Velimalai Kumarakoil is located at fifteen kilometers northwest of Nagercoil on the road to Thiruvananthapuram. The shrine is dedicated to Murugan or Subrahmanya. The annual Thirukalyanam festival is held in Panguni Masam (March – April).
The divine wedding of Valli and Murugan is celebrated with great fervor and is attended by thousands of Murugan devotees. Kuravar Patukalam, the war waged by Valli’s relatives against Murugan, is colorfully re-enacted during the festival. The seven-day festival begins on Anuradha nakshatra day Panguni Masam. On the day of the wedding Manavala Kumaran (processional deity) seated in a palanquin proceeds towards Tiru Kalyana Mandapam which is at a distance of two kilometers from the temple. After the celestial wedding the deities are taken in procession back to the temple.
En route we witness the ceremonial Kuravar patukalam. Kuravas (tribal folk of the hill) wage a war against Murugan in line with the legend associated with Murugan and Valli’s marriage. When the wedded couple reaches the rear entrance of the temple, Kuravas surrender to Murugan and happily consent to the marriage. Murugan is propitiated with abhishekam and deeparadhana and a formal wedding is celebrated at night in the decorated temple mandapam bedecked with flowers. During the marriage, Valli cholai, Vatta cholai, Kizavan cholai...etc are given as gifts to Murugan from the bride’s side. This gift list is read aloud in the assembly. Kumkum, honey and millet flour are given as prasadam after the divine wedding.
Velimalai Kumaracoil is an ancient temple and 10-feet standing murti of Murugan is worshipped here. The popular belief is that the marriage of Murugan and Valli took place here.