Palani Temple

  The Young Recluse's Abode : Palani

 Even though Palani is technically in the district of Dindigul, it is often also related with my city, Coimbatore.It is common to see droves of devotees visit the temple on the auspicious day of Panguni Uthiram( The day the moon transits in the nakshatram of Uthiram in the twelfth month Panguni of the Tamil calendar).

Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple,the name of the temple situated atop the Palani Hill, is third of the Six Abodes of Murugan ('Aarupadai veedugal' in Tamil). The Six Abodes of Murugan  are six temples situated in the state of Tamil Nadu known to be the most sacred abodes of the deity. These were mentioned in Tamil Sangam literature where it is called as ‘Podhini’ and Thiruaavinankudi in "Thirumurugatrupadai", written by Nakkeerar and in "Thiruppugazh", written by Arunagirinathar.

 It is located in the city of Palani ,Dindigul district, 100 kilometres southeast of Coimbatore and northwest of Madurai in the foothills of the Palani Hills, Tamil Nadu, India. 

 Palani Hills are a mountain range in the southern Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. They are an eastward extension of the Western Ghats ranges, which run parallel to the west coast of India

 

The temple has interesting legends attached to its emergence.The first one being that of Sage Narada visiting the celestial court of Shiva at Mount Kailash to present to him a fruit, the gnana-palam (the fruit of knowledge). Shiva decided to award it to whichever of his two sons who first encircle the world thrice. Accepting the challenge, Murugan started his journey around the globe on his mount peacock. However, Ganesha, who surmised that the world was no more than his parents Shiva and Shakti combined, circumambulated them and won the fruit. Murugan was furious and felt the need to get matured from boyhood and hence chose to remain as a hermit in Palani.

The other legend was that Lord Shiva entrusted sage Agasthiyar with two hills Shivagiri and Shaktigiri, asking him to install them in down south. Agathiya on his way to South was called for an emergency and so he ordered his discipline Idumban to place these hills in down south.Idumban tied both the hills to either sides of his shoulders and carry it all the way to down south. The long journey made him very exhausted, so he planned to take rest near a pond. When he tried to lift one of the hills, it didn't budge and he found a young man standing at the top of the hill not allowing it to be moved. The demon tried to attack the young man but was defeated.Later he realized that the boy is none other than Lord Muruga himself. Idumban regretted his fault and asked redemption to Lord Muruga. Lord Muruga made him to dwell next to his hill and gave him the honor of visiting his shrine first before entering to Lord Muruga’s Shrine. 

Idumban is the one who took first Kavadi to Palani,and this practice is observed to this day.All the devotees who take Kavadi to Lord Muruga first visit Idumban temple, and offer him a coconut, before seeing Lord Muruga.

 Muruguan is called Dhandayuthapani to indicate his renunciate status, walking away with a long staff as walking stick.The idol of the Muruga in Palani was created and consecrated by sage Bogar, one of Hinduism's eighteen great siddhars, out of an amalgam of nine poisonous herbs or navapashanam.These herbs are said to exist in the perfect ratio,resulting in a medicine that would cure innumerable diseases .A shrine to Bhogar exists in the southwestern corridor of the temple.

The deity, after centuries of worship, fell into neglect and was suffered to be engulfed by the forest. One night, Cheraman Perumal a king of the Chera Dynastys,wandered from his hunting party and was forced to take refuge at the foot of the hill. It so befell, that the Subrahmanyan, appeared to him in a dream, and ordered him to restore the idol to its former state. The king commenced a search for the idol, and finding it, constructed the temple that now houses it, and re-instituted its worship. Next came Cholas and Pandyas; they also expanded the small temple by adding mandapams and gopurams between 8th and 13th centuries. The Nayaka kings did their part by adding beautiful sculptures. The edicts on the walls of the Temple stand as proof of the gifts for conducting poojas and constructions made by several kings. The names found are – Jadavarma Sundara Pandian (1259 A.D), Sadayavarman sundarapandiyan, Sadayavarman veerapandian, Veera Nanjana wudaiyar, Mallikarjuna Devarayar II and others.

Palani temples, which were close to the hearts of various dynasties of Kings, have its own beautiful pieces. At the entrance near the Rajagopuram one cannot miss the amazing pieces of two ladies: one standing with her child and another standing in front of her. In the front mandapam we can see deer, parrot, rishis in tapas and pillars with ‘Yalli’- an animal with the face of dragaon and body of a lion.The ‘Karpaga Vruksham’(Tree which gives everything one wants) is carved in the walls of the mandapam.

 The sanctum of the temple is of early Chera architecture while the covered ambulatory that runs around it bears unmistakable traces of Pandya influence, especially in the form of the two fishes, the Pandyan royal insignia. The walls of the sanctum bear extensive inscriptions in the old Tamil script. Surmounting the sanctum, is a gopuram of gold, with numerous sculptures of the presiding deity, Kartikeya, and gods and goddesses attendant upon him.

The temple is open for darshan - 6 AM to 8 PM. on ordinary days. During Special days it will be open for darshan from 4 AM.