Aruvikkarai Sapthamathargal Temple

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Mention the name Aruvikkara temple, and most, especially those in Thiruvananthapuram, are likely to zero in on the temple near the Aruvikkara Dam in Thiruvananthapuram. The Padmanabhaswamy Temple in the city too is known far and wide, especially after the discovery of vast treasure in its cellars. But few know that there exist another pair of temples not far from Thiruvananthapuram, which can be said to be the "originals" of these famous shrines.

Travancore history tells us how the capital city was moved from Padmanabhapuram near Thuckalay (now in Tamil Nadu) to Thiru Ananthapuram, the city of Anantha. This was after the valiant Marthanda Varma Maharajah had vanquished all his enemies and expanded the old Venad kingdom to Thiruvithamkoor. It was his nephew and successor Dharma Raja who had shifted the capital from Padmanabhapuram to Thiruananthapuram.

 Adi Kesava was the royal family deity and the Adi Kesava Perumal Temple, the ancient and huge edifice in Thiruvattar, finds mention in Tamil hyms from the 7th C. There were other temples associated with the Adikesava temple, one of the more noteworthy being the Sapthamathargal Temple at Aruvikkarai nearby. When the capital was shifted, naturally the Royals saw it fit to build replicas of both these shrines in the new capital city, and that was how both the Padmanabhaswamy Temple and the Aruvikkara  Sapthamathrukkal Temple came to adorn Thiru Ananthapuram, God's own country. (Contrary to popular apocrypha, Travancore, and later Kerala, got the sobriquet 'God's Own Country' after Maharajah Marthanda Varma had placed his kingdom Thiruvithamcoor as an offering at the feet of Sri Padmanabhaswamy, and chose to rule as "Padmanabha Dasa".)

In most temples Sapthamathrukkal, the seven virgin deities, are represented as a "Balikkal", alongwith Ganapathy and Veerabhadran as "bodyguards"; regular temple goers are likely to recognize the familiar grouped (7 + 2) "balikkal". The temple here and the one at Aruvikkara in Thiruananthapuram are notable among the few shrines where the deities are presented not symbolically, but in full form.

These seven mother goddesses (also referred to as Saptha Kanyas-the seven virgins)  are seven different aspects of 'Adi Parasakthi', the divine female aspect, according to puranas. They are Brahmani, Vaishnavi, Maheswari, Kaumari, Varahi, Indrani, and Chamundi/ Narasimhi/Prathyangira Devi. (It may be mentioned here that within Thiruvananthapuram city, near Sasthamangalam, there exists a small family-run temple where Prathyangira Devi happens to be the chief deity. This is a rarity and known only to the 'cognoscenti'. But have no doubt, their pooja roster is always full, thanks to the rush of pilgrims from far and wide. See Google Map link below.)

A short detour (about 2 km) from the famous Adikesava Perumal temple will take you to the Sapthamathargal temple at Aruvikkarai in Thiruvattar, Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu. The temple is hardly 10km from Thripparappu, a popular tourist attraction, and only about 29 km from Nagercoil, a major town on the NH. Paraliyar caresses the compound wall of the temple and offers a beautiful backdrop to the peaceful shrine. The temple is built in the traditional style with a tiled roof. There are sub shrines for Ganesha and Karthikeya, as also for Nagaraja. Unlike the great temples of the south, this is not a grand structure. Sadly due to lack of maintenance, the fine detailed wood carvings that bear testimony to the unmatched expertise of the craftsmen of a bygone era have deteriorated beyond recovery. The temple, fallen into neglect and disrepair, presents a forlorn look. Only the locals appear to be regulars at the temple that once had received royal patronage. 

The avid traveller is likely to club this with a visit to the Adi Kesava Perumal Temple, and Padmanabhapuram Palace, the former seat of the Travancore Royals; Thripparappu waterfalls and Mathoor Aqueduct (an old engineering marvel) are other nearby places to explore. The beautiful riverside setting and the peaceful atmosphere here more than compensate for the lack of awe-inspiring architectural grandeur, and a connect with history and the stories of the twin temples are what make the visit memorable and worthwhile for the pilgrim and the traveller.

Google Map Link: https://goo.gl/maps/WKcUa6mYEKXUxY697

Prathyangira Devi Temple (Trivandrum city, near Sasthamangalam Jn):

https://goo.gl/maps/LEY3MaRtjTXQU4aT7

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Explore more at:

https://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/2018/01/saptha-mathargal-devi-temple-aruvikarai-thiruvattaru-kanyakumari.html

http://krishnasepages.blogspot.com/2012/04/thiruvattar-aruvikkarai.html

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adikesava_Perumal_Temple,_Kanyakumari

https://goo.gl/maps/gtwQxUqqBMQot1K8A  <-- Aruvikkara Sapthamathrukkal Temple, Thiruananthapuram

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