Palani Murugan Temple ( Arulmigu Sri Dandayuthapani Swami Temple)
Palani Murugan Temple is situated in the Palani city in Dindigul district in Tamil Nadu. This temple is one of the abodes of Lord Murugan.
Story of the Temple
Once the celestial sage Naradar( Narada), went to see Lord Shiva at the Mount Kailash, with a fruit called Gnana Palam ( fruit of knowledge). The sage gave this Gnana Palam to Lord Shiva, who decided to give that fruit to any of his two sons. He challenged his two sons to encircle the whole world. Then he said that the winner, whomever encircles the world first will get this fruit.
His younger son Lord Murugan (Karthikeyan) took his vehicle peacock and started the journey. But, Lord Ganesha who is the elder son of Lord Shiva explained and summarized that his parents are only the world for him. Now the Lord Ganesha encircled his parents (Lord Shiva and Goddess Shakthi) and pleased them with his knowledge. So the Lord Shiva gave that fruit to Lord Ganesha, as an award to the victory. The Lord Murugan got angry with this event and he thought to gain maturity. So he left his parents and chose to stay in Palani Hills.
History
The idol of Lord Muruga was made by the great saint Boga with the mixture of the Navapashanam or the nine herbs. He consecrated the Murugan idol and worshipped the God. After many centuries of worship, the idol was damaged and hide into the forest.
Once Perumal, the King of the Chera Dynasty (between 100 A.D to 500A.D) came to this forest for hunting. He was tired and went to rest at the foot of this Mountain. He slept there and God Subramaniam (Muruga) appeared in his dream. In his dream, God gave an order to renovate the Temple’s idol. Then the King woke up and searched for the idol. After he found the idol, he reconstructed the Temple and initiated the worship again.
Story of the Palani Hills
As per another story, once all the saints and Gods gathered in the Mount Kailash, the place where Lord Shiva lives. As a result, the earth started to incline in one direction. As a solution to this problem, the saint Agasthiya sent a demon named Ettumba to place the two Hills on the South side. Then that demon carried those two Hills on his shoulders while going to South India. Since he was tired, the Demon kept those Hills on a place in the South and rested there.
After some time, he raised one of the hills through his hands, but he was not able to lift. At this moment, he saw a man standing on the Hill, not allowing him to move. Then the demon attacked the young man, but he was not able to touch the young man. At this moment, the saint Agasthiya knew that the young man was Lord Murugan and prayed to the God to forgive the demon. Then Lord Murugan told the demon to leave that Hill in that place. So the demon left that Hill in that place(which is Palani now) and took the other Hill to Swamimalai (Other hill adobe of Lord Muruga).
Architecture
As the Cheras King, made the re-consecration of the temple , the inscriptions of Cheras are found in this Temple on the western side . The major deity of this Temple, Palani Murugan is seen inside the sanctum made with the Chera architecture. Only the priests can go inside the sanctum, while others can go up to the entrance of the sanctum. Then the other traces found in this Temple particularly the two fishes, represents the insignia of the Pandya Kings. This sanctum has a gold gopuram on its top with many sculptures. In the first precinct, the shrines of the God and the Goddess Parvati are there. Then the precinct has the shrine of Ganesha and the Golden chariot of Lord Murugan.
Celebrations
The Thai Poosam is one of the main festival. In which, having the fast, the devotees come to this Temple barefoot from the remote villages. To please the Lord Murugan the devotees carry “Kavadi”, during the festivals. This Kavadi is the process of carrying milk on the two shoulders like how the demon carried the Hills on the shoulder. Panguni uttaram is the other main festival of this temple, in which lakhs of people assemble to pull the chariot of Lord Murugan. Then the Vaikasi Vishakam, Soora Samharam (Kanda Sasti Vizha) and the Karthigai Deepam are the other festivals.
Special things
On the festival days, the six poojas are performed in the Temple. Other than the steps, there is a rope car service for the devotees to climb up the Hill. From this Temple, the world famous Prashaadam(dish offered to God) or the sweet is the Pachamirtham.
Transport facilities
You can reach this Temple either through the bus or train. The trains are available from various parts of Tamil Nadu to Palani. Then the temple is at a distance of 2Km from the Palani Railway station. From Chennai, direct buses are available to Palani. If you like to travel through the flight, then reach Coimbatore Airport. Then take a flight from Coimbatore to Palani.
Location: Dindigul, Tamil Nadu.
Timings: Morning – 6.00 A.M to 12.15 P.M (Timings may vary with festivals)
Evening – 4.00 P.M to 8.15 P.M