Arunjunai Katha Ayyanar Thirukkovil

Around 145km; south of Virudhanagar
in the route from Tuticorin to
Trichendur there exists a beautiful
little village by name Amman Puram. Due to the presence of
Thamirabharani riverbed the river is
full of greenery with paddy fields
banana plantation and also palm
grooves in the outskirts of the village. Ammanpuram and its
peripherals would have been under
the direct and indirect administration
o

f near by politically important town
namely Tuticorin. Political changes in
Tuticorin had impact in Ammanpuram
also. Tuticorin was the pearl city
where pearls were harvested hugely in
the offshore of Tuticorin. So its wealth
ness also reflected in Ammanpuram. In the beginning of 16th century after
the decline of Pandyars Tuticorin
came under the control of Kerela
ruler Udaya Marthanda Varma. Then
in 1540 to 1560 Portuguese captured
and took over the control of Tuticorin. People were converted to Christianity
through missionaries and military. In
1669AD Tirumalai Naicker of Madurai
captured Tuticorin and handed over
the revenue administrial
responsibilities to pallayakars. In
1700AD once again it went to the
hand of foreign regime but at this
time to Dutch. In 1795 Tuticorin was
captured by British and for a very
short period say for one year i.e. in
1799 it was under the control of the
great Panchalam Kunchi Palayakar
Veera Pandyan Katta Bomma during
the south Indian mutiny. But British
military over powered him, he was
hanged to death. Since then Tuticorin
was under the control of British till
Independence . All changes in
Tuticorin had its own impact in
Amman Puram also. At the end
boundary Ammanpuram there exists
a Junai i.e. natural water spring pond
and side by that there is Oor Kaval
Deivam Arun Junai Katha Ayyanar. To
say Ayyanar, may be the Palayakar
person who would have saved the
village Ammanpuram and the Junai
from the foreign invaders and from
their forceful religions conversion. In
the course of operation or at the
successful end of the operation
ayyanar might have been died. In his
name a statue would also have been
raised. In course of time that place
came to be noted Arun Junai Katta
Ayyanar Kovile i.e. the temple of
Ayyanar who have saved the beautiful
pond. Addition to the Ayyanar statue
there are some other small statues of
Kaval Deivams namely Periya
Karuppar, Peria Petchi etc. These
statues exemplify the body guards of
Ayyanar. "One thing is clear, even today that
Junai is having perennial spring of
water and that too clean and soft
drinking water. Geologically also it is
proved that the Junai is there for
many centuries . No changing of its
name and the everlasting permanency
of its sacredness for the past 500
years exposes the unique character of
the Junai and the village
Ammanpuram.