Tiruchendur is a town in the district of Tuticorin (Thoothukudi) which is situated in the state of Tamil Nadu, South India. It is famous for the Murugan Temple (Subramanya Swamy Temple) which is situated by the Bay of Bengal. Everyday hundreds of devotees from all parts of Tamil Nadu and outside throng this town to visit the Murugan Temple. Tiruchendur is well connected by road to other cities in Tamil Nadu such as Madurai, Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli. It is also accessible by Train and Flight. The nearest airport is the Tuticorin airport which is situated about 25 miles from Tiruchendur. A bit of history about this place before we go on to see the tourist attractions; This place is known as one of the “aaru padai veedus” of God Murugan; a “Padai Veedu” in Tamil means a battle camp and “aaru” means six; it is believed that this is where Murugan killed the demon Surapadman who then asked to be forgiven when he was dying and hence became the vehicle of Murugan, the peacock.

The Murugan Temple is the star tourist attraction in Tiruchendur; standing majestically along the Bay of Bengal, facing South, this place gets a lots of visitors during the religious festivals like the “thai poosam“. If you are intending to visit this place, you can get a hotel on the “Koil Street” which directly leads to the Temple. The hotels are open even during the night. The Temple itself is in walk able distance from the Koil Street (just a couple of hundreds of meters). It is a pleasant walk on this road; from early morning you will find this place filled with devotees going to take the darshan of the God. Religious songs are played in the shops leading to the temple; shops selling fancy items, toys, items such as flowers, camphor, incense sticks etc. for performing the pooja.

Inside the temple, you might find some devotees with small spears pierced in their cheeks or tongue (as a form of devotion) going around the temple for getting the blessings of the God. Another form of devotion that some people do here is to circle the temple a certain number of times, rolling on the ground, usually wearing a yellow color dress. One of the rules to enter the main Temple is that men (and boys) should remove the upper portion of their clothes (no shirts or tee-shirts allowed). One can either take the free entrance or pay Rs. 250 (as of Jan 2012) to take the special route. Some pujaris (priests) might ask you to pay them this money instead so that they can take you to the darshan through the shortcut but it is advisable to buy the special entrance ticket and go through the regular route. It can take many hours to get the darshan in the free route, especially during the festive seasons because of the number of people who throng this Temple. There is also another small temple for Lord Ganesha near the koil street. Outside the Murugan temple, one can see people enjoying the beach, children playing in the sand or taking religious baths.

Transportation; if you are looking for the quickest option to come to Tiruchendur, coming via the Tuticorin airport or the Madurai airport is the best option. Since there are very few flights to & from Tuticorin, the fastest way to come from cities outside Tamil Nadu will be to come to Madurai by flight and then taking a cab directly (or take a flight via Chennai). A cab from Madurai to this place can cost about Rs.2500 to Rs.3000 and can take about 3 hours to reach. A bus from the Madurai Mattu Thavani bus-stand takes about 6 hours to reach this place and costs less then hundred rupees. Trains; Tiruchendur Express is the popular train that runs to & fro between Chennai and Tiruchendur. However many people come to Thoothukudi by the Pearl City Express (Muthu Nagar Express) and then take a bus from there.

Return; a trip to the Tuticorin airport from the Koil Street can cost about Rs. 950 by cab and takes about an hour or so to reach. One can ask any hotel or lodge in the Koil Street and they will either get the cab for you or give you the driver’s or agency’s number. The roads are a bit narrow but the scenery outside is quite enjoyable. There are also a lot of buses available to Tuticorin from Tiruchendur and it takes about an hour’s time to reach there. There are also buses available to Chennai and other cities from this place, though most people prefer going to Thuthukodi and catching a bus from there (because of the higher availability from there).