Tirupparankundram
| Tirupparankundram திருப்பரங்குன்றம் |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
| State : |
 India
|
||
| State : | Tamil Nadu | ||
| District : | Madurai | ||
| Sub-district : | Madurai South | ||
| Location : | 9 ° 52 ' N , 78 ° 4' E | ||
| Residents : | 48,810 (2011) | ||
Tirupparankundram ( Tamil : திருப்பரங்குன்றம் Tirupparaṅkuṉṟam [ ˈt̪iɾɯpːaɾʌŋɡundrʌm ]; also Thirupparankundram, Tiruparankundram, Tirupparangundram ) is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu with around 49,000 inhabitants (2011 census). Tirupparankundram is an important place of pilgrimage for the Hindu god Murugan, who is popular in Tamil Nadu .
geography
Tirupparankundram is located in the Madurai district in southern Tamil Nadu, directly southwest of the city of Madurai . It is eight kilometers from Madurai city center to Tirupparankundram. In Tirupparankundram, a 320 meter high steep rock rises from the otherwise flat area.
Tirupparankundram is connected to nearby Madurai by city buses, from where there are transport links to all major cities of Tamil Nadu and beyond. In addition, Tirupparankundram has its own train station on the railway line from Madurai to Kanyakumari .
population
92 percent of the residents of Tirupparankundram are Hindus , 4.5 percent are Christians and 3.5 percent are Muslim . The main language, as in all of Tamil Nadu, is Tamil , which is spoken by 96 percent of the population as their mother tongue.
Religious meaning
.jpg)
On the steep rock that rises above Tirupparankundram there is a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Murugan (Skanda). While this god plays practically no role in the practice of faith in northern India, he is one of the most popular deities among the Tamils under the name Murugan. Tirupparankundram is one of six pilgrimage sites ( Arupadaividu ) in Tamil Nadu that are dedicated to Murugan. The six pilgrimage sites are each associated with different aspects of Murugan's mythology. Tirupparankundram is, according to the myth, the place where Murugan married his consort Devasena .
Besides the Murugan sanctuary, the mountain houses a Muslim shrine for the Sufi saint Hazrat Sultan Sikandar Badshah, who is said to have been martyred here in 1211. The Sikandar shrine of Tirupparankundram is frequented by both Muslims and Hindus, possibly because the name Sikandar (the Muslim name form of Alexander ) is associated with Skanda , i.e. Murugan.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Census of India 2011.
- ^ Census of India 2011: C-1 Population By Religious Community. Tamil Nadu.
- ↑ Census of India 2001: C-16 City: Population by Mother Tongue (Tamil Nadu), accessed under Tabulations Plan of Census Year - 2001 .