Kurangani Muthu Malai Amman temple

Kurangani Muthu Malai   Amman temple

Compiled  by

P.R.Ramachander

(A great temple  near  Thoothukudi- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czvNyOwS4qc  ) -

   Kuraangani   can mean an ornament of monkeys.It can also mean the  battalion of monkeys.This small village  in near  Thoothukudi town of  Tamil nadu

   It Seems while Ravana  was kidnappig Sita, she dropped a pearl necklace  when she was flying over this place .It seems Lord Hanuman found it and showed it to rqama( kurangu anI) whom he met at this place  .Rama  identified it and after wards Rama and sugrreeva agreed  to search and later  the monkey army (kurangu ani) marched from here,It is believed that Goddess Sita gave that pearl necklace  to Hanuman as present during Rama pattabhishekam,

   Near the present day temple there  is a huge banyan tree ,It is believed  that  Rama met Hanuman below that tree,.

There  are other stories   about the origin of this temple

Ancient times

  A sage called  Sathyama munivar was  doing penance   in the shores  of THamravarni,The thapas  (penance) was so intense that  the heat of the thapas reached  Kailasa .God shiva was at that time dancing   and so sent Goddess  Parvathi  to enquire about the source of the heat,When she reached the place  the hear produced  pearl like eruptions all over  her body. It seems sweat covered her forehead and it dropped in the fire,From that several deva maidens arose and all of them were  shining because  they were wearing pearl necklaces.After  goddess  went back  they all went to take bath in river  Thamra barni. While going for bathing they kept all their ornaments on the banks of the river.When they came back they saw that all their ornaments had merged in to a huge flame of light.They worshipped that light and went for pilgrimage.That light was   waiting for some one

Modern  times

  Long long afterwards  A toddy tapper  called Panayadiyan was tapping  for  toddy on Palmyrah palms near  the present temple.From the tree  he saw some thing shining  on the earth,He got down from the tree  and  thinking it is a teasure  ,tried to go near the shining light.He cosed the light by the pot in his hand and went home.At night when he came he was not able to move the pot.That night  the goddess appeared in his dream .She told that she was Muthumari amman and instructed him to do worship to her  on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Panayadiyan told about this to the villagers, and  stage was erected for the Goddess made of mud   and thatched shed waxmade over that,Panayadiyan   was appointed   as the priest,.There was only  two days in  a worship in the intial days Later a  huge temple was built  over  there  and a stone idol  was installed .The nadars  s of that area  became trustees to this temple,The morning and night worship was introduced.

    It seems during invasion of Navabs this temple was about to be destroyed,He wanted to straighten the Thamra barni river  and  for that destroy the temple,Four brothers of the village prevented them and said the goddess   was very powerful.Then that captain said.”I will call her.Will she reply me” They said yes.When the captain  called three  times   there was a thundering reply   and the captain fainted and fell down.His horses also fell down.When the villagers  sprayed the amman’s theertha on his face he woke up.He also built two  horses  in front of the temple

   The main goddess  is called Muthu Malai  Amman ,On its left side is the statue of Narayana Murthi  

there are small temples  with statues of  Muppidathi aman  , Saptha Kanyakas  , Parvathy amman , Brahma Saktrhu, Mariamman  , Chandana  Mariamman, Bhairavar  and Veera  BHadrar,

There is a separate  temple for  Periya swami.There is a story about it,.It seems one day  the Goddess came in dream of the trustees and the priest  that her  Body guard made of huge stone will come floating in the river  ,She ordered them to to build a seperatwe temple for him .

There is a peculiar  type of worship there.Daily one pot of water would be brought from thamrabarni river  and kept in temple  Narayana swami.In the noon priest will take the water to the temple of  goddess,he will offer dhal kuzhambu and  rice on palm leaf.later he will spray that pot of water  in face of devotees and give  Vibhuthi.Devotees believe that  blacxk magic will go away and mad  people  would be  cured.

Festivals

 The biggest festival in this temple is  on the last Tuesday of month of  aani  (June-july) .The goddess   would be decorated with pure gold,Fifteen days before that, Maha Abishekam will take place to all Gods surrounding main God,At that time without fail eagle will go round and round on the sky, There is another  small festival in month of thai(January-  February)

The temple is kept open on all days between 5 AM to 1.30 PM and 5 PM to 8.30 PM

  You can travel   in the bus  going to  Thichendur from Thirunelveli and get down in a place called Then Thiruperai. The temple is 2 km from there

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