Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani Temple, Palani
Once, Sage Narada visited Lord Shiva and Parvathy Devi in Kailasam.
He presented them a divine fruit called the Jnana-Pazham.
Vinayagar and Murugan were also present there.
It was decided that whoever does pradakshinam of the whole world three times and returns first would get the fruit.
Lord Murugan set out on his peacock immediately
Vinayagar thought for while and started doing pradakshinam of his parents.
He had realized that the whole world was just a manifestation of his parents.
The fruit was given to Vinayagar.
When Murugan Swamy returned he became angry and offended seeing this.
He left Kailasam and came down to Palani.
Palani used to be called Tiruavinankudi then.
It became known as Pazhani after Lord Shiva addressed Murugan as பழம் நீ (Pazham - nee)
meaning you are the the fruit of knowledge.
Pazhani became Palani in the local parlance.
Murugan here is known as Kuzhandai Velayuthar
Lord Murugan is Jagadguru, the Lord of all knowledge.
Murugan decided to settle down in Palani.
In a later Kalpa, at the time of Shiva-Parvathy wedding When all the Devas, Siddhas, Gandharvas, etc. assembled in the Himalayas, earth tilted due to the imbalance of weight.
Sage Agastya was asked to move to South India to restore the balance.
He told Idumban, an Asura to carry to mountains Shivagiri and Shaktigiri on his shoulders to South India.
At Palani, Idumban kept down the two mountains and took rest for some time.
After some time, when he tried to lift them again, the Shakti Giri would not move.
Idumban found a boy standing on top of the Shakti Giri holding a staff (Dandam) in his hand
and wearing only a kaupeenam.
It was none other than Lord Murugan (Dhandayuthapani).
Idumban challenged the Lord for a fight.
Agasthya requested the Lord to pardon Idumban.
Lord Murugan gracefully did so.
He took up Shakti Giri as his own abode.
The second mountain was installed at Swami Malai.
The idol of Lord Murugan at Palani is made with the combination of nine lethal poisons.
It is called Nava-pashanam and synthesized from 4000 powerful herbs.
Even though they are poisons but when used together, they have got miraculous
healing powers and the abhisheka theertham from the idol is believed to cure all diseases.
The idol was made by Bhogar, the great Siddhar of Tamil Nadu.
Saravana Poigai is the pool in the Himalayas where Lord Murugan appeared.
Palani also has a Saravana Pogai where devotees take bath before climbing to the hill shrine.
Devotees carry kavadis to the temple in memory of Idumban carrying the two mountains on his shoulder
During the ThaiPusam festival there is a huge procession of about 10,000 kavadis and devotees who pierce the organs of their bodies with sharp objects as a form of penance.
During Panguni Uthiram, the number of kavadis goes up to 50,000.
Lord Murugan instills discipline in his devotees and makes them progress both in the material
and spiritual worlds.
The Dandam in his hand represents this Lord Murugan at Palani is an ascetic and stands for renunciation and sacrifice.