Muruga was married to Devasena upon the hill and for many centuries the Tamil people have considered it the most auspicious place for their own marriages, especially during the time of the Pankuni Uttiram, the festival of marriage held in late March. A cave temple dedicated to the element of earth and mentioned in various classical Tamil texts as the 'Southern Himalaya' where the gods assemble, Tirupparankunram is also mentioned in legend as 'the place where the sun and moon abide'. Tirupparankunram, a hill five miles southwest of Madurai, is the fourth pilgrimage site of Muruga. Tituttani, meaning 'blissful repose' is the scene of numerous bhajanais, or musical festivals, in which large numbers of pilgrims come to worship with devotional singing and dancing. It is where he ruled his domain from, where he conducted his courtship of a forest goddess, and where he taught as a philosopher. On this hill Muruga came for meditation and purification after his battle with the demons. The third site is Tiruttani, some seventy-five miles northwest of Madras city. A fascinating festival celebrating Muruga's victory over the demonic forces is held at the Tiruchendur temple each October/November. When Muruga finally found the demon's dwelling place in a tree, he split the tree with his lance and the demon, rather than being killed, was turned into a radiantly lovely peacock that became the vehicle of Muruga. Its name means 'village of the sacred battle' and it is here where the young Muruga conquered the troublesome demon named Surapadman. The seaside shrine of Tiruchendur is the second major site. Any substance that comes into contact with the icon is believed to acquire miraculous healing powers, and countless are the number of healings that have occurred within the temple. Neither the age of this still existing icon is known nor the proportion of its ingrediants. Palani is also associated with healing this tradition being nurtured by local legends about bhogars or mystical alchemists who in a prehistoric era constructed the main icon of the Palani temple from a combination of nine different medicinal and immortalizing substances. Returning from his arduous journey Muruga was humbled and, retreating to the the hill of Palani, he spent many years as an ascetic monk meditating and seeking wisdom. Muruga, the younger and brasher, set off at a rapid pace to circle the world Ganesh, the wiser, merely walked around his father Shiva. Whichever of the sons could most quickly travel around the cosmos would be given the gift of a rare fruit. At this place Muruga and his brother Ganesh were tested by their parents Shiva and Parvati. The first is Palani, some twenty miles from Dindigul Junction. The Murukan devotees are unanimous in stating the existence of six sites yet only five of these sites are accepted as authentic without dispute. An excellent and highly readable discussion of Muruga and his worship in Tamil Nadu is given in an article by Professor Fred Clothey in the Journal of the Academy of Religions (see bibliography) much of the following information on the six sites was taken from that article. He is also associated with the six directions of east, west, north, south, up and down, as well the five primordial elements and the whole. Explanations for the number six are given by reference to the god's six qualities of felicity, fullness, immortal youth, limitless energy, protection from evil, and spiritual splendor. He is also a philosopher-teacher who is accepted as the inspiration and author of Tamil language and literature.įrom a legendary time early in the 1st millenium BC, Murukan is already associated with six sacred hills, the myth of each site suggesting how he manifested himself there. References in Tamil poetry of the 1st and 2nd centuries AD describe Murukan as a lord of the hills and hunt, a controller of epidemics and malevolent forces, a deity who is fondly worshipped with the frenzied dance of beautifully adorned damsels. The Kurincis, a folk people living in the forested hills, had a legendary love of dance, play and nature, and the name of their god Murukan means 'beautiful, fragrant, young and vibrant one'. This Skanda of the Epics, when he is brought into Tamil Nadu, becomes linked with Murukan, a name originally given to a god of the Kurincis culture. In Epic times, myths of the Mahabharata and Ramayana describe Skanda as a celestial warrior-hero born of the seed of the god Rudra for the purpose of defeating troublesome demons known as Asuras. Muruga, or Murukan, is the Tamil name for a god who is also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Kumara and Kartikeya he is an amalgamation of two deities, deriving from ancient indigenous Tamil culture and external Vedic influences. In the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the 'Six Homes of Lord Muruga' are among the most colorful, exotic and vital pilgrimage sites in the world. Painting of Muruga at Temple of Palni, Tamil Nadu ( Enlarge)
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