Wayag Islands in the Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia

The Wayags are part of the larger Raja Ampat Islands off the coast of Indonesia’s West Papua Province. These small, uninhabited islands are popular with divers and snorkellers eager to explore the vast and diverse reef system surrounding them. 

The Wayags are within the Coral Triangle, which covers only 1.6 percent of Earth’s oceanic regions, but contains 76 percent of every known coral species on the planet. Some scientists say the diversity of the ecosystem in the triangle is comparable to that of the Amazon rainforest. The region is even sometimes referred to as 'The Amazon of the seas.' Map It

Raja Ampat Islands

Located off the northwest tip of Bird's Head Peninsula on the island of New Guinea, in Indonesia's West Papua province, Raja Ampat, or the Four Kings, is an archipelago comprising over 1,500 small islands, cays, and shoals surrounding the four main islands of Misool, Salawati, Batanta, and Waigeo, and the smaller island of Kofiau. The Raja Ampat archipelago straddles the Equator and forms part of Coral Triangle which contains the richest marine biodiversity on earth.

The Coral Triangle is a roughly triangular area of the tropical marine waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste that contain at least 500 species of reef-building corals in each ecoregion. This region encompasses portions of two biogeographic regions: the Indonesian-Philippines Region, and the Far Southwestern Pacific Region. 

The Coral Triangle is recognized as the global centre of marine biodiversity and a global priority for conservation. It is also called the "Amazon of the seas" and covers 5.7 million square kilometres of ocean waters. Its biological resources sustain the lives of over 120 million people. According to the Coral Triangle Knowledge Network, about $3 billion in fisheries exports and another $3 billion in coastal tourism revenues are derived as annual foreign exchange income in the region.

Kailasanathar Temple, Murappanadu, Thirunelveli

Kailasanathar Temple, Murappanadu, Thirunelveli: Kailasanathar Temple, Murappanadu, Thirunelveli Kailasanathar Temple is dedicated to Hindu God Shiva located at Murappanadu Village in Thirunvelveli District Tamilnadu.

Murappanadu. It's been the 5th, among the Nava kailayam temples, which have situated on the bank of the river Thamirabarani. Again, this sthala represents the planet Jupiter, which has been called as 'Guru Bhagawan', in Tamil language. As this sthala lies at the centre and also lies in between the other Nava kailayam temples, it's also called as Nadu Kailayam.

This sthala Murappanadu has it's unique feature, that the river Thamirabarani, flows here from north to south, as if the sacred river Ganges does. Ganges has been called as, the river Ganga in Tamil language. Having concerned the flow of the direction, here, the river Thamirabarani, has been called as thatchina gangai, since, 'that china' means south in direction, in Sanskrit language.

This sthala has its legend that once upon there had been a miracle happened at this sthala that a chola king had worshiped lord Shiva, for what, his daughter could have been cured from her curse, that she had possessed the horse face, instead of human face. Having obliged the sincerity of the chola king, lord Shiva had appeared in his dream, that he could visit the sthala Murappanadu and both he and his daughter could have taken bath in the river Thamirabarani, near this temple premises. What a surprise! The horse face had changed into real human face. It has been told that the chola king had supposed to build this temple, as the thanksgiving attitude.

This temple has a strange phenomenon that the transcendental carrier of lord Shiva, the Nandi Bhagawan has his face, in the shape of the horse. This could have supposed to take place as lord Shiva had asked the Nandi Bhagawan, to take the curse of the daughter of chola king,and hence, Nandi Bhagawan has appeared with horse face.

Murappanadu Maha Pushkaram Vizha 2018 has been celebrated at Murappanadu,Thoothukudi District. This festival is observed from 11.10.2018 to 22.10.2018. Taking holy bath in the Tamirabarani River flows before Murappanadu Lord Kailasanathar Temple is believed for prosperous life to one and all.