5/5 Santhosh M. 5 months ago on Google
Atop
a
hill
covered
with
lush
greenery
and
dense
forests
lies
one
of
the
six
divine
abodes
of
Lord
Muruga,
The
Pazhamudircholai
Murugan.
Also
known
as
Solaimalai
Murugan
Temple,
It
is
Twenty-five
kilometers
to
the
north
of
Madurai,
India,
and
stands
only
two
and
a
half
kilometers
away
from
the
Vishnu
temple
of
Azhagar
Kovil.
It
is
said
that
the
Azhagar
Kovil
was
the
original
home
to
the
main
deity
of
this
temple,
and
the
deity
was
later
relocated
to
Pazhamudircholai
during
Thirumalai
Nayak’s
rule
in
Madurai.
For
ages,
the
Vel,
which
is
the
weapon
of
Lord
Muruga’s
primary
weapon
Vel(an
ancient
spear),
which
was
crafted
and
handed
over
to
Lord
Muruga
by
goddess
Parvati
is
worshipped
as
the
presiding
deity
in
the
shrine.
As
per
the
Hindu
mythology,
Lord
Murugan
split
the
demon
king
Surapadman
in
half
with
the
Vel
during
their
vicious
battle.
Being
the
only
temple
amongst
the
six
holy
abodes
where
Lord
Murugan
blesses
his
devotees
along
with
both
his
consorts,
he
stands
along
with
Goddess
Valli
and
Devayani.
The
famous
Tamil
poet
Nakkeerarm
mentioned
Solaimalai
in
his
Tamil
Poem
Tirumurukaatruppadai.
Though
it
is
sixth
among
the
Arupadaiveedugal(the
six
abodes),
in
terms
of
visitors,
it
still
attracts
plenty
of
devotees
all
over
the
world
with
its
soothing
charm
and
the
lush
green
flora-fauna
that
surround
the
temple.
History
Behind
the
Temple
The
foundation
of
the
main
temple
was
laid
by
Cheaman
Perumal,
a
ruler
of
Kerala
in
the
7th
Century
AD.
Though
the
temple
dates
back
to
more
than
a
millennium,
the
temple
as
in
existence
today
was
constructed
in
recent
memory.
In
ancient
times,
only
the
Vel
was
worshipped
as
the
main
deity.
Earlier,
only
a
stone
carved
Vel,
the
spear
of
Lord
Muruga,
was
kept
in
Pazhamudircholai.
Later
on,
a
wood
idol
of
Muruga
standing
with
his
consorts,
Valli
and
Deivanai
were
added.
Avvaiyar
was
a
renowned
and
legendary
Tamil
poetess
and
a
name
behind
one
of
the
most
famous
and
appreciated
works
ever
written
in
Hindu
folklore.
Her
exceptional
vocabulary
and
dexterity
in
the
language
made
her
works
stand
apart,
in
the
list
of
even
the
greatest
of
the
poets.
This
had
started
to
make
her
audacious
over
her
abilities.
According
to
the
pages
drenched
in
the
antiquity
of
the
Hindu
folklore,
Lord
Murugan
who
was
well-versed
with
his
devotee
wanted
to
teach
her
a
lesson
and
took
the
shape
of
a
ten-year-old
boy
in
here
in
Solaimalai.
After
having
achieved
everything
in
her
life,
Avviayar
was
resting
under
a
Naaval
tree,
trying
to
figure
out
what
lied
next
for
her.
A
small
boy
appeared
out
of
nowhere
and
stood
on
the
tree.
The
boy
asked
Avviayar
if
she
would
like
some
fruits.
Driven
by
hunger
and
thirst,
she
agreed
instantly.
The
boy
asked
if
she
wanted
a
hot
fruit
or
a
cold
one,
which
confused
Avviayar
but
was
tired
to
argue
and
opted
for
the
cold
one.
Smilingly,
the
boy
shook
the
tree,
as
many
fruits
fell,
all
of
which
were
collected
by
her.
The
fruits
were
coated
with
the
sand,
so
Avviayar
blew
them
to
remove
it.
The
boy
asked
innocently,
why
was
she
trying
to
cool
down
the
fruit
blowing,
which
was
already
cold.
This
incident
left
Avviayar
humbled
by
the
clever
wordplay
and
the
poetic
knowledge
of
the
little
boy.
However,
She
was
skeptical
of
the
boy’s
true
identity
which
was
revealed
to
her
as
Lord
Murugan
himself.
She
bowed
to
the
almighty
and
requested
him
to
bestow
her
with
his
bountiful
knowledge,
for
she
had
realized
the
power
of
infinite
learning.
She
sought
Lord
Murugan’s
blessings
and
embarked
on
her
quest
for
endless
knowledge.
The
Story
of
Muruga
Lord
Muruga,
is
considered
as
the
chief
deity
by
many
Tamils
all
over
the
world.
His
story
is
even
elaborated
in
the
largest
Mahapurana
called
Skanda
Purana.
Muruga,
also
known
as
Skanda
or
Kartikeya
and
is
considered
the
god
of
love
and
war.
Legend
says
that
the
celestial
gods
asked
Lord
Vishnu
for
help
after
being
tortured
and
tormented
by
the
demon
King
Surapadman.
He
assigned
Kamadeva
to
awake
Lord
Shiva
from
the
state
of
deep
tapas.
This
led
to
the
birth
of
Lord
Murugan
with
the
sole
purpose
of
finishing
Surapadman
and
putting
an
end
