Palani Murugan Temple

Palani is the third of the six holy Arupadaiveedu shrines of Lord Murugan, the god of youth, valour and wisdom, especially beloved across Tamil Nadu. The story of Murugan retreating here in renunciation after a family contest (over the divine fruit of knowledge) is central to its devotion. The medicinal idol and its sacred abhishekam prasad are believed to cure ailments. Thaipusam and Panguni Uthiram are its greatest festivals.

The Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple at Palani stands atop a hill reached by a rope-car, winch or a climb of nearly 700 steps, and is one of the richest and most visited temples in Tamil Nadu. Here Murugan is worshipped as a young ascetic (Dhandayuthapani) who renounced the world, holding a staff, his head shaven. The idol is famously said to have been fashioned by the siddha Bogar from Navapashanam — an amalgam of nine medicinal substances — so that the abhishekam water (panchamrita) that flows over it is treasured as a healing prasad. During Thaipusam, hundreds of thousands of devotees carry kavadis up the hill in fervent devotion.