A forest shrine, and a god who played a riddle on a poet.
- Deity
- Murugan with Valli and Deivanai
- Where
- Pazhamudircholai பழமுதிர்சோலை
- Known as
- The sixth of the Arupadai Veedu
- Oldest record
- Ancient
௧ The legend
Roasted fruit or not
The great poet Avvaiyar, tired on the road, rested under a jambu tree. A cowherd boy sat in its branches and asked if she wanted fruit: roasted, or unroasted?
Puzzled, she asked for roasted. He shook the branch, and the fruit fell into the dust. As she blew the dust off, he laughed: is it hot, grandmother? The boy was Murugan, teaching the wisest woman in the land that she still had something to learn.
As the story is told at the temple. Legends vary in the telling.
௨ Across the centuries
Built by many hands, tier upon tier
Ancient
The abodes
Named among the six abodes in the Thirumurugatrupadai.
௩ What to look for
When you stand inside
The forest
Thick woods on the hill above the Alagar Kovil temple.
Nupura Gangai
A spring further up the hill where pilgrims bathe.
௪ The temple’s year
The festivals that fill it
- சித்திரைChithiraiApr–May
- வைகாசிVaikasiMay–Jun
- ஆனிAaniJun–Jul
- ஆடிAadiJul–Aug
- ஆவணிAavaniAug–Sep
- புரட்டாசிPurattasiSep–Oct
- ஐப்பசிAippasiOct–Nov
- கார்த்திகைKarthigaiNov–Dec
- மார்கழிMargazhiDec–Jan
- தைThaiJan–Feb
- மாசிMaasiFeb–Mar
- பங்குனிPanguniMar–Apr
Aippasi Oct–Nov
Skanda Sashti
Six days of worship.
Festival dates follow the temple’s own calendar and change each year. We confirm them before you travel.
௫ Going there
Journeys that bring you here
- Most Tamil Nadu temples close around midday and reopen in the late afternoon. Each day keeps temples for the morning and evening and puts the road in between.
- Dress traditionally and modestly. Footwear is left outside every temple.
- Darshan arrangements differ from temple to temple and can change on festival days. We confirm what is possible at each one before you travel.
To stand here yourself, with the car, the stay, the guide and the darshan arranged, ask us to plan your journey. We call you back and listen first.
Draft Legends and history are retold from widely published sources and await review. Timings, dress code and special-entry arrangements are published once each fact has a source and a review date.