Karisulndamangalam Kurundhudaiyar Sastha Temple - Thirunelveli

Address

Karisulndamangalam Kurundhudaiyar Sastha Temple – Thirunelveli

Karisulndamangalam, Thirunelveli district,

Tamil Nadu

Moolavar

Gurundhudaiyar Sastha

Introduction

The Kurundudaiyar Sastha Temple is located in the village of Karisuzhndhamangalam, near Cheranmahadevi in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. This temple serves as a family deity (Kula Deivam) for families from over 100 villages, making it a significant spiritual center with a long-standing tradition of continued worship passed down through generations.

Although many members of these families have now settled in different parts of the country, the annual worship of Lord Sastha continues with deep devotion at this temple. The most recent Maha Kumbabhishekam (grand consecration ceremony) of the temple was held in 2016, which was made possible through the dedicated support of Oothumalai Vellaichamy and Sankarankovil Veluchamy, along with the unified efforts of the devotees.

There is direct bus service available between Karisuzhndhamangalam and Tirunelveli. The nearest railway stations are at Cheranmahadevi and Veeravanallur, while the nearest airports are located in Madurai, Thoothukudi, and Thiruvananthapuram.

Puranic Significance

In Karisulndamangalam, Lord Sastha resides in a temple consecrated at the entrance of the village, atop a large rocky area surrounded by farmland. This location signifies his protective and benevolent presence over the village.
The Kurundhudaiyar Sastha Temple is older than the nearby Lord Venkatachalapathy Temple, as evidenced by the image of Lord Sastha carved on a pillar in the northern façade of the Venkatachalapathy Temple. This image, resembling Kurundhudaiyar Sastha, suggests that the Sastha temple existed before the Venkatachalapathy Temple. In ancient times, it was common to carve the images of deities from one village temple onto the pillars of another village temple.
The villagers initially faced difficulties in performing daily pooja and worship due to the temple’s location on the outskirts of the village. To address this, they consecrated a Goddess Poorna Pushkalamba along with Lord Sastha on the southern side of the Kanagasabhapathy Shiva Temple, making the worship more accessible to the community.
On Panguni Uthiram (a significant Tamil festival), the villagers gather to worship Lord Sastha at his consecrated site atop the rocky hill in the post-harvest season, giving thanks for the bountiful harvest received that year.
The Gurundhudaiyar Sastha Temple is believed to be over 1,000 years old.
The most recent Kumbabishekam (temple consecration) for the Sastha Temple was performed in 1998.