Arulmigu Muthukumaraswamy Temple Pannapalayam, Tamil Nadu

History

Madappur Lord Muthukumaraswami Hill Temple is an extraordinary temple with added glory along with the temples of Lord Shiva and Mata Ambika. This ancient temple gives evidence of the temple architecture of Tamil Nadu with its aesthetic beauty. It is located on the NH67 highway running between Palladam and Kangeyam.

According to the Sthala Purana – local history – this is the temple in Madappur from where Lord Shiva and Mata Ambika revealed the whereabouts of Muruga after he abandoned them due to a mango fruit dispute. Lord Muruga replied from Palani, as the son appeared before the mother. The place Madha in Tamil and Oor in Sanskrit is now called Madhapur – Madappur.
History goes further than this. That was the era of Tipu Sultan rule. While he was traveling from Palakkadu to Mysore, suddenly his men disappeared. He couldn’t find them. He stood upon Swayambu Muruga to find his soldiers. The angry Muruga snatched away his eyesight. Tipu realized that he had wronged God and asked for his forgiveness. Lord Muruga gave him back his sight. As promised, Tipu built this temple for Lord Muruga, which also had temples for his parents Lord Shiva and Mata Ambika.

Information

There is evidence in epigraphic inscriptions that the kings of Mysore regularly visited this temple, generously donated land for daily worship, auspicious temple music and dancers. He also arranged for the necessary income for the temple staff. It is believed that this temple and the temple of Palani belong to the same year and period. Both are similar in Muruga form. The only difference is that in Palani Muruga is facing west and in Madappur Muruga is facing east. The waterfall, Lord Pada Vinayak and stairs in both the temples confirm the contemporary age. There are separate shrines with vimanas for Lord Madhimaleshwar, Maragadambikai and Lord Muruga with a small tower above the temple, all on a large rock. There are pavilions full of beauty. The fish symbols in the temple suggest that it was likely renovated by the Pandya kings. The recent consecration was celebrated without harming the old traditions. There are temples of Sun God, Kannimool Ganpati, Dakshinamurthy, Chandikeshwar, Kaal Bhairav, Maa Durga, Shanishwar and Navagraha (nine planets).

Features of the temple:
The form of Lord Muruga in Madappur temple looks similar to Palani. Moreover, he is here with his father Lord Shiva and mother Parvati.

Glory of the temple:

There is a sweet spring on the south side of the temple, which is said to have been created by Mother Ambika for her son Muruga.

The other version is that it was built by Lord Muruga himself for his mother. The waterfall is flowing between the rocks and is always perennial. The temples of Lord Madhimaleshwar and Mata Maragambikai are on the southern side. In the next temple, Lord Muruga standing with his stick is acclaimed as Muthukumaraswami. Seeing the beauty of Muruga brings to mind the devotional lines of Saint Arunagiriya. There are 40 steps to reach the temple, which starts from the temple of Lord Padha Vinayak. As per the tradition of Kongu region the Deepstambha light post is outside the temple. Mahadeep is lit here during the Karthikai festival.

Opening hours:
The temple is open from 7.00 am to 11.00 am and from 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm.

Prayer:

Performing Shashthi Vrat is a prayer which is followed by all the devotees here for marriage, blessing of children and relief from various problems in life. They take refuge in Mother Ambika for a peaceful and happy life. Presumably, they have realized that no special commitment is required beyond dedication.

Special Features:

It is noteworthy that Lord Muruga in Palani and Madappur temples looks similar at both the places. The significance is that Lord Muruga Muthukumaraswamy appears in this temple along with his divine parents.