About this Sacred Grove

Senthirankillai Aiyanar is a prominent deity in Tamil Nadu, especially in the village of Senthirankillai. Aiyanar, often depicted as a guardian deity, is revered for his protective, benevolent, and powerful nature. The stories and legends surrounding Senthirankillai Aiyanar reflect his significance in local spiritual and cultural practices. A well-known story says that despite various treatments, a young village boy fell gravely ill.  Placing their staunch faith in the healing powers of Aiyanar, villagers performed rituals and made offerings for recovery of the boy regained his health eventually. This event strengthened the villager’s belief in Aiyanar’s ability to heal and protect his devotees. During the Taipoosam festival, which is the major festival of Tamilnadu, Senthirankillai holds the Deepam festival. The deepam festival is conducted on the Friday of the fourth week of the Tamil month of Thai (January l5- February l5). The villagers celebrate the festival with 1,00,000 oil lamps around and inside the sacred groves. The festival provides many people the cultural space for meeting once a year.

Location

Coordinates: 11.5022760, 79.6974880

Plants / Species (6)