Palani

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam: After Tirupati and Sabrimalai, Palani is the most famed pilgrim town in the south. Tradition involves walking to it. All roads lead to Palani might be apt. As one approaches by car, the roads get congested with pedestrian traffic, especially around festive times like Thai Pusam, Tamil New Year, or Skanda Shasti.

We were fortunate to have a temple employee/trustee be our guide via connections here in Canada. A very nice man, he led us around and took us in via a few shortcuts to witness the evening abhishekham to Palaniandavar. He informed me that the daily average over the year is 100 000 devotees receiving darshan, and swelling to 500 000 on festival days, with the free queue going to 8 hours or so. Imagine standing in line for 8 hours for a 3 second darshan worth every second ... so amazing! After the Ayappan devotees to Sabrimalai, the Murugan devotees of Palani seem almost as crazy, in a good way.

Walking can happen from as far away as Chennai, Kanyakumari, Rameswaram etc. (Look at a google map) Walkers will go for some 16 hours a day barely stopping at all. It may take as long as 10 days, perhaps more. Then at the end you have to climb the steps!

When asked about age of the temple, no one knows. All you get is 'very old'.

Aum Namasivaya

[murugan]

Vannakkam


Yes palani is the third one in aru padai veedu of lord murugan. This is one of the famous padal petra sthalams in the country today. The history of the temple goes like this:


Sage Narada once visited the celestial court of Lord Shiva at Mount Kailash to present to Him a fruit, the gyana-pazham (the fruit of knowledge), that held in it the elixir of wisdom.


Upon Lord Shiva expressing his intention of dividing the fruit between his two sons, Ganesha and Karthikeya, the Sage counselled Him against cutting it. Thereat, He decided to award it to whichever of his two sons first circled the world thrice. Accepting the challenge, the Lord Karthikeya started his journey around the globe on his sacred bird, the peacock.


However, Lord Ganesha, who 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 Ganesha. When the Lord Subrahmanya returned, he was furious to learn that his efforts had been in vain. In deep dudgeon, he decided to leave Mount Kailash, 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 Kailash - Gnana Pazham Nee appa ("You are the fruit of wisdom sire")and thus, implying that being the embodiment of wisdom, he had no need for the fruit. Thus, being the abode of wisdom, the place took on its master's name - Pazham Nee or Pazhani, anglicised as Palani.