No wonder a direct attack on their favourite god and the most popular hymn composed in his honour provoked the collective ire of the community.Ĭondemnation poured in from celebrities including film stars, politicians and writers and even the Tamil news channels – which usually play second fiddle to the rationalists and fringe Tamil groups – were compelled to devote precious telecast time on the controversy. The Palani Murugan Temple receives the highest number of footfalls amongst all temples in the state.

A pilgrimage to his six abodes, called Arupadaiveedu, across Tamil Nadu is considered a must in the religious calendar of every Tamil Hindu. The Tamils consider Lord Muruga, the younger son of Shiva and Parvathi, as “Tamil Kadavul” (Tamil God) who once ruled the Southern tip of the Indian peninsula. In the video, the channel’s anchor, Surendran, made fun of those lines in the song which sought the protection of one’s private parts.

The hugely popular song in Tamil is chanted to a rhythmic meter and seeks the blessings of the god and invokes his golden spear to give a protective shield to all parts of the human body. Tamil Nadu’s rationalists, who till now had gotten away after attacking Hindu deities like Ram and Shiva and various other Hindu religious practices, are now suddenly facing the heat after one of their ilk trained his gun on Lord Muruga – worshipped as a Tamil God.Īfter one of the rationalist groups called “Karuppar Kootam” (The Black Crowd) uploaded a video on their Youtube channel that denigrated ‘Kandha Sashti Kavasam’, - a Hindu devotional song composed in praise of Lord Muruga in 1820 - there was all round condemnation from across the social spectrum.

Murugan tamil god