Veerabaahu

Last updated
Three of the Navaveeragal with Veerabahu in the centre Kurunthamalai Temple Idumban, kadamban Veerabahu.jpg
Three of the Navaveeragal with Veerabahu in the centre

Veerbahu is a Hindu deity and the commander-in-chief of Murugan's army. [1] Lord Muruga was born from the third eye of God Shiva. To assist him from the ornaments of Goddess Shakthi nine commanders (Navaveerargal) were born. Among the nine commanders Veerbahu is ranked highest. The Sengunthar Kaikolar community, a community of weavers and warriors [2] in Tamil Nadu, claim descent from Veerbahu and other eight Navaveerargal. [3] [4] He is worshipped mostly in Tamil Nadu.

Contents

Legends

According to the Skanda Purana, after the birth of Murugan Shakti took her chilambu (anklet) nine shaktis were produced, and these were then transformed into the brothers of Murugan, called the Navaveeragal (lit. "nine bravehearts") in Tamil.

When Murugan was sent to destroy Soorapadman, Veerabahu and the other Navaveeragal followed him south at the head of a huge army. At the Vindhyas, the army saw two of Soorapadman's brothers - Krauncha, in the form of a mountain, and Tarakan. Veerabahu and his army attacked Tarakan, but he laid a spell on them that made them go into Krauncha. After news was brought to Murugan of the defeat, he fought Tarakan and pierced him with his heart. He then threw his Vel at Krauncha, who dissolved into dust. Afterwards Veerabahu and his army were restored to life.

Veerabahu arrived at Surapadman's capital Mahendrapuri to ask for the release of the devas who were imprisoned by him after he conquered their world, so that war would not occur. He entered the palace and spoke to the devas imprisoned, saying that they were imprisoned for their sins and they would be saved by Murugan soon. Veerabahu then arrived in Surapadman's throne room, but was insulted in being ignored and not offered a seat, as the laws of messengers demanded. However, Veerabahu conjured a magnificent throne and delivered his message for Surapadman to release the followers of Tirumal. Soorapadman refused and attempted to imprison Veerabahu as well. During his escape, he killed many Asuras including some of Soorapadman's relatives, and informed Murugan of what had occurred.

Veerabahu then fought in the war. One of Banukopan's weapons made him fall into a swoon along with much of the army, but after the astra was destroyed he recovered. He accompanied Murugan on his return and during his marriages.

Related Research Articles

Tiruchendur Murugan Temple

Tiruchendur Murugan Temple is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to lord Murugan. It is second among six abodes of lord Murugan (Arupadaiveedugal) situated in Tamil Nadu, India. The puranic name or historical name for this temple is Jayanthipuram. This temple is the fourth Hindu temple in Tamil Nadu to get ISO certification. It is located in the eastern end of the town Thiruchendur in the district of Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, India. It is 60 km south-east of Tirunelveli, 40 km from Tuticorin and 75 km north-east of Kanyakumari. The temple complex is on the shores of Bay of Bengal. Temple is open from 5 AM to 9 PM

Valli Hindu goddess

Vaḷḷi is a Hindu goddess and the consort of the god Kartikeya. Valli is a tribal head girl, who lead a life as a huntress. Murugan the war god belongs to the mountain regions also known as Kurunji the same place where valli belongs.

Thiruporur panchayat town in Tamil Nadu, India

Thiruporur is a panchayat town in Chengalpattu district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The Thiruporur Kandaswamy temple is situated in the center of the town. There is a large temple tank in the vicinity of the temple. Thiruporur is located on Old Mahabalipuram Road and is flanked by Kelambakkam on one side and Alathur Pharmaceutical Industrial Estate on the other side, both of which are also on Old Mahabalipuram Road.

Vel Divine spear in Hindu mythology

Vel is a divine javelin (spear) associated with Murugan, Hindu war God also known as Vel Murugan. Spears used by ancient Tamils in warfare were also commonly referred to by this name. "Vetrivel! Veeravel!" was a commonly used battle cry by ancient Tamil kings and soldiers.

Sengunthar, also known as the Kaikolar and Sengunthar Mudaliyar, is a Tamil caste commonly found in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and also in some other parts of South India. They are traditionally weavers by occupation and warriors by ancient heritage. They are sub divided into numerous clans based on a patrilineal system called Kulam or Gotras.

Tiruppur Kumaran

Kumaran also known as Tiruppur Kumaran or Kodi Kaatha Kumaran was an Indian revolutionary and freedom fighter who participated in the Indian independence movement.

Thiruparankundram Murugan temple

Thiruparankundram Murugan Temple or Subramanya Swamy Temple is a Hindu temple and one of the Six Abodes of Murugan, located at Thiruparankundram. The temple is built in rock-cut architecture and believed to have been built by the Pandyas during the 6th century. According to the legend it is where Murugan slayed the demon Surapadman and married Deivayanai, the divine daughter of the king of heaven, Indra, and he is said to have worshipped Shiva here as Parangirinathar.

Surapadma or Surapadman was an asura who was the son of the asura rishi Vajranaga and the princess Varangi, and the grandson of sage Kashyapa. He was defeated by Murugan but asking for pardon prior to his defeat, was granted the honour of becoming his vahana, the peacock. He is the brother of Singamuka and Tarakasura. His eldest son is Banukopan.

Muthialpet Town in Puducherry, India.

Muthialpet is an Assembly Constituency in the union territory of Puducherry, in India.

Alvai Village in Sri Lanka

Alvai or Alvaay is a coastal village in Vadamaraadchi, northern Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka. It is located 30 kilometers (19 mi) from the city of Jaffna or 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) from the town of Point Pedro.

<i>Kandhan Karunai</i>

Kanthan Karunai is a 1967 Indian Tamil-language mythological film, written and directed by A.P. Nagarajan. It features an ensemble cast including Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan, Sivakumar, Savithri, K.R.Vijaya, Jayalalithaa, S. A. Ashokan, K. B. Sundarambal, Manorama and Nagesh.

Kanda Shasti Kavasam

Kanda Shashti Kavacham or Skanda Sashti Kavasam is a Hindu devotional song composed in Tamil by Devaraya Swamigal, a student of Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai, on Lord Muruga, the son of Lord Shiva, in Chennimalai near Erode. Tamil contains many ancient hymns in praise of deities. Kanda Sashti Kavasam was composed in the 19th century.

Kumarakoil or Kumarakovil is a small village in Kanyakumari district. Here is the famous Subrahmanya (Muruga) Temple by the name of Velimalai Kumaraswamy Temple. The temple was built on a hill named 'Velimalai'. The name "Veli" was named from the Malayalam word "veli" means marriage.It is the place where marriage of Murugan and Valli was done. Koravans used to come to the temple for marriage of Valli, since Valli Devi belongs to Koravan community. Lord Muruga and his consort Goddess Valli are the main deities. It is believed that they married here. It is built on a rocky terrain about 200 feet in height.

Devasena Hindu goddess

Devasena is a Hindu goddess and the first wife of the god Kartikeya. She is known as Devayanai, Deivanai or Deivayanai in South-Indian texts. Her name is also spelled as Teyvanai or Tevayanai.

Six Abodes of Murugan

The Six Abodes of Murugan are six temples situated in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India. The god is known by different names such as Kartikeya, Kanda, Vadivela and Murugan at various temples. The six most sacred abodes of Murugan was mentioned in Tamil sangam literature, "Thirumurugatrupadai", written by Nakkeerar and in "Thiruppugazh", written by Arunagirinathar. The six abodes are Thiruparankundram, Tiruchendur, Palani, Swamimalai, Thiruthani and Pazhamudircholai.

Velanai Island Island in Sri Lanka

Velanai Island, also known as Leiden in Dutch, is a small island off the coast of Jaffna Peninsula in the North of Sri Lanka. There are number of villages within the island such as Allaipiddy, Mankumpan, Velanai, Saravanai, Puliyankoodal, Suruvil, Naranthanai and Karampan.

Cock flag

In Hindu mythology, the cock flag is the flag of Lord Muruga's army. Every Hindu god is associated with separate weapons and vehicles. Likewise most of the images or sculptures of Lord Muruga is having Vel in one hand and cock flag in other hand.

<i>Tamil Kadavul Murugan</i>

Tamil Kadavul Murugan is a 2017 Tamil-language mythology soap opera based on the life of the Hindu deity Murugan. This show is now the big budgeted series on Tamil television after Yaaradi Nee Mohini and Nandini. It started airing on 2 October 2017 on Vijay TV on every Monday to Friday at 21:00 (IST) replacing Bigg Boss Tamil. On 29 January 2018, the show timings changed to Monday through Friday at 18:00 (IST). The show season 1 was ended with 104 episodes from 23 February 2018. Season 2 was aired from 5 May 2018 to 19 May 2018 only on Hotstar for 15 Episodes.

Murugan Adimai is a 1977 devotional Tamil film with R. Muthuraman, A. V. M. Rajan, K. R. Vijaya, Nagesh, Major Sundarrajan and Thengai Srinivasan in lead roles.

References

  1. Ramaswamy, Vijaya (2017). Historical Dictionary of the Tamils. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 231. ISBN   978-1-53810-686-0.
  2. Mines, Mattison (1984). The Warrior Merchants: Textiles, Trade and Territory in South India. Cambridge University Press. p. 11. ISBN   978-0-521-26714-4.
  3. Ghose, Rajeshwari (1996). The Tyāgarāja Cult in Tamilnāḍu: A Study in Conflict and Accommodation. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 78-82. ISBN   9788120813915.
  4. Ramaswamy, Vijaya (2017). Historical Dictionary of the Tamils. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 231. ISBN   978-1-53810-686-0.