The Miracles of Shivan in Sri Palanimalai Murugan Temple

Vanakkam. After a very long gap in writing this. This topic has been lingering in my mind for quite some time but i didn't get the proper time to sit and type it. Today i have got the green light from the Paramporul, Aathi Antham Illa Arut Perum Jothi. Today Sankatahara Chaturthi day I'm writing it. Many people who have visited the temple recently have asked me why include several new sannithis to the temple. There are some things which cannot be explained by mere words. As something can be told some,

things you have to experience first hand. Such as Gods Divine Grace. The then temple committee decided to renovate the temple according to Saivaagama Sastra sometime back in 2006. I invited my Gurunathar Mayiladuthurai Sivasri A.V. Swaminatha Sivachariyar to the temple and we had a meeting to decide what changes to be made in the new temple according to Saivaagama. Particularly one Upaagama which is called Kumara Tantram. Kumara Tantram is part of Lalitha Aagamam, One of the 28 Saivaagamam. So the meeting took place as planned and it was decided Vinayagar Sannithi to be put in the Isana Corner behind the Moolastanam as the temple is facing east. Then among the people who came that day for the meeting said he will agree to sponsor the sannithi which was estimated to be RM 25,000. Which he later declined. ( Agreed publicly in front of VIPs, and slowly declined in private) The same VInayagar Sannithi was later donated by a GENEROUS man who was in his dead bed. (GOD BLESS HIS SOUL) So it was decided to build the Vinayagar Sannithi in the Esana corner of the temple. Hence with that i had to go to India. In India i always go to Kerala to spent some time with my friends and visit temples. There i had a chance to go to a astrologer who can predict and tell certain things. I went there and he immediately told me "Murugan is with you, You don't need to see me". his exact word as i step into his home. How does he know i Love and serve Murugan??? Even after he said that i just wanted to know some important issues which i cant reveal till the Kumbabishegam. :p We sat down for a DevaPrasnam. A very ancient form of fortune and future prediction telling. He sat there with is choli(small sea shells) and drew the chart and threw the shells. First time he threw he prayed. Second time and third time he asked me what is the main deity in the Moolastanam of the temple. I replied Murugan. He threw the shells again and asked me the same question. For which i answered Murugan. He insisted NO. Again he asked me the same question to which i said MURUGAN. This time he told me that there is a Bigger Swami inside the Moolastanam, to which i said yes the Murugan statue is 3 feet in height. He insisted No and asked me whether if there are other statues or deities there. Then only i realised his question and what he is asking. I replied the Utsavar Sri Valli Deivasena Sametha Murugan, Vinagayar, Thandayuthapani, Annapoorani and some more small statues which was place on a stool behind the Moolavar at that time. Then to that he said not all that. At this time i got more confused. Again he told me there is a BIGGER SWAMI there. I told him the only BIG swami there is the Moolavar( Murugan) himself. Then i placed a small aimpon sivalingam at the foot of the Moolavar when i was young. To celebrated Shivaratri and do siva pooja. (Aariyaathe Vayasu) To that he said "YES that's the Swami I'm talking about" He asked me to draw the Moolastanam and point where all the Swamis were kept. So I drew it and pointed out to him. He immediately told me that the small sivalinga statue is sitting right on siva stanam which is the exact center of the Moolastanam. The old Moolastanam was built by a local stabathy in the year 1954. According to Saivaagamam a square Moolastanam from the center point to the back wall, there is a certain deities put in certain points. Exact center point is for Shivan and Shivan alone. And the stabathy who built the temple placed Murugan in the center. Which later years when i put the Shivan there HE sat in HIS place. So the Astrologer asked where am i going to place the Shivalingam in the new temple. I said in the Vasantha Mandabam. To this he said no it will bring Siva Abaratham( Punishment). In return I asked him what to do and he said give the swami a stanam(place) in the temple. I got confused as there is no place in the temple to place a sannithi for Shivan. He told me never put the Shivalingam Aside as it will bring bad circumstances. With that i left his place. On my way back was thinking what to do. I consulted my Guru again regarding this matter and he suggested that the esana moolai sannithi to be made Shivan sannithi and Vinayagar moved to the entrance of the Moolastanam. And there was no other place shivan can be kept in the temple due to place scarcity. It was only then the Esana Mulai Sannithi became Shivan Sannithi. Now the question was raised what statue to put in the sannithi. Then i wanted to put a Self Manifested Moorthy (Bana Lingam). What is a Banalingam? Banalingam is a self manifested roopa of Lord Shiva. It is not made by any human hands. Aagama says there are several types of Lingams said in the scripture i.e. Svayambu lingam(self manifested), Arsha Lingam( Worshiped by Sages), Manusha Lingam ( Worshipped by Human)Among this Banalingam is said to be the Best for worship. Sarveshamapi Linganam,Bana Lingam Visishyathe --( Uttara Kamikaagamam 36.6) Worshiping this one Banalingam is equivalent of worshiping ten million other Lingams. Kamikaagamam states that the demon Banasuran was given fourteen crores ( one crore is 10 Million- do the maths) of linagam for his worship. Bano Namsurah Proktassa cha Siddhyartha Madarat! Prarthayamasa Pujartham Lingani Vividhani Cha !! Dattavalingakotinam Chaturdasa Maheswaraha !! Having worshiped all these Lingams Banasuran abandoned them at various places. There are many places where one can find these lingams such as Srinagaram, Kanyakasramam, Nepal, Mahendram, several rivers, several mountains/caves etc. Large number of these Lingams can be found in the river Narmada. The Lingam obtained from the river Narmada are said to be the holiest as per Yagnavalkya Samhitha, As these are the every form of Shiva assumed by the Lord on Banasurans request. Aagamam stresses that Lord Shiva is Omnipresent in Bana Lingam and it doesn't need to invoke His presence as normally done is pratistha by humans.Even if there is no pooja done Lord Shivan is said to reside in a Bana Lingam. I immediately started to find out where to get a Bana lingam which is 1 feet in height. To my disappointment all people i asked said it is very difficult of get a good one. To add to my disappointment even the Pontiff of Thiruvavaduthurai Aathenam The 23th Gurumamaha Sannithanam said even he finds it difficult to get. But assured me he will get one for me for the temple. Later Ejaman swamigal who had this particular Bana Lingam for long time came to know that i was finding a Bana Lingam gave the Lingam to me through my Gurunathar. It was parcelled from Kasi Madam to Kumbakonam and from Kumbakonam it was given to my Guru. My guru kept it in his altar and offered prayers everyday and special abishegams on pradoshams. When i went to India in December 2013 i brought back this Lingam with me. In India i saw the lingam had lots of bruises as it is how the lingam was found in the Narmada River. I gave it to my Stabathiyar who hand polished it to perfection. It had a glittering honey colour (Gomethagam). And there was one stop where he polished several times and that part stayed rough. He couldn't do anything and gave me the Lingam. I took it in my hands and took a look at it. it had the mark right on the forehead just as the third eye ( Netri Kann). So i realised He wants to be like that. The Banalingam now is in daily pooja in the temple and it will be installed as Sri Amirthagadeswarar together with Sri Abirami Amman who is carved in green granite in the new temple. The sannithi of Shivan is very uniquely built with artistic carving, embedded rudraksham, Gostha moorthys and Rudraksha mandabam. With the Blessing of Sri Abirami Ambigai Sametha Sri Amirthagadeswarar let all people be ever youthful without any sickness or diseases. As he granted the wish to his devotee Markandeya Munivar to be ever youthful (Endrum 16). Aasirvath

2 Thandayuthapanis of Sri Palanimalai Murugan Temple

Temiang Sri Palanimalai Murugan Temple is a unique temple where there is 2 statues of Thandayuthapani. As i have written before this temple was build by Samyammah in the year 1954. But prior to that the temple was a small wooden shrine and it is there she goes on trance and narrates things that is going to happen to her devotees and well wishes, and the place where she cures illness. And at that time there was only a Vel installed in the shrine. One Chetiar came to Malaysia on a business trip visited the temple as he had some major problems in his business back home in India. He heard about Samyammah's powers to solve various problems through he Arul Vaaku and with her bakthi towards Palanimalai Murugan.



One day he came to the temple and there he met Samyammah. Before he could tell her what he is there for Samyamah called him forward and told him some things which he stood dumbfounded on hearing what she was telling as every word was true. And then she told him to do something back home in India. After the prayers had concluded the Cheatiar wanted to do something for the temple. That's when he told that since this is Palanimalai Murugan Temple with only a Vel installed he will send the proper" Karunggal" Granite statue of Palanimalai Murugan( Thandayuthpaani). After saying this he left for India. The problems the Cheatiar faced all was cleared once he went back to India and his business flourished just as what Samyammah said to him here. He custom made a statue exact replica of the Palani Moolavar which was made out of Navapaashanam by Saint Bhogar in emerald colored black granite. He wrote to Samyammah regarding the statue and he told her that he will ship it to the temple. ( Those days there where no aeroplanes transporting goods between India and Malaya( Malaysia as it was know those days) . The Cheatiar sent the Murugan Statue together with his vehicle the Mayil Vahanam. Samyammah was overjoyed and she fixed a auspicious suitable date for the kumbabhishegam.Suitable date was fixed and when the time came near the statue which was sent form India didn't reach the temple. Samyammah got worried and she didn't want the kumbabishegam to take place without a statue. So with the help of her well wishers another Palanimalai Murugan statue ( smaller one) was brought to the temple and she completed the Kumbabishegam.

After several months of the kumbabishegam the original statue which was made for this temple arrived in a big wooden box well packed in vaikol pul together with his Mayil Vahanam statue. Samyammah with the advice of the Sivaacharyar from India installed the Murugan statue behind the moolastanam. She did this because many people wanted the statue for themselves as it was extremely beautiful with very fine carving and a life like look. She didn't want to offend the Cheatiar if one day he comes to the temple only to find the statue not there, she installed it behind. And the reason she didn't change the Moolavar at that time because kumbabishegam was just performed and the Gurukkal said "It's not nice to wake up a person from his leaf after the food has been served". What he meant was the statue had just seen a kumbabishegam and its not proper to change another statue to replace it's place in the moolastanam. Hence he was installed behind the Moolastanam and he was known as Pin Murugan. ( Murugan which is at the back). That is why our temple has 2 Thandayuthapaani statues.

Sri Palanimalai Murugan ( Putra Kamesthi Swamy )

Many people nowadays don't believe in certain things but there are some miracles which you cant push aside even in this 21st century-time. Our temple's Murugan is know to be Putrakamesthi Moorthy ( the Lord who blesses with child). I may sound ridiculous but with true devotion bakthi you will get what you desire. As i have written earlier this temple was founded by Samyammah. She goes into trance and says things which comes true 100%. Putrakamesthi Child giving Murugan as i call him. Those days Samyammah has pray to this Murugan for children to childless people. Mainly son to son less people. There is a lot of stories associated with child miracle. I ll try to list a few as i feel i need to write this because nowadays i see and hear a lot of married couple crying in the dark as they are childless. Being a Indian is the worst. After few months of marriage the 1st question friends and relations ask is "veethule ethum visheshama" ( Any good news ? ) meaning are u pregnant in layman's term.

In Samyamah's time there was a Cheatiar couple who came from India for a business trip to then Malaya. They were a childless couple. When they came to Seremban the Aachi ( Cheatiar's wife as they are called ) became very ill and needed medical attention. She was then taken to the Hospital and a English doctor ( Velaikaran) examined her. Upon examining her the doctor told the Cheatiar that there is a growth in her stomach and it needs to be removed or it will become septic and dangerously end her life. The Chetiar got very worried and wanted to go on with the operation but the aachi was very scared of operation and hospitals. So they decided to go back to India and continue medication there. They came back to the kittingi and told their friends about the medical problem. At once another Chetiar told the couple about Samyammah and Palanimalai Murugan Temple. The next day the couple came to temple and at that time samyammah was in trance and called them forward. They were quite taken back as thats the first time they are coming and they have been called. Those days didn't have the number calling system as they do now( And they charge a hefty amount to now). The couple then fell on her feet and she immediately told them to return to their homeland. Before the Cheatiar could question her she said it is not a normal growth but a growth which is going to continue your lineage. She added that the growth is a baby boy. The couple was so shocked they couldn't ask anything more as the are too longing for a child, what some-more its a Boy. She told them to name him with murugan's name ( he was named Palaniappan ). The couple returned back to India and as per Samyammah's word a baby boy was born. The baby boy that was born is now about 50+ years old and visited the temple sometime back. Na dhe is the one who narrated this story to me. There are many incidents more which happened those days. A couple who had only daughters came and prayed to Palanimalai Murugan and they was blessed with a boy. They still live in PJ. There are many people who got child after praying to this Murugan.

Even now after i finished my studies a couple from Temiang came to pray. After a long time the lady asked me whether i can do a homam in the house. So i asked what homam they wanted to do. She replied any homam as she wants a child. I immediately told her that im no samiyar who can bless people with child. I told her to take Shasthi Vratham for Palanimalai Murugan and she will surely get a child. Not knowing of her condition. She was told by medical doctors that she cannot conceive a child and was told to adopt. Which the couple has done by adopting a baby girl and that girl was about 11 years old at that time.I stood by my word and told her to do shasthi pooja. She did the pooja so devotion-ally she was blessed with a SON. The couple then brought their son to temple and asked me to name the baby and they insisted it to be Murugan's name. I named him Balamurugan. The family still comes to temple like most of the families who got their TREASURE through Murugan. A Chinese friend of mine was married for 5 years and he didnt have a child. He too prayed during shasthi where he drives from kl on shasthi days. He was blessed with a daughter after doing 4 shasthi poojas.

It is your believe in HIM and devotion which will help you get what you want.

Sri Palanimalai Murugan Temple

Started as a small temple on the hill which was called Rocky Temple. It was called such as the whole hill was full of rocks and there was a Chinese Temple on its peak build in and on natural rocks. Sri Palanimalai Murugan Temple or commonly known as Samyammah Temple was established by Samyammah. Who goes in trance and envisioned a lot of things for her devotees. All her predictions comes true and for the sick people who visits her she gives them viboothi with some herbs and they will get cured even when medical doctors says their sickness can't be cured. She went house to house giving her devottees her blessings and collecting money to build a decent temple for her LORD PALANIMALAI MURUGAN( which in that time was a Vel). With the money she collected and with the help of some devotees she managed to build a small hut for her MURUGAN(vel). All this took place prior to 1954. In 1966 the land which the temple is sitting was gazetted by the State Government of Negeri Sembilan as a Hindu Temple. It was the first temple and i believe the only temple gazetted as a Hindu Temple in Negeri Sembilan as the rest are having titles. In 1966 when the temple was fully build with concrete pillars and slab it was officially opened by His Holiness Swami Chiddanatha Saraswathy. The temple performed all its daily pooja and kumbabishgem as per saivaagama rules. Samyammah past away in 1986 and temple the temple management to her brother and his family as there were no committee to run the day to day affair. 1997 When the brother of Samyammah found it difficult to run the temple due to old age he then gave over the management of the temple to the Negeri Sembilan Hindu Sangam State Council which was headed by Sri Bathumalai. All this while i was a small boy doing everything in the temple form plucking flowers to making garlands, sweeping, washing, doing the nitya poojas etc. Mr. Bathumalai after taking over the management gave me the opportunity to form a management for the committee from the Temiang people. With the Grace of Palanimalai Murugan i invited some trustworthy people whom i have known for some time to be part of the management committee. This people did a very good service by rendering their never ending support to run the temple. I served a the Treasurer of the temple till the day i left to India to study. Before i left i drafted the Temple Registration documents to the Registrar of Societies and submitted. Even when i finished my 5 year studies the registration was not done. I had to go to the Registrar Office in Putrajaya to meet the Pengarah. I fired the pengarah for sitting on my file for 5 years when all the documents were in tact. She assured me in 14 days the temple will be registered and the copy to be sent to Seremban office. As she promised the temple was officially registered under the Registrar of Societies in 10 days. The first AGM was held and since then the Agm reports and accounts are being submitted every year to the department.

Even when the temple was handed over to Hindu Sangam in 1997 temple temple was in bad shape as the temple ceiling was leaking in several places, small landslides and mainly the Moolastanam leaks in every heavy rain. I always dream to build a nice temple for HIM seeing him getting wet in the leak. And when i was small i had the habit a asking Murugan permission ( Poo katthuthal ) to change the Moolavar as the temple had 2 Murugan. Why 2 Murugan? ( i ll tell later) Always the answer was YES. What did i ask? I asked for the back Murugan( he was known as pin Murugan) to be made Moolavar and current Moolavar to be made Aathi Skandar. And not even once he said NO for the change.

Thirunyanasambanthar

Thirunayasambanthar is acclaimed as a child prodigy. Sekizhar has sung his glory in quatrains, 5024 lines in Periya Puranam. That alone cannot contain the Divinity of Sambanthar and his 16 brief years, when some other spiritual giants have taken a lot more years. He himself had sung several hundreds of Thevarams but only 384 are left. And from that we know fewer then that. This young saint was born in a place called Piramaapuram currently known as Sirkazhi near Chidambaram a place where all sins were believed to be wiped off, all wastes were washed off. This place is also know with several other names from Sambanthar time like Pugali, Sirkazhi, Brahmapuram, Kazhumalam, Kazhi and many more. He was born to devoted couple SivapaathaHrudayar and Bagavathy Ammaiyar. Sivapaatha Hrudayar means the man who has lodged the lotus feet of Lord Shiva in his heart. He was a Vedic Brahmin. Sambanthar was a loving and lovable child, who was treated as a treasure of God by his parents and rest of the family. He loved to hear Vedas and smiled readily at the mention of God's name even as a infant. He was doted as a child and all that love sowed divinity in the child's mind. One day, as a child of 3 years of age, he went with his father to Thoniappar Temple ( Thoniappar means the savior, who would see ashore the struggling souls from the sea of sufferings). Sambanthar's father seated him on the steps of the temple tank called BrahmaTeertham and went in for a dip. as father was busy with his ceremonial dip, the child prompted by its solitude and probably of its previous birth's associations, called out toward the temple "Ammaye Appa" (Mother, Father) with trembling lips , eyes filled with tears. Blessed as the child was, The cosmic Father and Mother immediately rushed to its call. The Father requested the Mother Umadevi to give the crying child the milk of Divine Knowledge ( Nyanapaal). As desired by Siva, Umadevi milked with love in to a golden cup and fed the child and embraced it with love, while Lord wiped his tears; words of wisdom, unknown to a normal child of 3 years, rolled out in good rhythm and tune from the toddler's mouth. When Sivapaathahrudayar stepped out of the water and saw his child, with milk trickling from his mouth, he was furious and quite anxious as to the nature of the milk. He questioned the child as to who offered the milk, concerned that it should not infect the child. The blessed child looked at the temple tower with twinkling eyes and answered in excellent rhyme and metre, that it was the Lord of Pirammapuram with a white crescent moon on his head, ashes all over his body, the cosmic Father with his consort who came on the Bull and it was the Divine Mother who fed him with the milk. Sang the child" He who provides Absolute Joy, has stolen My heart." ( Thodudaya Seviyan).
Even as the father was stupefied, savants gathered around them. Priests led him into the temple with all honours due to the God. At the sanctum sanctorum( Moolastanam ) of Lord Thoniappar. the God of Sirkazhi, he sang a few more quatrains to the pleasure of the public gathered around. The learned scholars praised the child as a child prodigy and gift of god. His name and fame spread far and wide. All Siva devotees cheered at the advert of the precious child as the messenger of God. After visiting some neighboring temples, the father dutifully carried Sambanthar to Thirukolakka near Sirkazhi, where he sang Thevarams, beating time( thalam ) with his hands. Sambanthar's hands became red as the child was clapping his hands. Ambal gave her child a pair of gold cymbals inscribe with the mantra NAMASIVAYA. Sambanthar struck the golden cymbals only to find it did not produce sound. He prayed to the Goddess there and immediately the cymbals started to produce beautiful sound when Sambanthar struck it. The Ambal is know as Oosai Koduttha Nayagi. Thirunilakantha Yazhpanar played the Yazh ( a stringed instrument ) as an accompaniment and his wife with her sweet voice. They formed a chorus of melodious, musical creations filled with devotion, offering great spiritual enjoyment to the pub;ic. Sambanthar and his troupe crossed the Kollidam river and entered Chidambaram. At Chidambaram he was given a grand welcome and he treated the 3000 priests of the temple as Sivaganas, the followers of Lord Shiva. He sang a few more Thevarams on Lord Nadarajah at Chidambaram and went to Thiruvetkalam and to Puliyur, the birth place of Thirunilankanda Yazhpanar. After admiring the beauty of the reigning Lord at Pennagadagam, he walked on foot to Thiruaratturai. Since it was hot summer time Sambanthars foot were all red of heat burns. God appeared in the dreams of his devotees and dignitaries and the informed them of Sambanthars's arrival and directed them to bring the boy in His own palanquin ( Muthupandal ) with due temple honours. The God also appeared in Sambanthar's dream and asked him to accept all the honours and avail the palanquin service. Thus Sambanthar travelled from temple in state regalia. At Cheignalur, Sambanthar got down from his pearl palanquin and walked humbly, for it was the birth place of the great Chandesa Nayanar. Though the world treated him with great love and respect, as a boy of eight, he still was humble. The truly great always would readily appreciate others love and devotioooon. After visiting Thirupanandal and other places Sambanthar returned with his father to Sirkazhi.

How Kavadi Tradition Began

The Legend or Sthala Purana of Palani

Or How Kavadi Tradition Began

Sage Agastya wanted to take two hills—Sivagiri and Sakthigiri—to his abode in the South and commissioned his disciple Idumban to carry them. Idumban bore the hills slung across his shoulders, in the form of a kavadi one on either side. When he was fatigued, he placed the kavadi near Palani to take rest.

At this stage, Subrahmanya or Muruga had been outwitted in a contest for going round the world. Ganapati had won the prized fruit (pomegranate or mango) by simply going round His parents. Long after, this, Subrahmanya came sweating on His peacock to find that the prize had already been given away. In anger, the frustrated child left the divine parents and came down to Tiru Avinankudi at the Adivaram (pronounced Adivâram. It means foot of the Sivagiri Hill). Siva pacified Him by saying that He (Subrahmanya) Himself was the fruit (pazham) of all wisdom and knowledge; nee —you. Hence the place was called 'Pazham Nee' or Palani. Later, He withdrew to the hill and settled there as a recluse in peace and solitude.

When Idumban resumed his journey, he could not lift the hill. Muruga had made it impossible for Idumban to make it. In the fierce battle that ensued, Idumban was killed but was later on restored to life. Idumban prayed that:

1. whosoever carried on his shoulders the Kavadi, signifying the two hills and visited the temple on a vow, should be blessed and
2. he should be given the privilege of standing sentinel at the entrance to the hill.

Hence we have the Idumban shrine halfway up the hill where every pilgrim is expected to offer obeisance to Idumban before entering the temple of Dandâyudhapani. Since then, pilgrims to Palani bring their offerings on their shoulders in a kavadi. The custom has spread from Palani to all Muruga shrines worldwide.

Palanimalai Murugan

Palani Andavar icon: A scientific Analysis

M.S. Saravanan

Palani is the most sacred religious abode of Lord Dandâyudhapâni. Attracting people in large numbers regardless of their religious faiths and breaking language barriers, Palani has long been a powerful religious healing centre. A scholar thus remarked of Palani as having "a past steeped in antiquity, legend, mythology, epic battles, stories of great sages echoing the days gone by and in time honoured literature."

Put these together and you have Palani, the temple of Lord Dandâyudhapâni on Sivagiri Hill, a part of the Eastern Ghat range of hills in Tamil Nadu, located at an elevation of about 1500 feet above seal level.

From time immemorial the Palani temple has been sanctified by the penance of sages and siddhas, favoured by the patronage of kings and nobles and finally glorified by the enraptured songs in praise of Lord Dandâyudhapâni by Tamil poets. The vibrant spiritual atmosphere combined by the traditional rituals, helps to preserve the Hindu way of life without even the slightest sign of disturbance. The hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visiting this temple bears ample testimony.

Out of the six sacred bastions (Patai Vîtukal) of Lord Murukan, Lord Dandâyudhapâni at Palani represents the third stage of spiritual attainment, called the manipûrakam, the other stages of spiritual progress being:

Bastion of Lord Murukan	Stage of attainment
Palamutircolai	Âjña
Tiruttani	Vishudhi
Swâmimalai	Anâhata
Palani	Manipûra
Tiruccentûr	Svadisthâna
Tirupparankunram	Mûlâdhâra

The greatness of Palani Temple can be better understood from the immortal songs of the great Saint Arunagirinâthar: "My Lord, You sit on a Holy Hill which is superlative and exceeds even the spiritual glory of Kasi (Benares)."

According to Saiva Siddhanta, the path to enlightenment is divided naturally into four stages of the soul's evolutionary process. Carya (virute and selfless service); kriya (worshipful sâdhanas); yoga (meditation under a guru's guidance); and finally, jñâna, the wisdom state of a realized soul. For those who are striving for enlightenment, these stages may be understood as follows: carya, kriya, yoga and jñâna are the sequence of the soul's evolutionary process, much like the natural development of a butterfly from egg to larvae, from larvae to pupa, from pupa to caterpillar, and then the final metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly.

Lord Dandâyudhapâni at Palani represents jñâna, the final stage of the spiritual evolution of the soul. Jñâna is spiritual ecstasy, the fruit of wisdom (ñyânappalam). From a bud at the carya stage, through the other stages of blossom, raw fruit and then to the final stage of ripe fruit. With His majestic grace and magnetic charm, He appears in different forms to different people. For example, He appears as:

Kulantaivêl	to children
Bâlasubrahmanya	to youths
Sanmukar	to artists
Svâminâthar	to philosophers
the Consort of Valli and Teyvayânai	to householders; and
Palani Ântavar	to saints and sages.

For this reason, the presiding deity at Palani attracts people from all over the world. Even the orthodox Muslims make regular visits to the Palani temple and worship the Lord. For them, the Lord is known as Palani Bâdshah. Palani Ântavar lights the spiritual path by which the pilgrims walk through in search of their spiritual goal to attain self realisation.

The temple of Lord Dandâyudhapâni at Palani, is unique in several aspects. It also differs in many aspects from the other abodes of Lord Murukan.

Bhogar, using the nine different minerals, creates the Dandapâni vigraha and sanctifies it.

The basic, and the foremost factor is the presiding deity, known as the mûlavar. It is a normal practice to sculpt the idols for all Hindu temples in granite stone. The main reason to choose granite is it's tensile strength. But other than this enormous strength, only granite stone contains all the five elements of creation, namely the pañca bhûta-s. They are earth, water, fire, air and ether.

As an exception, in Palani the idol for the mûlavar or presiding deity is believed to be made out of an amalgam known as nava pâsanam. In Sanskrit the word nava has two meanings. Nava means both 'new' and also 'nine'. Similarly the word bhâsana also has two meanings. Bhâsana means 'poison' and may also mean 'mineral'.

The observations made by the researchers who delved into the ancient literature lends support to the theory that the siddha munivar Bhogar was the one who formulated this amalgamation of nava pâsanam. The idol for the presiding deity was sculpted out of this nava pâsanam. It is believed that this amalgam is a clever mixture of nine poisonous metals. By this amalgamation, the poisonous nature of all these metals was harnessed, hardened like granite and converted into a beneficial amalgam with medicinal and curative values. The idol for the presiding deity was subsequently carved out of this hardened amalgam.

To evolve such an unique amalgam reveals the alchemy expertise possessed by the siddha munivar Bhogar, the enormous spiritual heights achieved by him and the endless concern he had about the welfare of the followers devoted to Lord Murukan in future generations. The antecedent of this saint is seen from the very ancient literature. The bull god, Nandi Deva, is the supreme head of all siddhas. His main disciple was Tirumoolar amongst the total of seven. The seventh disciple is Kâlângi Kañjamalaiyan who in turn had five disciples. Kâlângi Kañjamalaiyan's disciple was the siddha munivar Bhoga. The genealogy is given below:

Nandi Teyvan
Tiru Mûlar >	Malangan
	Indra
	Soma
	Brahma
	Rudra
	Kanturu
Kalangi Kañjamalaiyan >	Agorar
	Malikai Devar
	Nandandar
	Paramanandar
	Bhoga Devar

All these facts about Bhogar, the creator of the unique idol for Palani Andavar are found in the hymns of Tirumûlar called Tirumantiram. Tirumûlar is the pillar of Saiva Siddhanta who showed the right path for spiritual evolution of souls by self realisation, a process for our soul to merge with the Ultimate.

Golden Vimanam (at left) and Raja Gopuram, Palani

After cleverly compounding the amalgam, Bhogar chose to sculpt the figure of Lord Murukan in an unconventional style. Normally, in all the temples of Lord Murukan, the deity is sculpted with a splendour of beauty and an expression of charming adolescence. The idols always faced east. In contrast, the idol at Palani temple is quite slim with a saintly expression facing westwards with a shaven head, clad in a saffron loin cloth and holding his baton staff called the dandâyudham. The recluse and renunciation brought out in the idol's expression, clearly flashes the message, "I am the Fruit of Wisdom".

It is astonishing to note that this cleverly composed and delicately sculpted figure of the Lord has stood the effects of devotees pouring their love and devotion in the form of abhishekams. About 6-700 abhishekams are performed every month on kiruttikai days. This delicate idol has withstood all this miraculously and beyond human explanation.

Nevertheless, a close examination of the idol will disturb anyone. For the region below the neck, the idol has lost its proportionate shape. The hands and feet are totally eroded by the corrosive action of the abhishekam materials. The region below the knees has become very thin and slender and now the legs look like polio affected legs, thin like two steel rods resting on a pedestal.

The body region is not only eroded but appear rugged, with uneven surface and with sharp angular edges. During abhishekam, the archakas are not able to smear and rub oil on the idol, fearing possible cuts from its sharp and rugged surface. At one stage, people thought that the idol would soon buckle and fall for lack of support for the eroded legs.

The devotees and the public became concerned about such a condition of the idol of the presiding deity. Several representations were sent to the Tamil Nadu State Government. Realising the seriousness of the situation, the Government took up the issue during the year 1983-84 and started considering various possibilities to ensure that the valuable idol would be preserved without any further damage at the powerful temple at Palani.

The Government at one stage considered the possibility of replacing it with a new idol. At this point, the real problem cropped up. There is a code laid down by the agamas that every twelve years a temple should be renovated. On completing the renovation, a kumbabishekam (consecration) of the temple should be performed. But this has never involved the replacement of the idol. This was never done and there was no precedent.

The replacement idea never occurred even in temples where the idol is sculpted out of granite. In such cases, the idol is temporarily moved to another location in the temple complex. The idol is re-installed in it's original location with new astabandhanam (an adhesive material made out of herbs and made into a paste by mixing with butter).

At Palani, the scenario is totally different. The strong belief is based on the tradition that the idol of the presiding deity is made out of a unique amalgam formulated by Bhogar with his divine power and futuristic thoughts reflecting his concern for future generations. The amalgam is widely believed to have medicinal qualities and curative abilities.

The sandal wood paste in particular, applied on the idol and left overnight, is considered to act as a wonder drug, a panacea for many incurable and complex diseases. Every drop of water, coming out of abhishekam is consumed by the devotees with pleasure and many devotees get rid of their chronic ailments. "This curative aspect has a scientific explanation," the Devasthanam claims in one of their publications.

One hypothesis says that the idol acts as a store house for millions of good bacteria and when the abhishekam materials flow over the idol the bacteria get mixed with the materials and pass on to the devotees, who get relief from their ailments. The abhishekam materials remain preserved for a considerable period of time, an example to show the curative nature of the abhishekham water. Thus it is not surprising that many siddha medical centres are based in Palani and around the Palani Hills.

Since the Lord Dandâyudhapâni at Palani is the first physician of Tamil tradition, the idea of replacing the existing idol was unacceptable. In order to ensure that the mûlavar will continue to be servicable for generations to come, the Government constituted a special committee. Justice Sadasivam, an eminent judge, a scholar of repute and a man of immense faith in religion, was appointed as the Chairman of this committee. On his assuming charge, he instituted five sub-committees to view the problem from varioius angles. The five respective sub-committees consisted of:

1. heads of large mutts and religious institutions;
2. sthapatis (temple architects);
3. experts on agamas;
4. priests and pandarams; and
5. scientists.

By virtue of my educational background, I had the great honour of being a member of the sub-committee consisting of scientists. The main objective of this committee was to find out the nature and composition of the material, out of which the idol for the presiding deity had been sculpted. As a special case, the members of this committee were permitted to enter the sanctum sanctorum along with the priests and pandarams. I considered myself very fortunate to experience this great moment, an important one, in my life.

As a first step towards our investigation, we took a close look at the idol of the Lord. We were astonished when we found the face of the idol to be quite fresh with no signs of damage or deterioration. It was so clear that it looked as though the idol was recently installed. An examination of the idol under the magnifying glass, the material appeared to resemble granite or grano-dioritic material.

Our happiness and surprise were only short lived, as we moved from the face to the body of the idol. It appeared in marked contrast to the condition we observed on the face of the idol. The entire body region of the idol, was full of distortions, rugged, with flaking sharp edges and the two legs were like slender sticks standing on the pedestal. With its weak support by the thinned down legs, the idol was threatening to buckle and fall down at any time.

The very distinct contrast between the face and the body of the idol disproves the theory that the primary cause was the many abhishekhams. If this cause is accepted, then the question arises, "Why does the face remain fresh while the body is showing all these irregularities?" So, once in for all, this theory was rejected.

The other theory, concerns the possibility of a conspiracy between the siddha doctors of Palani, the archakas and others who have access to the sanctum sanctorum. Under this scenario, the valuable material from the body region of the idol was being scrapped up by those who have access to the sanctum sanctorum, for marketing the scrappings to the siddha doctors, who in turn diluted the material and included the same in their potions for their eager patients. This, once again reflects the prolific growth of the siddha medical centres in and around Palani.

Though the preliminary visual examination of the idol revealed the possibility of the material being of granitic origin. It could not be confirmed, as neither a microscopic examination nor a chemical analysis could be done in the absence of loose material from the idol being available for such detailed investigation. But we were aware that the abhishekam materials flowing over the idol could possibly absorb some of the ingredients from the idol to acquire the medicinal property, curative qualities and offer relief to many devotees from their ailments.

The author showing a rock specimen to his late beloved friend and teacher, Kripânanda Variyar

Guided by this knowledge and taking a clue from this, we applied sandalwood paste to the idol and let it remain overnight. The next day the sandalwood paste was collected and a solution was prepared for further chemical examination, using a sophisticated instrument, the Perkin-Elmer 707 atomic absorption spectrophotometer to identify the trace elements. A standard solution required for the experiment was made to calibrate the instrument.

As the next step, the sandal wood paste solution from the paste left on the idol overnight was subjected to the experiment. The instrument showed no apparent reading. The experiment was repeated several times and the instrument showed a zero absorption. When other samples were tested, the instrument showed positive results but for the sandal wood paste left overnight on the idol of the lord, the result was zero absorption. It was revealed to us as a stupendous moral - that even modern scientific analysis cannot penetrate the Divine Structure.

Accordingly, a report was prepared and submitted to the Chairman of the Committee. The Chairman gathered all the reports from all the sub-committees and sent a final report to the Government with his recommendation. The committee recommended that all precautions should be taken to protect the idol by taking a major decision to restrict the number of abhishekams on the Lord.

It is also widely believed that the siddha munivar Bhogar had made three identical idols and after installing the present one, the other two idols were hidden somewhere in the Eastern Ghats to be discovered at an appropriate time and by an appropriate person probably, another divine personality for replacing the present idol which had stood the test of time and started showing signs of deterioration.

It is here, that one has to understand and accept human limitations. Humans can discover and harness the power of nature, but humans cannot conquer nature which is God's creation. It will be appropriate to recall the observation made by Sir Isaac Newton when praises were showered on him for his great discovery. Sir Isaac Newton modestly remarked. "All that I have done to the human community is to make a common man understand His observable laws". He added further by saying. "God created the forces of gravity. I connect this by a mathematical equation in an understandable way".

The modesty displayed by the great scientist is reflected in the zero absorption shown by the instrument in our experiment on the composition of Lord Murukan's idol. It will only be appropriate to recall the verses by kavignar Kannadasan, the poet of modern times when he said, "Dwelling within the realm of Zero, ruling a Kingdom and beyond normal understanding is God. He would reveal Himself to those who understand and realise Him".

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Dr. Prof. M.S. Saravanan, M.Sc., Ph.D., F.M.S., F.G.S. is an an earth scientist and mineralogist and former Director of the Tamil Nadu Department of Geology & Mines and Chairman of Tamilnadu Minerals Limited. A one-time close associate of Kripananda Variar, he wƭ a��oi