Virudhachalam Vedappar (Murugan Temple) Tamilnadu
Vedappar Temple is located on the outskirts of Virudhachalam town in Tamilnadu.This temple is dedicated to Sri Valli Devasena Sametha Shri Vedappar, another name for Lord Murugan. The sacred tree (Sthala Vriksham) is the Uga tree.The temple’s holy water source (Theertham) is the Manimutharu River.
The temple does not have inscriptions, making it difficult to determine its period of construction. However, the first pooja is performed for Saint Sundarar, highlighting his significance here. The main shrine houses Vedappar (Murugan) with Valli and Devasena, while a separate shrine is dedicated to Vinayakar (Ganesha). The prakaram (outer courtyard) features village deities like Muneeswaran and Karuppaswamy. As in many village temples, sudhai-made horses and Murugan’s vahanam, the Peacock, are present in the temple compound.
History
The history of the temple is closely linked to Saint Sundarar, a revered Tamil Shaivite saint and poet. Sundarar visited several temples in the Virudhachalam region. However, when he reached Virudhachalam, he deliberately avoided visiting the Virudhagireeswarar (Pazhamalainathar) Temple. He believed that, as it was an old temple, he might not receive proper rewards for his visit.
To correct his beloved devotee, Lord Shiva decided to intervene. Since Sundarar was considered more of a friend than just a devotee, Shiva assigned Murugan to stop Sundarar from leaving Virudhachalam without visiting Pazhamalainathar Temple.
To prevent Sundarar from leaving, Murugan blocked all four directions of the town by manifesting as deities in four temples:
West – Kolanjiappar Temple
North – Vennumalaiappar Temple (Kandiyankuppam)
East – Karumpayiram Kondavar Temple (Komavidanthal)
South – Vedappar Temple (Pennadam Road)
Additionally, Murugan disguised himself as a brigand (hunter-robber), intercepted Sundarar, and seized all his belongings. With no other option, Sundarar went to Pazhamalainathar Temple to file a complaint. This event gave rise to the name Vedappar, meaning “one who took away” (referring to the brigand form of Murugan).
According to local tradition, Sundarar also filed complaints at other temples, including Vedappar and Kolanjiappar temples. When Lord Shiva later appeared before him and explained the reason for this divine drama, Sundarar realized his mistake. He then sang hymns in praise of Pazhamalainathar before leaving Virudhachalam.
Since then, the temple has followed a unique tradition where devotees file complaints/applications (Prarthana Koduthal), seeking divine intervention.
It is believed that problems get resolved within three months, especially in cases of missing or stolen items. Locals affirm that lost items are usually recovered within the prescribed period. This ritual is also practiced at Kolanjiappar Temple.
