Dedicated To Lord Subramanya
Highlights A 14-day festival, held in March/April
Tirupparamkunram (also spelt as Tirupparangunram or Tirupparankunram or Thirupparankundram or Thiruparangundram or Tiruparankundram) is a small township, located 10 km from the city of Madurai, in South India. It is renowned for the Thirupparamkunram Murugan Temple dedicated to Lord Muruga, a Hindu God who is revered by the people of South India. This temple is regarded as an Arupadaiveedu, one of the six battle camps of the Lord.
The famous Thiagarajar College of Engineering, is situated near to the temple. The adjacent locality of Tirunagar supports Tirupparamkunram and its precincts. The ideal time to visit this place is in the months of January–April and July–September, when most of the Hindu festivals take place. Some of the major festivals include Thaipusam and Panguni Uthiram.
Thirupparankundram Temple is a rock-cut temple of Lord Subramanya, situated at a distance of 8 km from Madurai. The temple is thronged by devotees throughout the year, as it is one of the holy abodes of Lord Murugan. This temple was built by Pandayan King in the 8th century. The innermost shrine is cut out of a solid rock. Apart from Lord Subramanya, there are also separate shrines for Lord Shiva, Lord Vinayaka, Goddess Durga, Lord Vishnu and other deities. The entrance of the temple has cubical pillars with lotus medallions.
There are two dwarapalas at the main entrance of the Thirupparan Kundram Temple and two more each on either side of the Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu shrine chambers. It is believed that the marriage of Lord Subrahmanya with Devasena, the daughter of Lord Indra, took place here only. Therefore, this temple is regarded as an auspicious place for marriages. There is a popular belief that people who get married here get special blessings from Lord Muruga. Couples believe that their marriages will be successful if they marry here.
The rock-cut chamber on the west is the shrine of Lord Shiva and houses a lingam. The chamber on the eastern side has a relief of Lord Vishnu. Just opposite to it is a figure of Goddess Durga carved in a wall inside a shrine chamber. On either side of this are the figures of Lord Subramanya and Lord Ganesha respectively. Coming out of the main shrine, there are a number of figures sculptured on the rock surface. On the east of the entrance, there are carvings of Narasimha, Vishnu and Varaha. On the western side are those of Shiva, Nandi, Nataraja and Devi.
This temple is not only worshipped by Hindus, but also by the Muslims. There is also a Muslim shrine here, dedicated to 'Sekunder'. This shrine is associated with Murugan by the Muslim pilgrims. It is believed that Sekunder was a friend of Muruga. The temple also celebrates a 14-day festival in March/April, to commemorate the victory of Lord Murugan over the demon Suran. This is followed by his coronation and his marriage to Devasena. Devotees visit the place in huge number to witness the divine wedding.
Transport
Air
Chennai International Airport has frequent services to Madurai.Madurai airport serves many of the regional airlines in India.
Train
Madurai junction has direct connection to Chennai, Mumbai and many other important towns in India.
Bus
Madurai Mattuthavani bus terminal can be reached from any part of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. From there, local buses towards Thirumangalam and Thirunagar, stop at Tiruparanguram near the rail crossing outside the township. The journey typically takes less than an hour.
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