On a hill rising above the plains at Palani in Tamil Nadu stands the Dhandayuthapani temple, one of the Arupadai Veedu — the six sacred abodes of Lord Murugan sung in the classical Tamil poem Thirumurugatruppadai. Here Murugan is worshipped as a renunciate, clad simply and bearing a staff (danda), having withdrawn in a famous episode: when Shiva offered the fruit of wisdom to whichever son could first circle the world, Murugan set off on his peacock while Ganesha merely circled his parents and won the fruit — and Murugan, in pique, retired to this hill as an ascetic.
The hilltop idol is revered as a marvel, fashioned by the siddha Bogar from nava-pashanam, nine medicinal minerals, so that even the water of its abhishekam is held to heal. Reached by steps, a winding road, or a funicular, Palani is among the most visited of all Murugan shrines, thronged especially during Thaipusam.
