Singaravelan Temple

The Singaravelan Temple is located in Sikkal and is dedicated to God Singaravelan. This temple is maintained by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Board. It is believed that it was here that God Subrahmanya was given his Vel (or lance) by Goddess Parvati in order to kill the demon king Surapadman. The demon was killed at Tiruchendur on the day of Skanda Sashti. The presiding deity of the temple is God Navaneetheswarar with his consort Nedum Kanni Amman. However the temple is popularly known as the Sikkal Singaravelar temple. It is said that the sage Vasishta had made a Lingam out of butter that was churned from the milk of Kamadhenu and worshipped it to help the divine cow Kamadhenu regain her form. The God appeared and fulfilled his wishes and came to be known as Vennainathar. Once suring a prolonged famine, Kamadhenu ate the flesh of a dead dog and was cursed by God Shiva to turn into a tiger. The God told Kamadhenu that she could regain her original form by bathing in the holy tank of this temple after filling it with her milk. The tank was thus called Ksheera Pushkarani. Another story involves sage Vasishta praying to the God so as to empower the Lingam to relieve the ill effects experienced by his devotees. The God obliged but the Lingam made of butter stuck to the spot. Hence the place was called Sikkal. It is also believed that God Vishnu came in the form of a child and took some butter from the Lingam, angering the sage. God Vishnu then showed his true form. Therefore both Shiva and Vishnu shrines are in the same temple.God Subrahmanya is called Singaravel here because of the beauty of his form. The idol is Panchaloka and is seen with his consorts Valli and Deivanai. He is seen on his peacock with a golden kavacham and is believed to have divine powers. Muchukunda Cholan is said to have built this temple. It is also believed that Vishnu sought the blessings of Shiva before going to the court of demon king Mahabali. Therefore there is a Kola Vaamana Perumaal shrine next to the temple. Sikkal Singara Velan Temple is one of the most popular Hindu temples dedicated to God Muruga and a contender for the unofficial seventh Padaiveedu of Muruga, along with the popular Arupadaiveedu (six abodes of God Muruga). It is located in the village of Sikkal, near Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu. It is believed in Hindu mythology that this place was once a jasmine forest and due to it pleasant smell, the semi-human goddess in Hindu mythology, Kamadenu lives here. It is one of the rare traditional Hindu temples that has both Shiva (Navaneeteswarar) and Vishnu (Venaipperuman) deities in the same complex.