Deities at the Temple

Lord Ganapathy

Ganapathy is the God of wisdom and was created to clear the obstacles from the paths of the devotees on their spiritual pursuits. Thus is the first deity worshipped by Hindus before the commencement of any rites and ceremonies like weddings, festivals, beginning of education or business and moving into a new house. 

Lord Ganapathy has the head of an elephant, which resembles the word AUM in Tamil - creation, preservation and final dissolution. The trunk in the middle of the face signifies His powers to reach anywhere. One of his tusks was broken off by Him to write the Mahabharatha story, for Sage Vyasa who wanted the story to be written as fast as he imagined.

God Ganapathy also known as Pillaiyar (noble child) and Vinayakar in Tamil and often shown riding on or attended by a mouse or rat considers as his principal vehicle. Chathurthi (Fourth day of waxing moon) is one of the most important festival /fasting day  whereas devotees offer Lord Ganapathy sweets such as Modaka and Laddus .

                                                           

VEL – Presiding Deity

Vel is a divine spear simply denoted as a symbol of Tamil God Murugan (also known by many other names such as Kumaran, skantha, Karthikeya, Subramaniyan) is the Lord of Victory and worshiping Vel is an ancient Hindu tradition since Sanga Kaalam.

It is believed that Lord Murugan was created to defeat evil Asuran Soorapathman  out of divine sparks  that emanated from the third eye of Lord Shiva and were placed on a pond called Saravana where six babies were born on lotus each. Six Krithikas, the stars of constellation of Pleiades nursed and raised the babies and when Goddess Parvati  took all six babies and hugged them into one being with six heads.

Goddess Parvati presented the Vel to her son as an embodiment of her  Shakthi or power in order  to vanquish the evil Asuran Soorapathman.  The annual Thaipusam festival  celebrates the occasion when Lord Murugan received the divine Vel from his mother.  

According to skantha Puranam, in the war against Soorapathman, Lord Murugan used the Vel to defeat all the evil forces. When a complete conquer for Soorapathman was imminent, the Asuran transformed himself into a huge mango tree to evade detection.  But Lord Murugan hurled his Vel and split the tree into two halves which  became Cockeral, the emblem of his victory flag and Peacock (symbolising the liberated soul) as his vehicle. Skantha Shasti (6 days of fasting followed by Deepavali)  marks this event and strictly followed by many Murugan devotees.

While Lord Murugan’s  consorts -Valli and Thevayaanai, as the manifestation of His Ichcha Sakthi (emotive power) and Kiriyaa Sakthi (power of action), the Vel indicates Gnaana Sakthi. (the power of knowledge)

During Kavadi Aattam, is a ceremonial sacrifice and offering practiced by devotees during the worship of Lord Murugan, some of them pierce their skin, tongue or cheeks with Vel skewers while they undertake a procession towards Murugan temple.

                                                     

 Lord Nadarajar

The great Hindu God Shiva has many guises and representations but perhaps the most familiar one is the divine dancing figure within a circle of fire, Nadarajar - the Lord of Dance.

In this remarkably standardised form evolved under the rule of the Cholas, the God is shown dancing within a flaming halo ( Prabhamandala) which symbolises the Hindu conception of the never ending cycle of time.

The purpose of this divine dance ( Thandavam) is to release men from illusion of the idea of the “self” and of the physical world. It’s believed that cosmic dance was performed in Chithambaram in South India called the centre of the universe by Hindus.

The gestures of the Thandavam represent Lord Shiva’s five activities: Creation symbolised by the damaru holds in upper right hand , protection - abhayamudra ( the gesture that allays fear) by lower right hand, destruction - by Agni holds on his upper left hand, embodiment ( apasmarapurusha- illusion which leads mankind astray) - represented by the dwarf like figure being tampered by his right foot, and release - Shiva’s front left hand, pointing to his raised left foot, signifies refuge for the troubled soul. The energy and wildness of the dance shown by extravagant spreading of God’s hair.

                                                          

 Goddess Sivagami 

The name Sivakami symbolises that Goddess Parvati has a ravishing beauty such that she can kindle desire even in the heart of God Shiva who upholds the front face of detachment. And she is usually seen as divine cosmic dancer Lord Nadarajar’s consort on his right.

The graceful and elegant sculpture of Goddess Shivakami from the Chola period focuses on her Mudras, which are believed to show fearlessness and devotion.

Parvati is an embodiment of Shakthi. In Hinduism she is the recreative power, force and energy of Lord Shiva and represents the fundamental creative instinct underlying the cosmos and is the energising force of divinity, of every being and everything.

Devotees believe the whole universe to be a manifestation of Shakthi who is also known by her general name Devi which means to shine.                                                    

 

Goddess Varahi

Varahi Amman, also known as Goddess Varahi, is a powerful Hindu goddess and one of the Sapta Matrikas, the seven divine mothers. She is the Shakti (feminine energy) of Lord Varaha, the boar avatar of Vishnu. Varahi is depicted with a sow's head and a human body, embodying strength, protection, and the destruction of evil. She is revered for her fierce and protective nature, and devotees seek her blessings for spiritual growth, health, and victory over darkness.