Thiruvedagam
Encyclopedia
Thiruvedagam is a village located in between Sholavandan
and Madurai
where the Holy Dargah
of Hazrat Syed Sha Husain Parhez Shaheed raziyallah Ta'ala anhu who came along with Badhusha Sulthan Syed Ibrahim Shaheed of Erwadi
is located. It is 18 kilometers away from Madurai and 3 kilometers away from Sholavandan
. It comes under Vadipatti taluk in Madurai
district. It is located at the bank of the River Vaigai
, which flows in the direction North to South here in Thiruvedagam. Here a famous and historical Shiva
temple named Thiru Edaganathar temple
is located.
Arikesari Nedumaran who belonged to the Saivaite faith, due to the clever tactics of the Samanar community, underwent a conversion. He deviated from the path of virtue and his subjects also followed their ruler. The Saivaite queen sent an emissary to Gnana Sambandhar and requested him to save the king and the subjects from the Samanar's grip.
Acceding to her request, Sambandhar with the blessings of Appar, paid a visit to Madurai
. Stirred and worried by his visit , the Samanars burnt the monastery of Sambandhar and this reflected on the King , who was afflicted with leprosy. Both the Samanars and Sambandhar treated the disease. The Samanars efforts proved futile while the sacred ash given by Sambandhar to the King cured him.
Angered by this, the Samanars challenged Sambandhar to 'anall vaadham' (hot dispute) and 'punall vaadham' (cold dispute). Defeated by Sambandhar in the anall vaadham, they got down to punall vaadham. The Samanars wrote ' Athi Naathi' on a palmyra leaf and floated it down the river Vaigai, while Sambandhar wrote: 'Vazhga andhanar vanavar aaninam Veezhga thanpunal vendhanum oonguga Aazhga theeyadhellam aran namame Soozhga vaiyagamum thuyar theergave' and floated it down the Vaigai. The palmyra leaf that Sambandhar floated reached the bank on the other side.
Sambandhar feeling happy called the place as 'Edu Senranai Tharum Edagam' which came to be known as Thiruvedagam. The palmyra leaf which the Samanars left was swept away by the river and reached 'Thirupasethi'( thiru + pa + serthal) later to be known as thirupachetty.
The Vaigai River
flows in the direction North to South here in Thiruvedagam. So it is falsely said to be as good as praying in Kashi
.
Vivekananda College
is an autonomous college of Arts and Sciences in Thiruvedagam in Madurai
district. It was founded in 1971 by Swami Chidbhavananda
and is managed by Ramakrishna Tapovanam. It is by far the only registered Gurukula institute of Life training in modern India. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council
has given the `A' grade for the college when it was reaccredited.
By Long route Buses:
Madurai to Nillakottai(TNSTC
).
Stop: Thiruvedagam.
By Train:
Stop: Sholavandan
. Station code: SDN. after which a bus is necessary to reach Thiruvedagam itself.
Express trains do not stop in Sholavandan
, except the Nellai Express
(Train number: 2631/2632) and Mysore Express (Train number: 6731/6732) which stop at Sholavandan on both directions.
Sholavandan
Sholavandan is a panchayat town in Madurai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located at the bank of Vaigai River. It is one among the 12 "town- panchayats" of Madurai district.- Etymology :...
and Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
where the Holy Dargah
Dargah
A Dargah is a Sufi shrine built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint. Local Muslims visit the shrine known as . Dargahs are often associated with Sufi meeting rooms and hostels, known as khanqah...
of Hazrat Syed Sha Husain Parhez Shaheed raziyallah Ta'ala anhu who came along with Badhusha Sulthan Syed Ibrahim Shaheed of Erwadi
Erwadi
Ervadi or Erwadi is a village in Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu in southern India belonging to Kadaladi Taluk and Keelakarai Town panchayat. The village is the location of the grave and shrine of Qutbus Sultan Syed Ibrahim Shaheed Badusha, the then ruler of Madinah Al Munawwara...
is located. It is 18 kilometers away from Madurai and 3 kilometers away from Sholavandan
Sholavandan
Sholavandan is a panchayat town in Madurai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located at the bank of Vaigai River. It is one among the 12 "town- panchayats" of Madurai district.- Etymology :...
. It comes under Vadipatti taluk in Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
district. It is located at the bank of the River Vaigai
Vaigai River
The Vaigai is a river in Madurai, Tamil Nadu state of southern India. It originates in the Periyar Plateau of the Western Ghats range, and flows northeast through the Kambam Valley, which lies between the Palni Hills to the north and the Varushanad Hills to the south. The Vattaparai Falls are...
, which flows in the direction North to South here in Thiruvedagam. Here a famous and historical Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
temple named Thiru Edaganathar temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
is located.
Legendary history of the village
Thiruvedagam village which was occupied by the Samanars, changed the course of history . The Pandya KingPandyan Kingdom
The Pandyan dynasty was an ancient Tamil dynasty. The Pandyas were one of the four Tamil dynasties , which ruled South India until the 15th century CE. They initially ruled their country Pandya Nadu from Korkai, a seaport on the Southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula, and in later times moved...
Arikesari Nedumaran who belonged to the Saivaite faith, due to the clever tactics of the Samanar community, underwent a conversion. He deviated from the path of virtue and his subjects also followed their ruler. The Saivaite queen sent an emissary to Gnana Sambandhar and requested him to save the king and the subjects from the Samanar's grip.
Acceding to her request, Sambandhar with the blessings of Appar, paid a visit to Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
. Stirred and worried by his visit , the Samanars burnt the monastery of Sambandhar and this reflected on the King , who was afflicted with leprosy. Both the Samanars and Sambandhar treated the disease. The Samanars efforts proved futile while the sacred ash given by Sambandhar to the King cured him.
Angered by this, the Samanars challenged Sambandhar to 'anall vaadham' (hot dispute) and 'punall vaadham' (cold dispute). Defeated by Sambandhar in the anall vaadham, they got down to punall vaadham. The Samanars wrote ' Athi Naathi' on a palmyra leaf and floated it down the river Vaigai, while Sambandhar wrote: 'Vazhga andhanar vanavar aaninam Veezhga thanpunal vendhanum oonguga Aazhga theeyadhellam aran namame Soozhga vaiyagamum thuyar theergave' and floated it down the Vaigai. The palmyra leaf that Sambandhar floated reached the bank on the other side.
Sambandhar feeling happy called the place as 'Edu Senranai Tharum Edagam' which came to be known as Thiruvedagam. The palmyra leaf which the Samanars left was swept away by the river and reached 'Thirupasethi'( thiru + pa + serthal) later to be known as thirupachetty.
The Vaigai River
Vaigai River
The Vaigai is a river in Madurai, Tamil Nadu state of southern India. It originates in the Periyar Plateau of the Western Ghats range, and flows northeast through the Kambam Valley, which lies between the Palni Hills to the north and the Varushanad Hills to the south. The Vattaparai Falls are...
flows in the direction North to South here in Thiruvedagam. So it is falsely said to be as good as praying in Kashi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
.
Dargah of Syed Sha Husain Parhez Radiallah Anhu
Education
In Thiruvedagam one government middle school and two private schools (Vivekananda nursery and Vivekananda higher secondary school managed by Ramakrisha Tapovanam) are there.Vivekananda College
Ramakrisna Mission Vivekananda College, named after Swami Vivekananda, was inaugurated on 21 June 1946 by professor, philosopher, and politician, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. It is in Mylapore, the centre of Chennai, India on 20 acres . The principal of is Dr. S...
is an autonomous college of Arts and Sciences in Thiruvedagam in Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
district. It was founded in 1971 by Swami Chidbhavananda
Swami Chidbhavananda
Swami Chidbhavananda was born in Senguttaipalayam near Pollachi in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, India. His parents named him 'Chinnu'. He studied in Stanes School, Coimbatore. He was one of the two Indians in his class, the rest being British...
and is managed by Ramakrishna Tapovanam. It is by far the only registered Gurukula institute of Life training in modern India. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council
National Assessment and Accreditation Council
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council is an organization that assesses and accredits institutions of higher education in India. It is an autonomous body funded by University Grants Commission of Government of India headquartered in Bangalore.-History:NAAC was established in 1994 in...
has given the `A' grade for the college when it was reaccredited.
Transportation
By City Bus:- Bus No. 63, 68, 54, 29A, 29LSS - from Madurai Periyar Bus stand
- Bus No. 28 - from Madurai Anna Bus stand
- Bus No. 93 - from Madurai Matuthavani Bus stand
- Bus No. 4 - from Thirumangalam, MaduraiThirumangalam, MaduraiTirumangalam is a city and municipality in the Madurai District of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The area of the municipality is 10.70 km2, and it contains 27 wards. The main functions of the municipality are to provide basic amenities and implement development.The population of the town...
By Long route Buses:
Madurai to Nillakottai(TNSTC
TNSTC
The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation is the public transport bus operator of Tamil Nadu, India. It operates buses along intra and inter state bus routes, as well as city routes.There are currently 6 divisions in TNSTC:*TNSTC Coimbatore...
).
Stop: Thiruvedagam.
By Train:
Stop: Sholavandan
Sholavandan
Sholavandan is a panchayat town in Madurai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located at the bank of Vaigai River. It is one among the 12 "town- panchayats" of Madurai district.- Etymology :...
. Station code: SDN. after which a bus is necessary to reach Thiruvedagam itself.
Express trains do not stop in Sholavandan
Sholavandan
Sholavandan is a panchayat town in Madurai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located at the bank of Vaigai River. It is one among the 12 "town- panchayats" of Madurai district.- Etymology :...
, except the Nellai Express
Nellai Express
The Nellai Express is a super fast train on the Indian Railways, connecting Tirunelveli Jn with Chennai Egmore.-Numbers and Route:* 119/120* 6119/6120* 2631/2632* 12631/12632...
(Train number: 2631/2632) and Mysore Express (Train number: 6731/6732) which stop at Sholavandan on both directions.