The facts about Thiruparankundram are mentioned in Sathyagiri mahatmyam one of the minor puranas. As mentioned in the first of these essays, Skanda or Karthigeya is unique to Tamilnadu so much so that he is called as the god of Tamils (Thamizh kadavul). In the north people consider Subhramanya as the eldest son of Shiva Parvati and worship him as a bachelor. In haryana there is a temple dedicated to Lord Karthigeya where he is worshipped as a brhamachari and women are forbidden from entering the temple like the sabhari hills in Kerala where Lord Aiyappa is worshipped as a bachelor god. probably that is the reason for Murugan's marriage with Valli devi not getting much prominence in the north. Valli Devi and Devayanai devi are believed to be the daughters of Lord Maha Vishnu. They performed severe penance to get Lord Subhramanya as their husband. While Devayanai was adopted by Lord Indira, Valli Devi manifested herself in a community of hunters and performed penance to marry Lord Murugan.
The Vel is considered to represent the Sushumna Nadi which is located between the two Nadis Ida and Pingala which intertwine the same like creepers. Incidentally Valli means creeper and Valli and Devayanai are like the two creepers that embrace Subhramanya who stands in the middle like the Vel.
Shiva and Vishnu are two aspects of the supreme and there it is a sin to create difference (bedha) between these two manifestations. Ariyum Aranum Onnu ithai ariyaathavan vaaiyil Mannu (death) is an old saying. While the Vaishnavas and Shaivas fight it out between themselves as to whose God is supreme, the Puranas add fire to this debate with one Purana saying the Shiva is supreme and Vishnu worships him while another states otherwise. If we understand that Puranas have come up only to make it easy to comprehend the doctrines expounded by the Vedas, we will not have any ground to quarrel as only the name and form differs and the entitiy remains the same. Smarthas who follow the Advaitic principles accept this as for them everything is Brahman and everything rests in the Brahman.
I do not know whether the great Vaishnavite saint Sri Ramanuja was hounded out of Tamil Nadu by the shivites as depicted in the film Dasavatharam, but it is a fact that he was not tolerated by the members of his own sect when he defied his guru and gave the Ashtakshari to the masses by standing on the unfinished tower of Srirangam temple. Ultimately Udaiyavar came to Srirangam and his jeeva samadhi is there in the temple precincts.
The Vel is considered to represent the Sushumna Nadi which is located between the two Nadis Ida and Pingala which intertwine the same like creepers. Incidentally Valli means creeper and Valli and Devayanai are like the two creepers that embrace Subhramanya who stands in the middle like the Vel.
Shiva and Vishnu are two aspects of the supreme and there it is a sin to create difference (bedha) between these two manifestations. Ariyum Aranum Onnu ithai ariyaathavan vaaiyil Mannu (death) is an old saying. While the Vaishnavas and Shaivas fight it out between themselves as to whose God is supreme, the Puranas add fire to this debate with one Purana saying the Shiva is supreme and Vishnu worships him while another states otherwise. If we understand that Puranas have come up only to make it easy to comprehend the doctrines expounded by the Vedas, we will not have any ground to quarrel as only the name and form differs and the entitiy remains the same. Smarthas who follow the Advaitic principles accept this as for them everything is Brahman and everything rests in the Brahman.
I do not know whether the great Vaishnavite saint Sri Ramanuja was hounded out of Tamil Nadu by the shivites as depicted in the film Dasavatharam, but it is a fact that he was not tolerated by the members of his own sect when he defied his guru and gave the Ashtakshari to the masses by standing on the unfinished tower of Srirangam temple. Ultimately Udaiyavar came to Srirangam and his jeeva samadhi is there in the temple precincts.
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