Alangudi
Alangudi taluk
Alangudi taluk is a taluk of Pudukkottai district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The headquarters of the taluk is the town of Alangudi- Population :...
Taluk.
History
The temples history is dated back to 18th century. The exact year in which the temple is constructed is not known. The temple is currently maintained by the Tamil NaduTamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
State Government.
Like in many Ayyanar temples, this temple also located in the border of the village as a means of securing and assuring wealth and health for all. The temple is in the bank of Villuni River.
An elephant idol facing opposite the horse idol
As per the researchers, there used to be a big Elephant idol facing opposite to the Horse idol in this Temple. This was considered one of the significance of this Temple, since it is very rare practice to construct an Elephant idol in a Ayyanar (The Horse) Temple that too facing opposite of the Horse idol. It's learned that during one of the heavy monsoon season, the flood in the Villuni River had completely destroyed the Elephant idol thus by leaving only the base of the Elephant idol.Worlds biggest horse idol
The Horse Idol is of mammoth 37 feet height with the front legs are in the Air and the others in the ground. The Idol is facing the South side. It's one of the finest creative of the ancient Tamilians. The structure is so unique in its construction and Devotees believe that it is the biggest Horse idol in the world.Masi Magam festival
As in many other temples in the Tamil NaduTamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, a two days grant festival is celerabted during
Masi Magam or Masi Makam (It is one of the most important Tamil Hindu festival celebrated in the Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
month of Masi, February – March by Tamilians).
Devotees from the nearby villages and from various part of the State gather in thousands on these days to workship the Ayyanar and get his blessings.
Though there are regular Pujas in the temple, considerable number of devotees visit on Monday and Friday of every week throughout the year.
Garland decorations
On these festival days, garland as big as the height of the Horse Idol wore to it by Devotees who had it as a promise upon realising their prayers. These garland are not made by natural flowers since it takes up to a week for a person to thread a one. The agents who specialised in making this huge garlands start advertising and accepting the orders two/three months before the festival itself.This is a custom found nowhere else in the world. Every year there would be a minimum of 100 garland, hence leaving only the Horse nose visible. Separate iron rods are built to hang the garland, thus by protecting the idol not damaged by the heavy weight.
Renovation 2010
The Temple is recently renovated by contributions from devotees and it was initiated by the former Alangudi MLA Mr. A. VenkatachalamA. Venkatachalam
A. Venkatachalam was a former MLA from Alangudi, Tamil Nadu; he represented the constituency for five year terms starting in 1984, 1996 and 2001. During this time, he was also the Minister for Tourism in Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha's cabinet...
. A new Temple Mandapam is constructed to add to the beauty of ancient Kuthirai (The Horse) which also got re-painted as part this. After the renovation, the Maha Kumbhabhishekam happened on 22, May 2010. There were around 20 thousand people gathered on that day do get the blessings of Ayyanar.
K. R. Periyakaruppan
K. R. Periyakaruppan
K. R. Periyakaruppan is the former minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments in Tamil Nadu state of India. He was born in Aralikkottai on 30-December-1959. He has finished Bachelors degree in Commerce and Law. He was elected to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly from Tirupattur...
, the minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
was an honourable guest of this festival.
The Maha Kumbhabhishekam was followed by a grand Annathanam (lunch) for all the devotees. There were 400 cooks involved in preparing the meals. More than 1500 devotees came forward to serve the delicious vegetarian food to the gathering.