SREE SINGARAVELAN, SIKKAL - NAGAPATTINAM

 SREE SINGARAVELAN, SIKKAL - NAGAPATTINAM

During my stay at Nagapattinam, for a day, was fortunate to be at Sikkal on 4th February 2016 morning.  Sikkal bus stop on Thiruvarur-Nagapttinam main road is very close to the temple with hardly 50 metres to the temple.  I went very early in the morning (7 AM- was too early on a normal day, as there were less of activity at the place), the shopkeeper in front of the temple just was opening his shop which had all the items required for archanai as well as flowers. The Gurukkal as well as the temple authorities also just arrived and I was the lone member to have darshan in the morning on that day.

                                   

                       

The temple has a tall Rajagopuram thanks to sri Karumuthu Azhagappa Chettiar who was responsible for many improvements to the temple.  Just before his time, the temple was short of funds and even daily poojas were found wanting. The local people wanted him to take the activities of the temple and he agreed to come to the temple to have first hand knowledge as well as to decide on future course of action.  It is said that the next day he had news of huge profit in his overseas business and he agreed to take over the temple reins.  He not only took initiative in rebuilding the temple but also added a kalyanamandapam with his own resources in front of the temple after consulting on vastu aspects.  He also conducted the temple Kumbabhishekam in the year 1932.  Many people who were occupying temple lands without contributing to it, were made to pay for the temple by Sri Karumuthu Azhagappa Chettiar and he saw to it that the temple did not suffer for funds for not only daily poojas but also for its improvements.  His son Sri Karumuthu Thiagaraja Chettiar is helping with the functioning of the temple presently, though from 1944 onwards, the temple is under the control of authorities of Hindu Devaswom board.

Before the 4th century, Kochenkanaan, Chola king built around 70 temples and Thiru Sikkal also was one among them.  During the Muslim rule in the area, the people here hid the statue of Singaravelar in a nearby village known as Singaravelapuram.  Later on, the lord appeared to a devotee in his dreams duly indicating the place in which he statue is and the vigraha was found and installed in Sikkal.  Sikkal in its early days was a Jasmine forest and presently the thala viruksha also is Mallikai.  

                        

When Kamadhenu gave abundance of milk, the butter out of it was made as a Lingam by Sage Vashistar for prayers and hence the deity in Sikkal, Lord Siva is called Navaneeteswarar and in Tamil as "Vennaipiraan".  Vashista Muni wanted to move the Linga to another place for pooja and could not and the butter linga was as if made of stone.  As per the tamil word "Chik"-kena, the place was later called as Sikkal. Viswamitrar, Agasthiar, Kathyaayanar and Naratha also have worshipped here.   The amman here is southfacing and is known as Velnedunkanni and also called as sathyaayadhatchi.  Singaravelar gets the "Vel" from her to destroy Demon Surapadman and as he gets the vel from his mother during Shasti, he sweats and this is enacted every year as a festival in this temple.

   

                                           Sree Navaneeteswarar

                                 

                                                 Sree Velnedunkanni                                     

When there was severe drought for continuous 12 years, there was no grass too and Kamadhenu could not get anything to eat and as she was hungry she ate the flesh of a dead dog and Lord Siva cursed her to have a tiger face and she prayed to Lord to come out of the curse. Lord Siva advised to go to Mallikaiaaranyam bathe in Amirtha thadagam and pray and Kamadhenu followed this to overcome the curse.  In her happiness in overcoming the curse, she gave abundant milk and thus there became a "Sheerapushkarani" in this kshetram.

This temple at the rear leads to Sree Kolavamanperumal and Sree Varadha Anjaneyar temples and thus this temple is a siva-vishnu alayam.  Vishnu prayed Sree Navaneeteswarar here and got the necessary powers to defeact Mahabali Chakravarthi and thus he took Vamana avathara and here in this temple, he stands as Kolavamanaperumal.  

                                               Sree Kolavamana Perumal

                                                 Sree Varadha Anjaneyar

The anjaneya sannidhi is a later addition as the Vayuputhra appeared in the dreams of Chettiar and indicated the place in which the sannidhi should be present too and his sannidhi is thus in the Vayumoolai.

The temple celebrates 10 days festivals for Sree Navaneetewarar in Tamil Month Chithirai (April-May) and 10 day festivals for Singaravelar in Tamil Month Aipasi (October-November).  Thai poosam, Soorasamhara and valli and deivanai kalyana also are celebrated here which draws large number of people around the villages.