Tiruchendur

A 40 km drive away from Tuticorin, is the temple town of Tiruchendur. The temple of Lord Subramanya Swamy or Senthil Andavan (Murugan) stands majestically on the shores of the Indian Ocean, and is one of the six most sacred abodes of the deity. "Aarupadaiveedu"or the six sacred abodes of Lord Murugan are Palani, Tiruchendur, Swamimalai, Tirupparamkundram, Pazhamudircholai and Thiruthani.

The Thiruchendur Murugan temple on the shores of the Indian Ocean

Of these six abodes, Tiruchendur is the only one which is not on a hill. The main deity of the temple is Senthil Andavan or Murugan. There is also a Panchalingam shrine (5 Shiva Lingas), to which Lord Murugan is known to have prayed. 

The temple is a place of pilgrimage for lakhs of people from South India, and especially on auspicious days people throng the shrine to seek the blessings of Lord Murugan. Beware of swamis who come and offer to take you into the sanctum sanctorum by jumping the queues, and offering you a special "archana". For those who want to skip the long snaking lines, there are tickets of higher denominations that can be purchased. 

For the crowd that it sees, the beach at Thiruchendur is surprisingly clean, and if you happen to visit in the evening, the sunset is a sight not to be missed. 

Thiruchendur can be reached by road from Tuticorin (40km), Tirunelveli(55km), and Kanyakumari(75km). Buses also ply from Madurai, Chennai, Trichy and Coimbatore. 

During the Tsunami of December 2004, the temple remained miraculously unaffected, despite the water level opposite the main sanctum being higher than the ground level of the sanctum. 

The Indian Ocean

Simple yet delicious snack of Boiled Peanuts , mixed with onions, tomatoes and coriander , being prepared at one of the many makeshift stalls on the beach! 

There is rail connectivity as well, from Chennai (Thiruchendur Express).

(Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiruchendur_Murugan_Temple)