Karkuvel Ayyanar Temple, Kuthiraimozhi

Karkuvel Ayyanar Temple lies in Kuthiraimozhi-Theri Kudiyiruppu, a village in Thoothukudi district about a kilometre from Kayamozhi, which is itself 14 km from Tiruchendur. It is thought to be 500 to 1,000 years old. Around it spreads a red sand desert with cashew and palm trees, said to be the only desert in South India. Ayyanar is said to have come from a karkuva tree, and he sits with his consorts Poornam and Porkamalam, surrounded by shrines to many other village deities.

The guardian god is believed to keep the village's homes safe from thieves. His great festival, Kallar Vettu or 'killing of the robber', falls at the end of Karthigai and the start of Margazhi. Holy water from the Thamirabarani is carried to the temple on an elephant, and a tender coconut standing for the robber is broken behind the shrine. Devotees take the sand it wets home to their fields and cash boxes for luck. Villu Pattu bow songs praising the god are another attraction.