VALLIKUGHAI, Valayur, Valliyoor, Veliyur, Velliyur

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A sacred cave (temple cave) in an unspecified rock (note 1) is dedicated to the goddess Valli and said to lie within a temple complex [note 2] in a place called Valliyoor on the way [from Bangalore] to Kanyakumari --India's land's end (A.D. Edward Raj, Bangalore, 2002.06.05 personal correspondence). SITUATION: The small town of Valliyur (note 3) lies about 22 km along the road from Kanyakumari (Kanniya Kumari, Kanya Kumari N08°05': E077°34') and about 86 km along the well maintained highway from Thiruvananthapuram (also: Trivandrum, 08°29'N: 76°55'E), or some 60 km by a badly maintained shortcut road from Trivandrum (A.D. Edward Raj 2002.06.20 Mss), and some 50 km or so south of Tirunelveli (N08°44': E077°42'). CULTURAL HISTORY: Valliyur (Velliyur, Veliyur, Valayur) signifies the place of Valli (A.D. Edward Raj, Bangalore, 2002.06.20 personal correspondence). In Tamil, -velli- means silver and is the name of the wife of Lord Subramanya (an epithet of Murugan). She is dughter of the local king of Valliyur (note 4). The Tamil -Valli- is the name for a Korravai tribal girl (JAIN, Sandhya 2004: 198) and suspected to have been a former mother goddess / fertility goddess (note 5).A sacred cave (temple cave) in an unspecified rock (note 1) is dedicated to the goddess Valli and said to lie within a temple complex [note 2] in a place called Valliyoor on the way [from Bangalore] to Kanyakumari --India's land's end (A.D. Edward Raj, Bangalore, 2002.06.05 personal correspondence). SITUATION: The small town of Valliyur (note 3) lies about 22 km along the road from Kanyakumari (Kanniya Kumari, Kanya Kumari N08°05': E077°34') and about 86 km along the well maintained highway from Thiruvananthapuram (also: Trivandrum, 08°29'N: 76°55'E), or some 60 km by a badly maintained shortcut road from Trivandrum (A.D. Edward Raj 2002.06.20 Mss), and some 50 km or so south of Tirunelveli (N08°44': E077°42'). CULTURAL HISTORY: Valliyur (Velliyur, Veliyur, Valayur) signifies the place of Valli (A.D. Edward Raj, Bangalore, 2002.06.20 personal correspondence). In Tamil, -velli- means silver and is the name of the wife of Lord Subramanya (an epithet of Murugan). She is dA sacred cave (temple cave) in an unspecified rock (note 1) is dedicated to the goddess Valli and said to lie within a temple complex [note 2] in a place called Valliyoor on the way [from Bangalore] to Kanyakumari --India's land's end (A.D. Edward Raj, Bangalore, 2002.06.05 personal correspondence). SITUATION: The small town of Valliyur (note 3) lies about 22 km along the road from Kanyakumari (Kanniya Kumari, Kanya Kumari N08°05': E077°34') and about 86 km along the well maintained highway from Thiruvananthapuram (also: Trivandrum, 08°29'N: 76°55'E), or some 60 km by a badly maintained shortcut road from Trivandrum (A.D. Edward Raj 2002.06.20 Mss), and some 50 km or so south of Tirunelveli (N08°44': E077°42'). CULTURAL HISTORY: Valliyur (Velliyur, Veliyur, Valayur) signifies the place of Valli (A.D. Edward Raj, Bangalore, 2002.06.20 personal correspondence). In Tamil, -velli- means silver and is the name of the wife of Lord Subramanya (an epithet of Murugan). She is dughter of the local king of Valliyur (note 4). The Tamil -Valli- is the name for a Korravai tribal girl (JAIN, Sandhya 2004: 198) and suspected to have been a former mother goddess / fertility goddess (note 5).