Palani Dandayudhapani Temple

01The fruit of wisdom

Narada brought Shiva a single fruit, the jnana pazham, and Shiva promised it to whichever son first went round the world. Murugan set off on his peacock; Ganesha walked around his parents, saying they were the world, and won the fruit. Murugan, hurt, left Kailash, cast off his ornaments and came to this hill with only a loincloth and a staff. Parvati followed and told him, ‘Pazham nee’, you yourself are the fruit, which tradition gives as the origin of the name Palani. The image in the sanctum shows him so, a shaven youth holding a staff.

02Bhogar’s image and the kavadi

The temple tradition says the image was made by the siddha Bhogar from navapashanam, a compound of nine minerals, and that the abhishekam milk and panchamirtham poured over it become medicine. Palani’s panchamirtham, of banana, jaggery, ghee, honey and cardamom, received a Geographical Indication tag in 2019. At Thai Poosam (January–February) lakhs of pilgrims walk here from across Tamil Nadu carrying kavadis, the arched yokes of offerings, many of them barefoot for days.

The life of this place