Irresistible attraction of Palani and Lord Muruga

Palani is one of the six divine abodes of Lord Muruga in Tamilnadu. These 6 temples are referred to as Aaru (Six)-Padai (Army)-Veedu (house ). Lord Muruga is said to have chosen these six places to host his army and vanquish the asuras. Palani is the 3rd among the Aaru-padai-veedus and is located about 95 Kms south of Coimbatore and the scenic Kodaikanal is just 64 Kms from Palani. The six Padai Veedus are as follows;

1. Thiruparankundram
2. Thiruchendur
3. Thiru-aavi-nan-kudi (Palani)
4. Swamimalai
5. Thiruthani
6. Palamudhircholai

PLACES TO SEE IN PALANI :

THIRU-AAVI-NAN-KUDI - the original 3rd Padaiveedu : There are two important temples of Lord Muruga in Palani. The famous one is ofcourse at the hilltop but the more ancient one and the original 3rd Padai Veedu is the temple near the foothill called Thiru-Aavi-nan-kudi.

Padha Vinayagar Temple : This Ganesh temple is at the foothill and we climb the hill after praying to Lod Ganesha. There is a coconut breaking place just opposite to this temple where hundreds of coconuts are broken everyday by devotees as an offering for the Lord to fulfill their prayers.

4 Ways to Go to the hilltop :
1. Staircase - this is the original route. There are 689 steps to reach the top and several mantapams enroute which offer shade & shelter. Able bodied persons can reach the hilltop in 15-20 minutes flat.Not me though. I had to rest in 4 places - gasping for breath due to my initial enthusiastic trot up the stairs and was wondering why I did not take the elephant path instead.

2. Elephant path - An easier way to climb on foot. This is a slopy path with just a few steps. Most people choose this path. There is a natural spring called Valli Sunai along the elephant path.The spring water here is believed to cure several ailments. One can reach the hilltop in 30 minutes along this path.

3.Winch

4.Rope-car

The winch and rope car are modern additions and take us to the hill top in just a few minutes comfortably. Ideally suited for elderly devotees and others who are physically not fit to climb. Many able bodied people also throng these routes to save time and trouble.

However, climbing on foot is considered the best way.Apart from being an exercise, it also helps us to reduce our karma if we consider the effort as an offering to the Lord.

Baladhandayudha Swami Temple at the hilltop: The original temple was built here by Sage Boganathar ( one amongst the 18 great Siddhars in the Tamil tradition) about 5000 yrs ago to coincide with the start of Kali Yuga.Some of the structures we see now were perhaps built about 1000 years ago.
Speciality of the Deity:
It is common knowledge that the deity is a statue made from 9 medicinal herb extracts ( called Navapashaanam or 9 poisons ) instead of granite or metal.These 9 extracts were extracted from a mix of over 4400 herbs. When these 9 extracts were mixed in the right proportion, the result was a super medicine that could cure any ailment.Such a combination, it is believed, can be achieved only by those adept in alchemy. All the 18 Siddhars were believed to be expert alchemists. It is because of this great quality that over the years people have perhaps greedily taken away bits and pieces of the original deity. What remains now is said to be a very slender form which is masked by various decorative materials to make the statue appear in good shape.

Darshan tickets : Free darshan ( the longest queue ), Rs.10 and Rs.100 besides VIP passes. On weekends the crowds swell and hence the free / Rs.10 queues are very long. It could take a few hours to reach the sanctum sanctorum only to get pushed within a few seconds by the temple security guards.

Abishekham : Lord Muruga is said to be an Abisheka-priya and hence everyday special Panchamirtham abishekham is offered to the deity and then packed and sold to the devotees as prasad. The panchamrit is believed to cure various ailments.The Palani Panchamirtham is perhaps as famous as the Laddus offered in Tirupathi. A visit to Palani cannot be complete without tasting this divine nectar .Panchamirtham is made by mixing ripe bananas, honey, sugar candies , ghee and dates. The taste is simply out of the world. It is available in bottles for Rs.25 each or tin cans of Rs.30 each.
Prasadham : Other items in prasad include Laddu ( very yummy ), sweetened thinai poweder ( a kind of millet grown in hilly regions), murukku etc.

Bogar Samadhi & Pulipani Ashram: There is a shrine for Boganathar inside the temple premises. The Maragadhalingam (Shiva linga made of Jade) and statue of Goddess Bhuvaneshwari originally believed to have been with Boganathar is still kept in this shrine. It is said that there is a underground tunnel from this shrine leading to a little under the sanctum sanctorum. Sage Boganathar is said to have entered this tunnel and attained Mahasamadhi and is believed to be the power behind this Muruga temple. Lord Muruga is the Lord of all the Siddhars and the originator of the Siddha Yoga tradition. Sage Boganathar is still beleived to exist in astral form in this sacred shrine to add power to the temple and also to oversee several siddhars who even now live around this hill. The Bogar shrine alone is not under the control of the temple devasthanam. Instead it is under the control and maintenance of the Pulipani Ashram which is just next to the Pada Vinayagar Temple at the foothill. Sage Pulipani was a direct disciple of Boganathar and to this day the Pulipani Ashram is headed by his descendants. The Bogar shrine is an excellent place for meditation. One can meditate just outside the shrine and despite the crowds and noise, one can easily slip into a meditative state because the vibes are just too strong.

View from hilltop : From the hilltop we get breathtaking views of the plains below and the western ghats wherein is the famous Kodaikanal. Even the congested town looks great from the hill.

Girivalam ( circumambulation of the hill ) - It takes just about 30 minutes to walk around the hill. The Girivalam path is fully concrete. In most places, it is very scenic - lots of trees in the hill and there are lots of temples around the hill as well. Walking around the hill and climbing the hill by foot are supposed to be good for our health mainly because of the medicinal plants in that area. The wind carries the goodness of these herbs to us and as we inhale we benefit from them. But as of now, I am not sure how many herbs are left in the hill and with so many vehicles moving about, there is only more pollution . But if our mind is fixed on the Lord, it is fun to spend as much time in and around the hill. I burst into laughter on seeing a roadside eatery proudly display score of neatly stacked pooris right next to the road . For their typical customers ( mostly villagers), that would be an irrestible sight but I didnot want to risk tasting all the dust on the pooris !

Photos below - Idumban Hill , View of Palani Temple from the foothill & those deceivingly yummy pooris !

Despite rampant commercialisation of Palani ( like any other pilgrim centre), the thronging crowds and the noise, I still want to go back there as many times as the Lord would permit me - not for just the nectarine Panchamritham but also to soak into the nectarine beauty of Lord Muruga and His love and blessings !!

source: http://blue-throat.sulekha.com/blog/post/2010/09/irrestible-attraction-of-palani-lord-muruga.htm