South India · Tamil Nadu
Palani, Tamil Nadu
Sources: wikimedia
Before you go
One of the six abodes of Murugan and among Tamil Nadu's most visited temples; Thaipusam (Jan-Feb) brings kavadi-bearing pilgrims on foot.
About Palani
- Hills
Where it is
Palani is a temple town in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu, at the foot of the Palani hills, an offshoot of the Western Ghats, about 60 km west of Dindigul and below the hill station of Kodaikanal.
History
The hilltop shrine of Murugan as Dhandayuthapani, the renunciant holding a staff, is one of the six abodes of Murugan praised in ancient Tamil poetry. Tradition says the siddhar Bogar fashioned its image from navapashanam, an amalgam of nine substances, and the temple, enlarged over the centuries, is now among Tamil Nadu's most visited, reached by steps, a winch railway and a rope car.
People
Palani speaks Tamil, and the town lives from the temple, farming and trade with the hills above. At Thaipusam pilgrims walk from across Tamil Nadu carrying kavadis, and tonsuring the head in fulfilment of a vow is a common offering.
Known for
- The Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple on Sivagiri
- Thaipusam and the kavadi pilgrims
- The winch railway and rope car up the hill
- Palani panchamirtham
- Thiru Avinankudi Temple at the foot of the hill
Did you know?
Legend says the devotee Idumban carried Palani's two hills here slung from a pole across his shoulders, a story linked with the kavadi that pilgrims bear.
Shrines and sites
- Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple on the hill
- Thiru Avinankudi Temple at the foot
- Idumban hill
Traditions
- Hindu
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.