Palani Murugan
temple Palani Dhandayuthapani temple
is
Palani Dhandayuthapani temple is one of the six abodes
(Arupadaiveedu) of Hindu deity Murugan. It is located in the town of Pazhani in
Dindigul district, 100 km southeast of Coimbatore and northwest of Madurai in
the foot-hills of Pazhani hills.
History
The idol of the Lord Muruga in Palani, was created and
consecrated by sage Bogar, one of Hinduism's eighteen great ascetics (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.
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 Cheras, 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.
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, and the guardian of whose eastern frontier was
supposed to be the Lord Kartikeya 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 garbhagriham,
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 Pandāram community, are allowed up to the
ante-chamber of the sanctum sanctorum.
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 yanai-padhai or 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 prahāram, 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 prahāram, is a celebrated
shrine to Ganapati, besides the carriage-house of the Lord's Golden Chariot.
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 - the Vizha Poojai, early in the
morning, the Ucchikālam, in the afternoon, the Sāyarakshai, in the evening and
the Rakkālam, 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, the Vaitheekan, or priest, the Vedan, or hunter
and the Aandi, or monk, which last 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 Mount
Kailash. 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.
Traditions
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 chandaṇam, 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, as rakkāla chandaṇam. 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
Paḷḷi-Arai or 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 an ōdhuvār or bard.
Festivals
Besides regular services, days sacred to the god
Subrahmanyan 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-Poosam, the Pankuni-Uththiram, the Vaikhashi-Vishakham
and the Soora-Samharam. Thai-Poosam, which is considered, by far, the most
important festival at Palani, is celebrated on the full moon day of the Tamil
Month of Thai (15 January-15 February). Pilgrims after first having taken a
strict vow of abstinence, come barefoot, by walk, from distant towns and
villages. Many pilgrims also bring a litter of wood, called a Kāvadi, borne on
their shoulders, in commemoration of the act of the demon Hidumba who is
credited by legend with bringing the two hills of Palani to their present
location, slung upon his shoulders in a similar fashion. Others bring pots of
sanctified water, known as theertha-kāvadi, for the priests to conduct the
abhishekam on the holy day. Traditionally, the most honoured of the pilgrims,
whose arrival is awaited with anticipation by all and sundry, are the people of
Karaikudi, who bring with them the diamond-encrusted vél or javelin, of the
Lord from His temple at Karaikudi.
Poojas
1.Vilaa Pooja (6.30 a.m.)
2.Siru Kall Pooja
(8.00 a.m.)
3.Kaala Santhi (9.00
a.m.)
4.Utchikkala Pooja
(12.00 noon)
5.Raja Alankaram
(5.30 p.m.)
6.Iraakkaala Puja
(8.00 p.m.)
7.Golden Car Darshan
(6.30 p.m.)
To perform pooja in palani Murugan temple contact us in doshanivarthi@gmail.com
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