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Lord Siva’s warrior son, Muruga, also popularly known by names such as Skanda, Kartikeya and Subramanya is a deity much revered and liked by the Tamil population. A lot of hymns and songs have been composed and dedicated to this embodiment of bravery and knowledge. There are a host of famous Murugan temples in Tamilnadu. Amongst more than fifty Tamilnadu Murugan temples, six of them are considered as the most important ones. They include the Murgan temples in Palani, Pazhamudircholai, Swamimalai, Tiruttani, Tirupparamkunram and Tiruchendur. |
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| Maruda Malai - |
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Maruda Malai is located six miles from Cape Comorin. It is a mountain with a legendary history. The name literally means the medicinal mountain. Maruda denotes medicine.
In the Ramayana, Hanuman was asked by Lord Rama to get the Sanjeevini medicinal herb from Mount Kailasa to cure the snake poison in Laksmana’s body caused by the arrow of Ravana’s son Indrajit. Anjaneya flew to Mount Kailas but couldn’t find the medicinal herb in the Mount Gandhamarutha. So he uprooted the mountain and took it to Rama to choose the medicine from it. On his journey a chip of it fell down and this is what we call now as Maruda Malai or Marunthu Malai. This place is still famous for the different types of medicinal herbs that it produces. These are used in a large number of medicinal preparations in Ayurveda. People believe that the bitter leaves of trees and grass found here tastes sweet when cooked. Hanuman instilled a Linga which is visited by pilgrims even today. |
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| Lord Subramanian - Tiruchendur |
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This is a seashore temple of Lord Subramanian located in Tuticorin district. It’s on the shore of the Gulf of Mannar which is shallow and safe. It has a beautiful natural setting in that the sea washes the foot of the temple. A dip in the bathing ghat is said be very auspicious as it is said to have nine Teerhams with miraculous qualities.
According to legends this temple is said to have been formed when Lord Kartikeya halted at Tiruchendur on his way to kill the demon Surapadmam. At Tiruchendur he desired to have a temple to worship Siva and a temple was constructed on the seashore. The temple may also be considered as a commemoration of victory over Surapadman. In the course of the years the temple had many additions and alterations done by the chera and the pandya kings and other administrators from time to time. One significant feature of the temple is that the Gopuram is in the west when normally gopurams are in the East. It is a nine storied structure. There are scenes depicted in the gopuram which are taken from its history. There are three circular corridors round the temple and several shrines in them for Gods. A lot of festivals are celebrated here throughout the year and the temple is very rich through its cash offerings from pilgrims.
The shrine is connected to Tirunelveli Junction by train. Buses also ply here from Tirunelveli and Tuticorin. |
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| Tirupparankuram - Near Madurai |
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Tirupparankuram is placed near Madurai and is very popular as its one of the six abodes selected by Subrahmanya.
Legend has it that Lord Subrahmanya was married to Devyani, the daughter of Lord Indra here. On Indra’s prayer Lord Siva had sent Subrahmanya to defeat and kill Surapadma. After accomplishing the task at Tiruchendur, Subrahmanya reached Tirupparankunram and stayed there for a while at the request of the sons of parasara. The holy architect Viswakarma was asked to construct abodes for himself and the other devas who accompanied him. It was during this time that Indra requested Subrahmanya to get married to his daughter Devyani as a mark of gratitude for his favors. Subrahmanya agreed and the marriage took place in this Tirupparankuram temple.
Tirupparankuram temple is very easily accessible as it is located about three miles from Madurai. Madurai has a well connected railway line from a lot of major cities. There are a lot of accommodation facilities including guest houses, government and private hotels.
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| Palani |
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Palani is one of the most famous temples of South India which is dedicated to Lord Subrahmanya. Palani is in the Dindigul District.
The hill has a height of 450 ft. The famous steps to Palani are 659 in number. The idol is in the form of a recluse. The legend goes that Subrahmanya was angry with his parents Lord Siva and Parvati for having given the rare fruit to his brother Ganesha who had outwitted him in a challenge. He came to Palani Mala and became a recluse. The idol is an amalgamation of navapashana, nine poisons, constituted in a particular combination by a muni called Bhoga Muni. The touch of this idol is said to have a lot of curative effects. The statue has the Lord standing with a stick or Dandam and hence he is also called Dandayudhapani.There are a lot of festivals celebrated here. A lot of Mohammedans also worship here and they call him Palani Baba. Kadamba is the Sthala Vriksha. There is a practice of bringing offerings on their shoulders on Kavadis. The wish is then considered to be granted. This practice began in accordance with a legend wherein Idumba’s requests were granted by Muruga to allow him to stand as Dwarapala and also to bless whoever made offerings to him on a Kavadi. Idumba was supposed to have brought Lord Siva and Parvati on a Kavadi here. It is said that incurable diseases like Leukoderma and Asthma can be cured by the use of Abhishekham water. The temple is very rich and receives thousands as collections and also owns a lot of property.
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