Tiruchendur is a panchayat town at the southern tip of India, in the Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu. It is home to Thiruchendur Murugan Temple, one of the ancient Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Muruga.
The puranic name or historical name for this temple is Jayanthipuram. It is also one of the Arupadaiveedu , the six major abodes of Murugan. It is the only one among the six sacred temple complexes to be situated near the sea shore.
It is one of the largest temple complexes of India and it is one of the most visited temple complex in India. This temple is the fourth Hindu temple in Tamil Nadu to get ISO certification.
The deity is worshipped by various names such as Senthilandavan, Senthilkumar, and so on. Legend has it that Skanda vanquished the demon Soorapadman and his army, in his fortress Veeramahendram situated in the middle of the ocean here.
The temple has an eleven tiered rajagopuram, the gateway tower facing the East. The tower by built by Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam under the aegis of the pontiff Desikamoorthy Swami around 1650.
There are three precincts in the temple, with the third precinct on the shore of the Bay of Bengal. The entrance of the temple faces the South and has pillared halls leading to the sanctum. The first hall from the entrance is called the Shanmugha Vilasa Mandapam. There are separate shrines of Valli and Devyani, the consort of Muruga in the second precinct. There are shrines of Viswanatha and Visalakshi on the western side, while a cave on the northern side has the shrine of Valli.
The image of the presiding deity, Subramanian Swamy is housed in the sanctum, sported with four hands. The image of the festival deity is sported with six faces and twelve hands. There are eight lingams in the temple, which is believed to have been worshipped by Muruga before waging the war with Surapadma. He is believed to have created a well named Skanda Pushkarni with his spear after the war. The water in the well is believed to possess medicinal properties.
Two annual festivals (Bhrammotsavams) are celebrated here for 12 days each in the months of Maasi (Magha/February – March) and Aavani (shravan/August- September). On the seventh and eighth days of both of these festivals, Shanmukhar is housed in the Shanmukha Vilaasa mandapam before and after the processions. The chariot festival happens on the 10th day and the float festival on the 11th.
Also celebrated here is the annual Skanda Sashti festival in the tamil month of Aippasi (Ashwina/ October-November) where Soora Samhaaram is enacted in all its splendour on the seashore, following which Skanda’s marriage with Devasena is enacted.. The Vishaakam festival is celebrated for 12 days in the month of Vaikaasi (Vaishaka/ May- June) .
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiruchendur_Murugan_Temple
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiruchendur
http://www.templenet.com/Tamilnadu/m005.html