Venugopalaswamy seen playing the flute at this Pandya Period Temple
Located
6kms East of Kallikudi off the Madurai-Tirunelveli NH is the Pandya period Venugopalaswamy temple in Kurayur,
where the handsome Lord Venugopalan flanked by Rukmini and Satyabhama is seen
in a standing posture playing the flute. This is the Kula Deivam deity for many people
including those from Srirangam.
Belief
is also that this is a Guru Dosham liberation temple.
Old Inscription
There
is an ancient inscription found inside the temple dating back a few centuries.
King
Musukontha rested here at this place as he was down with an upset stomach. He
was relieved from the stomach ailment immediately after he invoked the
blessings of the Lord. As a thanks giving gesture, he installed the idol and
built the temple at this place.
The
Sthala Vriksham is Uranga Puli similar to the one at Azhvaar Tirunagari Divya
Desam.
Festivals
In
centuries gone by, Horse Vahana Procession on last Saturday of Puratasi and Garuda
Seva on Sri Jayanthi were celebrated in a grand manner. A few decades ago, the
Utsava Idol was stolen from the temple. 10years later the thieves confessed to
having stolen and buried the idol in a nearby place. The idol was located and
is now kept in safe custody at the Siva Temple in Thirumangalam.
Once
the idol is returned back to the temple, it is hoped that the Vahana
processions will restart once again, though the Vahanas are currently in a dilapidated state.
Thirumanjanam
on Rohini every month
The
temple is open between 7am and 930 am in the morning and between 5pm and 7pm in
the evening. Contact : Balaji Bhattar @ 90251 77691 / 0452 2342782
How to reach
The
temple is about 15kms North of Virudhunagar (Bus No. 13C) and around 20kms from
Thirumangalam (Bus Nos. 1, 1A, 48). Direct buses ply every hour from both
places to the temple.
Share
van @ Rs.10 from Kallikudi bus stand (on the Madurai-Virudhunagar Highway)
4 comments:
Dear Prabhu.
Thanks for your posting about the Kurayur Sri Venugopalaswamy temple. I should visit this place. Kurayur happens to be my native village and I have never visited, my father K T R Pitchai (late) carried Kurayur as part of his initial. Though I lived in madurai, I never had visited the village, as all my relatives, apparently migrated from this place some time in early forties (1940 s) and stayed in another village called varalotti. Now I am in search and have a desire to reach to my native and looking for the temple which presumably my grand pa and great grand pas might have worshipped.
Your posting is really helpful. Will visit this place, worship the Lord and add my experiences.
Thanks a lot for this blog
Thanks to my father I always was fortunate to have our ties maintained to my village and the temple deities. Very concise yet well covered post
Vitha Krishnamurthy
Hi
hope the last posting was done by Vitha, good to see someone posted on it: due to covid, could njot visit temples for the last 2 years, now i am proposing to have Darshan and seek Blessing from Venusgopala Swamy, on June 2nd week, 2022 - we all having roots in this village, should make it atleast once a year to visit this temple:
Thank you-Murali Pitchai
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