Thiruchendur is situated on the coast of Mannar. It is 40 Kms from Thoothukudi. It can be reached from Chennai, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Courtallam and Kanyakumari by bus. Nearest airport is in Tuticorin or Madurai or Thiruvananthapuram. It can also be reached by train.

Tiruchendur is very popular for the seashore temple of Lord Subramanya. The temple tower and the sculptures of the temple are worth seeing. It is also ideal for see bathing.

The temple is one among the six abodes. Lord Subramanya, after defeating Soorapadma came to this place offered his prayers to Lord Siva. That victory is still celebrated by the pilgrims here during the Tamil Month 'Aippasi' as a festival.

Swamy Nellaiappar Temple & Kanthimathi Ambal Temple at Tirunelveli The Nellaippar temple is at a distance of 1 km from Tirunelveli Junction. The temple is dedicated to Lord Nellaiappar. This temple has a shrine of Lord Shiva and Parvati spanning over an area of 14. Shiva is said to have been worshipped by Agastya in a bamboo grove and by Rama after having killed Mareecha some nine miles away at Manoor.

Significance:

One of the famous temples in Tamilnadu steeped in tradition and history and also known for its musical pillars and other brilliant sculptural splendours. This temple houses a shrine to Shiva and Parvati dating back in time covering a 14 acre area. Shiva is said to have been worshipped by Agastya in a bamboo grove and by Rama after having killed Mareecha some nine miles away at Manoor. There is also a shrine to Vishnu near the sanctum, signifying the belief that Nellai Govindan (Vishnu) visited Tirunelveli to officiate the divine marriage of Shiva and Kanthimathi. There are several other legends associated with this temple.

Near Tirunelveli, are the nine Vaishnavite temples dedicated to Vishnu (the Alwar Nava Tiruppatis), the Krishnapuram Venkatachalapati temple with its brilliant sculptural work, Tiruchendur with its grand and imposing temple dedicated to Subramanya, and Kutralam a popular tourist resort with its charming waterfalls and abundand natural beauty. The region between Tirunelveli and Kutralam abounds in natural splendour. Mention must be made of Tenkasi, Papanasam and Ambasamudram. Further, Kanyakumari the Southernmost tip of India is only a couple of hours away from Tirunelveli.

Antiquity:

The temple dates back to 700 AD and has been sung by the Saivite saint Tirugnana sambandar. Supposedly there were two distinct temples for Shiva and his consort both built by the Pandyan kings and the Sangili Mandapam linking these two were built in the 17th centuries. The towers also date back to early 17th century. There are inscriptions dating all the way back to 950 AD in the temple.

Architecture:

Vast in area, this temple never ceases to surprise visitors for the wealth of detail it has to offer. The musical pillars in the Mani Mandapam which produce sound in various pitches when struck (7th century AD by Nindrasir Nedumaran or Koon Pandyan), the Somavara Mandapam, the 1000 pillared hall, and the Tamra sabha with intricate wood work, and the Vasantha Mandapam are some of the noteworthy points in this temple. Lifelike sculptures adorn several of the mandapams in the temple, noteworthy ones being in the Sangili Mandapam which links the temples of Nellaiappar and Kanthimathi in this vast temple complex.

Tamra Sabhai:

The Copper Hall of Dance is a brilliant work of art, and is housed within the inner precincts of the temple. On the occasion of Arudra Darisanam (occuring in the Tamil month of Margazhi - Dec 15 - Jan 15), the images of Nataraja and Sivakami are housed here, and elaborate worship protocols are observed during the enactment of the Cosmic Dance of Shiva. A shrine to Sandana Sabhapati (adorned with sandal paste) is located right behind the Tamra Sabha and to a visitor walking towards the Tamra Sabha, the combination of these, i.e. the vision of Sandana Sabhapati seen through the Tamra Sabha presents a brilliant spectacle. There is yet another shrine to Nataraja here, the Periya Sabhapati shrine. Religious services are carried out here on special occasions, and this festival idol is never moved from this shrine

Sri Ekanta Lingeswara Swami Temple at Kantheeswaram(Kandiswaram) near Alwarthoppu (Opp to Alwarthirunagari).Sri Ekanta Lingeswara Swami Temple is at a distance of 25 km from Tirunelveli Junction and 4 km from srivaikundam.This temple has a shrine of Lord Shiva.One of the Beautiful temple in Tuticorin District.

In Kantheeswaram(Kandiswaram) near Alwarthoppu (Opp to Alwarthirunagari), Tiruchendur Temple Builder Desikamurti Swamigal Samathu located.

About Desikamurti Swamigal

The work of Desikamurti Swami, one of the Tambirans of Tiruvavaduthurai Mutt, has been referred to. This great South Indian Saiva mutt had been associated with the Tiruppani of this temple for over 300 years, as is to be seen from the construction of the principal gopuram by one of its disciples.

The tradition states that the Swamin had actually a divine call to attend to this construction, and that he was subjected to various trials in the actual carrying out of his mission. He had not the means to pay for the work, and, it is said the problem was solved by a miracle of converting sacred-ashes into coin as already referred to.

This was not to continue for long. As the Gopuram progressed to a height of the sixth storey, the miracle did not work. The Swamin was sorely affected. The Lord however directed him to a neighboring patron of letters, Seethakkathi of Kayalpattanam. The Swamin was presented with a basket of salt. The salt was accepted, and when brought in, the contents were changed overnight into gold coins.

The Gopuram was completed. But the Lord did not want him to stay and conduct the kumbhabisheka, the crowning act of his labours. He was directed to leave the place and stay at Kantheeswaram(Kandiswaram) near near Alwarthoppu (Opp to Alwarthirunagari) (the island temple of Sri Ekanta Lingeswara Swami surrounded on all sides by the river Tambraparani which branches round the temple and is located opposite to Azhwartirunagari, 17 miles from Tiruchendur, a famous Vaishnavite centre and the birthplace of Saint Nammazhwar and Saint Manavalamamuni containing one of the largest temples in the district, dedicated to Vishnu as Sri Adinâthaswâmi).

The Gopura Kumbhabhishekam was duly performed in its time, and the tradition has it that the Swami was seen entering into the portals of the newly constructed Gopuram though at the time of the Kumbhabhishekam he was actually miles away. His spirit seems to have been present though not his body!

The Tambiran's mortal remains lie in samadhi in a building to the north of the Sri Ekantalingeswara temple at Kantheeswaram(Kandiswaram) near near Alwarthoppu (Opp to Alwarthirunagari) amongst a forest of acacias. There is a Dharmapuram Mutt building near the temple wherein he appears to have stayed for a while. The samadhi has since fallen into disrepairs during the great Tambraparani floods in 1924, and requires urgent renovation. A Saivite Vellala is performing puja for the samadhi, and is paid for his service by the Tiruvavaduthurai Mutt.

The figure of a tall-lean bearded figure with a characteristic turban of a Tambiran, sculptured on the nearest pillar to the Valli Amman shrine in the second prakara of the temple is pointed out as the figure of Desika Mûrti as also another of the like description, done in stucco to the left of the outer entrance, on the first storey of the second inner gopuram.

The Tiruvavaduthurai Tiruppani Madam now seen on the way to the main temple, near the Thoondukai Vinayagar Temple, was the place wherein Desika Mûrti Swami lived during his stay at Tiruchendur. The special honours bestowed on him in his time continues to this day to be offered to the successive Kattalai Tambirans of the Mutt. The honor of the first ubaya kattalai, and pattukkattuthal to the Adheena Tambiran during the kodiyêtram (flag-hoisting) of every one of the annual festivals is theirs by right. The Mutt bears the special honour of bedecking the Kreedom of the Lord at the Pillayyan's mandapa before He sets out of it on the seventh day of the Masi and Avani festivals. The Tambiram is also taken to the temple every evening for worship with temple honours: and on a ashta-kona-pallakku during the Vijayadasami for ambu pôduthal on the Vannikasura.

(* - About Desikamurti Swami content by http://tiruchendur.org/ -------Thanks)