Sage Narada once visited the celestial court of Lord Shiva at Kailasa to present to him a fruit, literally, the fruit of knowledge or 'Njana Pazham' that held in it the elixir of wisdom. Upon Lord Shiva expressing his intention of dividing the fruit between his two sons, Ganapathi and Muruga,
the Sage counseled him against cutting it. He decided to award it to
whichever of his two sons first circled the world thrice. Accepting the
challenge, the Lord Muruga started his journey around the globe on
his sacred bird, the peacock.
However, Lord Ganapathi, who knows that his vehicle is mouse and is no match in speed compared with the peacock, cleverly surmised that the world was no more than his parents Shiva and Shakti,
circumambulated them. Pleased with their son's discernment, Lord Shiva
awarded the fruit to Lord Ganapthi. When Lord Subrahmanya returned,
he was furious to learn that his efforts are in vain. In deep
dudgeon, he decided to leave Kailasa and take up his abode in a
place where the land and people would be unequivocally his and for him.
Thus, it was that he came to what is today known as Palani, a name derived from the manner of his parents trying to mollify him and prevail upon him to return to Kailasa, 'Pazham Nee' (which means "You are the fruit of wisdom sire"), implying that, being
the embodiment of wisdom, he doesn't need any fruit. Thus, being the
abode of wisdom, the place took on its master's name, Pazham Nee or
Pazhani, anglicized as Palani.
Going by legend, the idol of the Lord Muruga in Palani, was created
and consecrated by the
Sage Bhogar, one of the eighteen great
ascetics or siddhas, out of an amalgam of nine poisons or navapashanam.
The legend also holds that, since it was a quick-setting paste, the
sculptor had to work very rapidly to chisel its features, but that he
spent so much time in creating the exquisitely beatific 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.
Another legend holds that the deity, after centuries of worship,
fell into neglect and was engulfed by the forest. One
night,
Cheraman Perumal, a King of the Cheras,
who controlled the area between the second and fifth centuries AD,
wandered from his hunting party and was forced to take refuge at the
foot of the hill. It so befell, that the Lord Subrahmanya, appeared to
him in a dream and ordered him to restore the idol to its former state.
The king, thereat commenced a search for the idol, and on finding it, constructed the temple that now houses it, and re-instituted
its worship.
The idol of the deity is said to be made of an amalgam of nine
substances. It is placed upon a pedestal of stone, with an archway
framing it and represents the Lord Subrahmanya
in the form he assumed at Palani, that of
a very young recluse, shorn
of his locks and all his finery, dressed in no more than a loincloth and
armed only with a staff, the dhandu, as befits a monk. It is from his youthful appearance and the staff he bears, that the appellation Bala-dhandayudha-pani, meaning the young wielder of the staff-weapon, is applied to him.
One curious aspect of the deity is that he faces west rather than
east, the traditional direction at most Hindu temples. This is held to
be on account of the temple having been re-consecrated by the Cheras,
whose
dominions lay to the west which includes Kerala, and the guardian of whose eastern
frontier was supposed to be the Lord Subrahmanya of Palani. Another fact
that will be remarked upon by any observer, are the rather
disproportionately large ears the Lord is endowed with. This is
reflective of the faith that the Lord listens carefully to each of his
many devotees' prayers and requests.
Housed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, the deity may be approached and handled only by the temple's priests, who are members of the Gurukkal
community of Palani, and hold hereditary rights of sacerdotal worship
at the temple. Other devotees are permitted to come up to the sanctum,
while the priests' assistants, normally of the Pandaram community, are allowed up to the ante-chamber of the sanctum sanctorum.
The most esteemed form of worship at the temple is the abhishekam, anointment of the idol with oils, sandalwood paste, milk, unguents
and the like and then bathing it with water in an act of ritual
purification. The most prominent abhishekams are conducted at the
ceremonies to mark the hours of the day. These are four in number, early in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening and at night, immediately prior to the temple being closed for the day.
These hours are marked by the tolling of the heavy bell on the hill, to
rouse the attention of all devotees to the worship of the lord being
carried out at that hour. On a quiet day, the bell can be heard in all
the countryside around Palani.
After the abhishekam, it is the practice to dress the idol of the Lord, in an act called alangaram, in one of several guises, the most common being the Raja or King called Rajalangaram, the Vaitheekan or priest, the Vedan or hunter and the Aandi
or monk, which is the most celebrated in Palani, because it is the
nearest to the natural form the Lord assumed at Palani as an anchorite,
having withdrawn from all the celestial riches of his father's court at Kailasa.
In addition to worship within the precincts of the temple, an idol of the Lord, called the Uthsavamoorthy, is also carried in state around the temple, in a golden chariot, drawn by devotees, most evenings in a year.
Priests of these ancient temples accept and agree that the ancestors
of Devendra Kulathar are the ancient Tamil Kings namely Chera, Chola,
Pandya. There are ownership documents (Pattayam signed during 1500s)
that show that the Palani Murugan Temple and numerous ancient Temples
belong to people of Devendrakulam.
The temple is situated upon the higher of the two hills of
Palani, known as the Sivagiri. Traditionally, access to it was by the
main staircase cut into the hill-side or by the
elephant's path, used by the ceremonial elephants. Pilgrims bearing
water for the ritual bathing of the idol, and the priests, would use
another way also carved into the hill-side but on the opposite side.
Over the past half-century, three funicular railway tracks have been laid up the hill for the convenience of the pilgrims, and supplemented by a rope-way within the past decade.
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.
In the first inner prahara, or ambulatory, around the
heart of the temple, are two minor shrines, one each, to Shiva and
Parvati, besides one to the Sage Bhogar who is by legend credited with
the creation and consecration of the chief idol. In the second outer prahara, is a celebrated shrine to Ganapati, besides the carriage-house of the Lord's Golden Chariot.
One of the chief traditions of the temple, is the tonsuring of
devotees, who vow to discard their hair in imitation of the Lord of
Palani. Another is the anointing of the head of the God's idol with chandanam,
or sandalwood paste, at night, prior to the temple being closed for the
day. The paste, upon being allowed to stay overnight, is said to
acquire medicinal properties, and is much sought after and distributed
to devotees.
Traditionally, the hill-temple of Palani is supposed to be closed
in the afternoon and rather early in the evening to permit the Lord to
have adequate sleep, being but a child, and therefore, easily tired by
the throngs of devotees and their constant importunations.
A tradition that is not very well known is that of the bedroom, wherein, each night, the Lord is informed of the status of
the temple's accounts for the day, by the custodians of the temple, and
then put to sleep to the singing of a bard.
Besides regular services, days sacred to the Lord Subrahmanya are
celebrated with pomp and splendour every year, and are attended by
throngs of devotees from all over South India. Some of these festivals
are the Thai-Pooyam, the Piankuni-Uthram, the Vaikhashi-Vishakham and the Soora-Samharam.
