Palani Murugan Temple History and Legends

Written by , Dekho Dham. Facts are checked against official temple, government and scripture sources. How we source information

Written by , Dekho Dham. Facts are checked against the sources listed at the end of this page. How we source information

History, Legends and Scripture

इतिहास, कथाएँ और शास्त्र

Page 2 of 7. Last verified 18 October 2026

Palani's story comes from Tamil tradition and Sangam literature. This page keeps what the sources say apart from what devotees believe, and it says where we could not check a claim.

This is page 2 of our Palani series. Start with the Palani Murugan Temple complete guide if you are new here.

Quick answer: Tradition says Murugan came to Palani as a hermit after a contest with his brother Ganesha. The Sangam text Tirumurugatrupadai names the place Thiruvavinankudi. Siddhar Bogar is credited with the Navapashanam idol. We found no Veda or Purana verse for Palani, so we quote no Sanskrit shloka.

Last verified: 18 October 2026. Timings, rules and facilities can change. Please confirm with the temple office or the official HR&CE portal before you travel.

Golden vimanam of the Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple at Palani
The gold-plated tower over the hill temple. Photo: Arulraja, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Legend of the Fruit

फल की कथा

Wikipedia tells the story this way. Shiva's two sons raced around the world for a fruit of knowledge, the gnana-palam. Ganesha went around his parents and won. Murugan felt cheated, left Kailasha and settled as a hermit in the Palani hills. Many people retell this with a mango. Our source says fruit of knowledge, so we use that.

Idumban and the Two Hills

इदुम्बन और दो पर्वत

Wikipedia says the sage Agastya had Idumban carry two hills, Sivagiri and Sakthigiri, from Kailasha to the south. Idumban rested, could not lift one hill again, and lost a fight with a young man, who was Murugan. The hill stayed at Palani. The Idumban shrine stands halfway up the hill, and pilgrims bow there before the main temple. The kavadi tradition is linked to this story.

Bogar and the Navapashanam Idol

बोगर और नवपाषाण मूर्ति

Tradition credits the Siddha Bogar with making the main idol from nine substances, called Navapashanam, and setting it up. The temple's own portal says the hill shrine was established by Bogar Siddhar. A Bogar shrine stands in the south-west corridor. Wikipedia adds a local belief that a tunnel connects it to a cave where he still meditates. These are beliefs, and we could not check them.

Wikipedia also says the idol was once neglected and overgrown, and that a Chera king was told in a dream to restore it and built a temple on the hillock.

What the Old Texts Say

प्राचीन ग्रंथ

Text or sourceWhat it says about this placeOur note
Tirumurugatrupadai (Sangam)Mentions the place as Thiruvavinankudi, the temple near the foot of the hill. The official portal says Nakkeerar does not mention the hill temple itselfFrom Wikipedia and the official portal. We did not read the verse itself
AkananuruNames the place Pothini, ruled by the Velir chief Neduvel AviFrom Wikipedia. The official portal also says the Sangam name was Pothini
PurananuruCalls the region Vaikavurnadu, ruled by Kopperum PekanFrom Wikipedia
Thirupugazh of ArunagirinatharA 15th century poet. His hymns glorify Murugan hereFrom Wikipedia
Vijayanagara inscriptionsThe official portal says inscriptions of Vijayanagara kings, including Krishnadevaraya, are found in the templeFrom the official portal
Wikipedia: Six Abodes of MuruganLists Thiruvavinankudi (Palani) among the six, at the foot of a hillockSee the next section

A note on scripture: Palani's legend is told in Tamil tradition and the local sthala purana. We did not find it in a Veda or Purana verse we could read and check, so this page quotes no Sanskrit shloka. The Sangam text Tirumurugatrupadai is attributed to Nakkeerar. Wikipedia places its composition at Thiruparankundram, another of the Six Abodes.

Hill Temple or Foot Temple?

पहाड़ी या तलहटी का मंदिर

This is easy to miss. Wikipedia's page on Palani describes Thiruvavinankudi as a Murugan temple near the foot of the hill, also called Kulandai Velayudhaswami Thirukkovil. The Six Abodes table puts the Sangam name Thiruvavinankudi at the foot of a hillock. The famous hill shrine is the Dhandayuthapani temple. Many pilgrims visit both. See Page 5.

The hill of Palani seen from the town
The Palani hill with the temple on top, seen from below. Photo: Thiagupillai, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Panchamirtham Prasad

पंचामृत प्रसाद

Panchamirtham is the temple's famous prasad. Wikipedia lists ingredients such as banana, honey, ghee, jaggery, cardamom, dates and sugar candy. The Commerce Ministry gave it a Geographical Indication tag and said it was the first time a Tamil Nadu temple prasadam received one, as reported by Onmanorama. It is also the temple's biggest earner: DT Next says Panchamirtham brought in Rs 63.16 crore in the latest financial year.

Age of the Temple

मंदिर की प्राचीनता

Wikipedia says the Cheras built the temple between the 2nd and 5th centuries CE, and that Cholas, Pandyas, Vijayanagara rulers and Madurai Nayaks later expanded it. We did not see an inscription or an official history that gives these early dates, so treat them as reported. The sanctum is described as early Dravidian, with a Pandyan-style covered walkway and a gold-plated vimanam.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers

Why did Murugan come to Palani?
Tradition says he left Kailasha after the fruit contest with Ganesha and became a hermit here, per Wikipedia.
Who made the Palani idol?
Tradition credits the Siddha Bogar, using nine substances called Navapashanam.
Who is Idumban?
In the legend, the man who carried the two hills for Agastya. His shrine is halfway up the hill.
Is there a Sanskrit shloka for Palani?
We did not find one in a Veda or Purana we could read, so we quote none.
Which Sangam text mentions Palani?
Tirumurugatrupadai names the place Thiruvavinankudi, per Wikipedia.
How old is the temple?
Wikipedia says the Cheras built it in the 2nd to 5th centuries CE. We could not confirm this.
What is Panchamirtham?
The temple's prasad, made from a mix of sweet ingredients. It has a GI tag.

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