KADIRKAMAM - MURUGAN SHRINE

In accordance with the prevailing custom, the visiting Bhaktas worship in the morning in the local temple and with Murugan's blessings, they start ascending the hill in groups; for, the thick forest surrounding it is infested with wild elephants. Ironical it appears they move about freely in the area harming none, during ascending or descending or even while staying on the hill overnights. But the danger comes, if a lone elephant approaches any one. So devotees always go in large groups. Atop the hill, there are three shrines for Murugan, Valli and Devasena, one each, and independent of others. Valli shrine is facing north and Murugan's and Devasena's to east.

The temples too are built in Simhaleese style. All the three are having compound walls with gates in front. Each is a single chambered shrine - a spacious garbha griha with vast mandap in front and a conical top adorned with Kailasas. The queerest thing that surprises the devotees is the absence of any icon in the garbha griha, nor painting anywhere. There is a screen painted with the worshipful images of 'Murugan and his spouses. What lies behind the screen is kept a mystery impenetrable. The priests, unlike their counterparts in India, put on dress and head gear during the worship and all they do is taking the coconuts and puja materials inside and muttering something unintelligible. They cover their mouths with yellow cloth during puja. When the priests enter the sannidhi, the lady devotees congregating there give harati to them and with that all the rituals are over; taking back the broken coconut, the devotees have to come back. The same procedure is followed in the other two temples also. The Moolavar is never shown. That is the oddity unique and specialty surprising every devotee,, but it is being continued for over centuries now. The natives call the Murugan as Khatharaka Deyyo.

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