Palani Arulmigu Shri Dhandayuthapani temple is one of the Six Abodes of Murugan. It is located in the town of Palani in Dindigul, 100 kilometres south-east of Coimbatore and north-west of Madurai in the foot-hills of the Palani hills.
Shrine’s History
The idol of the Lord Muruga in Palani was created and consecrated by sage Bogar, one of Hinduism’s eighteen great siddhis out of an amalgam of nine poisons or Nava pasha NAM. The legend also holds that, the sculptor had to work very rapidly to complete its features, but that he spent so much time in creating the face, he did not have time to bestow but a rough grace upon the rest of the body, thus explaining the contrast between the artistic perfection of the face and the slightly less accomplished work upon the body.
A shrine to Bhogar exists in the southwestern corridor of the temple, which, by legend, is said to be connected by a subterranean tunnel to a cave in the heart of the hill, where Bhogar continues to meditate and maintain his vigil, with eight idols of the Lord. The deity, after centuries of worship, fell into neglect and was suffered to be engulfed by the forest. One night, Perumal a king of the Chera Dynasty, who controlled the area between the second and fifth centuries A.D., wandered from his hunting party and was forced to take refuge at the foot of the hill. It so befell, that the Lord 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. This is commemorated by a small stela at the foot of the staircase that winds up the hill.
Legends Associated with This Shrine
According to the Hindu mythology, the Murugan temple has a story behind that says once Narada Muni brought a fruit of wisdom and presented to Lord Shiva at his court. Lord Shiva intended to divide the fruit between his two sons Lord Vinayaka and Lord Subramanya but the sage counselled against cutting it. Hence he decided to present the fruit to one who completes three rounds around the globe first. Lord Subramanya mounted on his peacock and left immediately but Lord Vinayaka rounded his parents three times symbolising them as the world and received the fruit. Lord Subramanya on knowing the result got furious and renounced his family by settling on the Pazhani hills forever.
Architectural Relevance of This Shrine
Palani is reached by just three hours drive from any of the nearest airports: Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruchy. The nearest tourist information office is at Madurai.
Shrine’s Map Location and How to Go There
By Road
The state transport corporation and a lot of private buses available from major cities to Palani in Tamil Nadu (Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tuticorin etc) and also to the neighbouring Kerala(Palakkadu, Kochin). Palani is 56 km far from Dindigul, 103 km from Coimbatore and 114 km from Madurai.
By Rail
Train: Trains to Palani are available from Coimbatore, Palakkad and Dindigul. The Murugan Temple is about 2 km from the railway station . It is an important railway station on the Dindugal-Coimbatore line.
By Air
Palani is reached by just three hours drive from any of the nearest airports: Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruchy. The nearest tourist information office is at Madurai.
Shrine Timings
Tiru Aavinan Kudi, hill temple and Perianayaki Temple ? all the three temples are open from 6.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m. without any break. There is six puja taking place on everyday basis. The puja schedule is as follows: 1. VishwaroopaDrashanam ? 6.00 am 2. Vizhapuja (the first puja) -7.00 am 3. Sirukalashanthi ? 8.00 am 4. Uchikalam ? 12 noon 5. Sayarakshai ? 6.00 pm 6. Rakkalam ? 8.00 pm
Events Celebrated at This Shrine
Vaikasi Visakam in May-June, Aipasi Skanda Sashti in October-November, Tirukarthikai in November-December, Thaipoosam in January-February and Panguni Uthiram in March-April are the festivals celebrated in the temple.
Extra Information About this Shrine
The presiding deity Lord Murugas idol is made of nine precious herbals known as Navapashana and installed by a Holy Siddha named Bogar. The procession deity is Muthukumaraswami. This is the third of the six Army Camps of Lord Muruga. The Kavadi prayer practice began from this temple only. Temple Celebrations: The main festivals celebrated here are PanguniUtthiram, Thaipoosam and KandiSasthi. Different types of Kavadis are brought by devotees and offered by Padayatra during the Thai Pucam time. It is believed that Lord Murugan is fond of Panchamrita Abhishekam. However, the Devasthanam prepares Panchamrita, vibhuti and other items which are sold at reasonable prices in the temple premises. In addition, Daily Annadanam takes place for poor pilgrimage at 12.30 pm.The temple is reached either by steps of 697 or by winch trolleys. The temple economy comes from the Hundi cash collection box) and has the honour of being the second largest income in India after Tirupathi Devasthanam.