Other temples to see in Palani except Balamurugan atop the hill!!!
When a friend came to his home in Palani, it was my turn to go and visit him, coz last time, he came over to visit me. But then, silly me, totally forgot... I planned for something else on Sunday, when he called up on Saturday night to ask ‘What time was I leaving.?’. I was like ‘OMG! I have to come tomorrow right! Ok. I’ll come over!!!’. And next morning, there I was in Palani.
He picked me up from the bus stand. In a moment we were at his home. I should say, his parents and the beautiful sister were so hospitable that I felt at home completely. After chatting for a while we were off to the temple tour.
Legend of Palani is that when Lord Muruga and Lord Ganapathy had a tiff about who would take the coveted mango. Finally their parents Lord Shiva and Parvathi, gave a competition to them and the winner would win the mango. The competition was to go around the world thrice. While Lord Muruga started off on his vahana peacock, Lord Ganapathy went around their parents thrice and said, ‘You two are my World’, and invariably the mango went to him. When Lord Muruga came back he literally got pissed-off, and set off to Palani Malai leaving all his belongings behind and with complete frustration and anger. Reaching Palani, he just sat the top of the hill. So that’s the story behind the Palani Bala Murugan temple atop the hill.
So when Lord Muruga is so angry, as dutiful parents Lord Shiva and Parvathi came over to pacify him. When they reached here, they got so impressed of the beauty of the nature here, and decided to stay here.
Our first stop was at Periya Nayaki Amman Koil aka Brihan Nayaki Amman Koil. Yeah! It was this place where Goddess Parvathi decided to stay. The main diety is of course Brahan Nayaki. Lord Shiva as Brahadishwarar is decided to stay some where else. I’ll come to that later. Shrines are here for Somaskandhar, Chandikesar, Suriyan. Also there are the bronze sculptures of the 63 Saivaite Saints. This temple is located pretty near to the main Balamurugan temple. And the temple has no Gopuram or Vimanam.
From there our we took off and our second stop was at Periya Avudayar Koil, where Lord Shiva as Brahadishwarar resides, as I mentioned above. This temple is located on the highway to Dharapuram. You could spot it with the arch to the left of the highway. From the arch, the temple is located some 1.5 km away. The lushness of the greenery was awesome. But the road was pathetic. Its under construction. Also a railway track is here under construction for the Kasi - Rameshwaram Express to be soon launched. Somehow without puncturing our vehicle we managed to reach the temple. Unfortunately this temple has been renovated and has lost its ancient look. Its polished with marbles and cement, much to my disappointment. Behind this temple is the Shanmuga River which is a branch of Cauvery. The scenic beauty here was inspiring. I could sit there for hours together!!! But sadly, I didn’t for practical reasons!!!
The temple tree or the Sthala Vruksham here is Kadamba Tree. Pretty unusually here in the town of Palani, God Shiva and Goddess Parvathi are in separate temples. Sculptures in both the temples were great. That too here in Periyavudayar Koil it was mind blowing. The Nandhi and the Dakshinamurthy Statue here definitely requires a specific mention. The detailing in either are inexplicable. The leaf details of Dakshinamurthy and the jewellery details of Nandhi must be seen carefully.
From here we came back to Palani and our third stop was at Thiruvavinankudi Temple. This is the temple very close to the base of the hill. The main lord Bala Murugan is actually here and not atop the hill. Thiruvavinankudi is to be split as Thiru Aa Vinan Ku Di. Thiru means Goddess Lakshmi; Aa means cow i.e. Kamadhenu; Vinan is Suriyan; Ku is Goddess Parwathi; Di means Agni. That is the meaning of the temple’s name.
The sculptural detail here on the pillars is just awesome. Its somewhere between a high relief and a stand-alone sculpture. The above pillar sculptures are from here depicting Lakshmi Kalyanam and Kannappa Nayanar. Each pillar tells a story, in complete detail and not with miniature sculptures.
These 3 are must-visit tourist places to see in Palani for everyone in a pilgrimage to Balamurugan Temple.
SOUTH INDIAN MEALS IN PALANI
After a great visit and lots of blessings, I was back to my friend’s home for a delicious meal. Brinjal Sambar, Cauliflower sidedish, Potato sidedish, Rasam (a Tamil Nadu speciality, a must try for all new visitors to Tamil Nadu!!!), Curd, Ginger Pickle, and… Payasam: a South Indian dessert – Ha… Should I say any thing more.? Isn’t it self explanatory that I hogged!!!!!
I had already gone to the Balamurugan Temple atop the hill. To reach there you’ve gotta climb 645 stairs. And there isn’t much special about it. And again, you’ll get so much of info bout the temple in any other site!!! Its such a popular pilgrimage site!!!
Forget not to get your Panchamridham and Thinai Maavu which are two delicacies and specialties of Palani.
Palani Panchamirtham has been awarded the GI (Geographical Indication) tag, so literally it isn't possible to buy Palani Panchamirtham anywhere except in Palani temple's devasthanam (premises). As the name suggests its a mix of 5 major ingredients (banana, jaggery, cow ghee, honey and cardamom) along with few other things like dates, sugar etc.
Thinai Maavu (foxtail millet flour) is a specialty in all temples of Lord Murugan. It was this flour mixed with honey that he received from Valli (his 2nd wife) when he was courting her.
How to reach Palani:
From Coimbatore: 108 km via Pollachi
From Madurai: 121 km via Dindigul
From Trichy: 159 km via Dindigul
On Google Maps (and distance from Balamurugan Temple (Palani Malai adivaram)):
Periya Nayaki Amman Temple (2.3km),
Thiru Avinankudi Temple (450m (5 min walk))
Periya Avudaiyar Temple (6 km)
There is no proper public transport to visit Periya Nayaki Amman temple & Periya Avudaiyar Temple. The best option is to hire an auto or car from Palani town centre.
HOTELS IN PALANI (Updated in Jul 2020)
Being a major pilgrimage centre, several lodges, hotels & rooms in Palani are available at all price points.
The official Palani temple accommodation is also available. It has 5 different lodgings with several rooms in different price points from dorms at Rs.300 to Rs.2500. Since its a famous, crowded temple with several thousands of devotees visiting everyday, Palani devasthanam rooms online booking (official site of the temple) must to be done much in advance, to ensure a spot in one of the rooms.
Dedicated to Rathish, his mom and sis Shalini.
Shalini, I loved that Cauliflower. Its taste still lingers in my mouth, my dear!!!
Gr8 insight into other temples around Palani...
ReplyDeletemy info about temples is getting better coz of ur blog :)
keep em comin
cheers !!!
That must have been a really interesting trip. Those buildings look really old. Great photos!
ReplyDeleteWonderful and very interesting photos..
ReplyDeleteGreat and interesting pictures!
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeletethanks enlightening surrounding temples of Palani.
go ahead... waiting for more trips
அட, எங்கூà®°ுக்கு போயிட்டு வந்திà®°ுக்கீà®™்க! சூப்பர்! பாà®°ுà®™்க, Blogchai à®®ூலம் இது கூட எனக்குத் தெà®°ிய வருது! அப்புறம் à®’à®°ு சமையல் à®®ேட்டர்.. காலிபிளவர் எனக்குà®®் à®°ொà®®்ப பிடிக்குà®®்!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletehi,
ReplyDeletea kind request.
If possible, please post all ur pictures in larger size then the current size. It is quite small to enjoy/observe it full.
btw, great blogging!!
rgds - kv
Nice blog is yours.
ReplyDelete@Sathish,
ReplyDeleteWow.. Nice to know that my blog is of some use. Thanks pa.. :)
@Winifred,
Yeah dear.. Its atleast more than half a century old for sure!!!
@Aysegul,
Thanks buddy.. :)
@Phivos,
Thanks honey.. :)
@Krishna,
ReplyDeleteIts my pleasure to keep travelling and keep you updated.. :)
@Chella,
Oh. Neenga Palani'ya..??? Soopar ooruppa... Abt Cauliflower - hee hee!!! :)
@Alexandrine,
First - Thanks for dropping by my blog and commenting. Also thanks a ton for following it as well.. Will try to increase size in future my dear..
Do keep visiting and commenting. Its all your support that keeps my blog running!!! :)
@Several Tips,
Thanks dear. :)
Abhishekams like Milk Abhishekam and Panjamirdha Abhishekam are important for devotees and the Abhishekam milk and Panjamirdham have medical & divine powers which devotees must observe by having it. Still, the priests should take the required level of care for this Abhishekams from devotees. The lord Murugan is a form from 'navabhasanas' (9 divine herbs) by the Saint bhogar (3000BC).
ReplyDelete3000 years earlier (1000 BC)
ReplyDelete@Shigeteru,
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for dropping by and commenting.
Do visit often!!!
Thanks again for adding my blog in your site.
Would drop by yours soon!!!
@Arvind,
Thanks for the info Arvind.
Thanks for dropping by and commenting too.
Do drop by often!!! :)