Arulmigu Palani Murugan Temple

Lord Kartikeya, son of Lord Shiva, is one of the most revered Gods in South India. He is also called Murugan and has many devotees, especially in Tamil Nadu. So, naturally, there are many temples dedicated to him. Festivals and annual events are conducted to honour him and every occasion is done with great pomp and show. Among the many popular Murugan temples is the Arulmigu Dhandayuthapaniswamy Temple situated in the Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu in Palani town. It is an ancient temple located on the foothills of Palani hills and called Palani Dhandayuthapani Temple. The temple is located 67 km from one of the best hill stations in Tamil Nadu, Kodaikanal. Palani is about 105 km from Coimbatore and 122 km from Madurai. This place of worship is one of the six abodes of Murugan and also the most popular one.

 

History of the Arulmigu Palani Murugan Temple

Arulmigu Palani Murugan Temple is one of the important temples as it is one of the six holy abodes of Murugan. As per legend, the Lord Murugan’s idol in Palani was created by an ancient Siddhar, Sage Bhogar. He is believed to have sculpted the idol using a mix of nine poisonous substances called Navapashanam which is a unique blend that is known to have medicinal value. There is also a shrine built in this temple for Sage Bhogar, which is said to be proof that the temple was built by him. But after many years of worship, the idol was neglected, and some people damaged it for various reasons.

But as per legend, Cheraman Perumal, a Chera dynasty king built the temple after an interesting incident. It is said that when the king was on a hunting expedition, he could not make it in time to get out of the forest. So had to take refuge there, and when he was asleep, Lord Murugan appeared in his dream and asked him to search for the idol and build a temple. After that, the Chera King found the idol and built a temple which was later expanded by the Cheras and Pandyas kings to add gopurams and mandapams between 13 to 18th centuries. The walls of the temple are the proof as there are scriptures and names written of kings. The temple is also referred to in Sangam Literature. Also, there is Sthalapuranam with stories of Kavadi tradition.

 

Story of Palani Hill Temple

There are many stories of how this temple was started. Sage Narada came to Mount Kailash, Shiva’s abode, to gift him a Fruit of Knowledge. Shiva then gave it to his sons, who could not split the fruit in half. Then, Lord Shiva decided who should get it and put up a challenge where whoever circled the world thrice would get the fruit. Both boys agreed and Murugan left quickly on his peacock to circle the world. Meanwhile, Ganesha not only revered his parents but was also smart and circled his parents thrice, saying they were his world. Ganesha won the race and Shiva gave him the fruit. Murugan returned and got to know that he lost and was angry and left Mount Kailash and settled in Palani Hills.

 

Palani Arulmigu Temple Architecture

Chela dynasty king Perumal is said to have ruled Palani and the surrounding places during the end and 5th centuries. As mentioned above, he built the Lord Murugan Temple when he had a dream of the Lord asking him to build a temple. He did so on the Sivagiri Hills, the highest of the two Palani hills. The temple was built similar to the other Cheras and Pandyas structures. The Murugan idol is made from a unique blend of plants to make for a powerful medicine. The statue depicts an ascetic who has given up worldly pleasures and is on a stone base. The walls have many Tamil scriptures. There is a golden Gopuram on top where there are statues of several gods and goddesses along with Murugan. There is a Lord Ganesha shrine at the Temple where devotees go before visiting Murugan. People visiting this temple must use a wench or climb the hill. Here are a total of 693 steps and is 2.4 km in distance. The temple's direction is towards the west, and the height is 50m.

 

Celebrations held at the temple

One of the most important events at this temple is the Thai Poosam. On this auspicious day, devotees walk to the hilltop and take the blessings of the Lord. Other famous events are Chitra Pournami, Panguni Uttiram, Agni Nakshatram, Aani Annabhishekam, Tirukarthigai and Markazhi Pooja. Every year people walk with Kavadis and also shave their heads as it is believed to be a religious act.

 

How to get to the temple?

● By Air: The closest airports are Madurai and Coimbatore, and you can take a bus or a train to Palani from there.  

● By Bus: You can get direct buses from Madurai, Tuticorin and Chennai. You can also travel by car, with the best route being from Madurai or Dindigul districts.

● By Rail: The Palani railway station is only 3 kms from the temple. You can also get down at the Dindigul station, which is 56 kms away and catch a bus.