Aarupadaiveedu-Thiruchendur (Part I)

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It is Kandhar Sashti season and time for the devotees of Lord Muruga to give vent to their devotional moods. Divinity descends itself into the mould of a body to retrieve righteousness from its decline as stated in the Bhagawad Gita. The advent of God heads and saints on the earth from years of lore are pointers of proofs of the aforesaid fact. The divine thus assumes a human form, a more comprehensible form for the ignorance clouded mind, for the deliverance of the humanity. Lord Muruga thus manifested Himself on this earth to retrieve righteousness right back to its seat by vanquishing the evil forces on the sea shores of Thiruchendur.

The Legend

Thiruchendur or Thirucheer Aalaivaai is one of the Aarupadai Veedu ( six battle camps ) of Lord Muruga. The Asura, Soorapadman and his brothers Singhamukhan, Tarakan and Asamukhui wrought endless torment to the Devas as well as on humanity in innumerable ways. The Devas appealed to Lord Shiva. The Lord thus assumed a form with six faces, Sathyojatham, Vamadevam, Thathpurusham, Eesanam, Aghoram and Atho. Further more there emerged from His frontal eye, six sparks of fire that were received by Agni ( The God of fire ) and Vaayu ( the lord of wind ) and cast into the Ganges, the waters of which carried to the Himalayan lake, Saravana. In the Saravana Lake the divine sparks of fire were transformed into six babies who were nurtured by the Kartika nymphs, the constellation of stars.

Goddess Parvati embraced the babies together with love thus uniting the six forms to one single body with six faces. The divine form ( Lord Muruga ) thus came to be fondly worshipped as Aarumuga, Skanda and Shanmuga on account of His six faces.

Commissioned by Lord Shiva and implored by the devas for the chastisement of Soorapadma and his allies, Lord Muruga then set forth to Thiruchendur. He was presented by the mighty spear, or the Vel called the Sakthivel bestowed on Him by Goddess Parvati to demolish the evil forces. Enroute to Thiruchendur, Lord Murugan slayed the brothers of Soorapadman,Tarakan and Karunchan. In the fierce battle that ensued for six days, He overcame the war tactics of the asuras skillfully thereby demolishing the sons of Soorapadman and his allies.

Soorapadman then confronted the Lord with innumerable deceitful ways only to be defeated by Him. As the last measure he assumed the form of a mango tree and tried attacking the Lord whose spear pierced through the tree splitting the body of the asura into two halves. The asura then realised his folly of trying to battle with the almighty and grieved for his sinful deeds thereby seeking the grace of the Lord. The merciful Lord then transformed the two halves of the split body into a peacock and a cock.

The peacock became the vehicle of the Lord and the cock assumed the form of His emblem on His flag. It is believed that Lord Muruga had worshipped Lord Shiva in the temple built by Mayan, the celestial architect before and after the battle. The relieved Devas celebrated the victory of the Lord by giving the Devasena, the daughter of Indra ( King of the Devas ) in marriage to Lord Muruga in Thiruparankundram.