சிக்கல் சிங்காரவேலன் கோயில்Sikkal Singaravelan Temple

Sthala Mahātmyam

At Sikkal near Nagapattinam, Murugan is enshrined as Singaravelar within a rare complex that also houses Shiva as Navaneetheswarar and a Vishnu shrine. The sthala mahatmyam holds that it was here that Murugan received the divine Vel from his mother Parvati before setting out to Tiruchendur to destroy the asura Surapadman, immortalised in the proverb 'Sikkalil Vel vaangi, Senthooril samharam' (receiving the Vel at Sikkal, the slaying at Tiruchendur). The temple's most famous marvel occurs during the Aippasi Kanda Sashti festival: the moment the Vel is handed to Singaravelar in his fierce battle-readiness (veeravesham), the bronze idol is believed to break into a sweat resembling beads of pearl, which reappears even when wiped with silk. Murugan is worshipped with consorts Valli and Deivanai. The grand six-day Skanda Sashti, culminating in the dramatic Soorasamharam enactment, is the temple's foremost festival, alongside Panguni Uthiram and Vaikasi Visakam.