Thirumalai Murugan Temple

Courtallam, the city of waterfalls, located in South India, is an important tourist spot. If you travel just 13 kms away from the highly crowded Courtallam, you would reach a quiet and calm place named Thirumalai in the Western Ghats. This small village is famous for its hilltop temple of Murugan.

Thirumalai Murugan temple, located at a height of 400 m in the Western Ghats can be reached by 600+ steep steps from the foothills. Before you start climbing the steps, you can find the huge idol of Vallabha Vinayak along with Siddhi. The shrine of Meenakshi-Sundareshwar along with Ganesh is also found at the foothills. You can find some small mandaps and shrines such as Murugan with Valli-Devasena, Naduvatta Vinayakar and Idumban between foothills and the top of the hills.

The main temple is located at the top of the hills at the backdrop of the Western Ghats and the breathtaking aerial view of the surrounding villages. The presiding deity Murugan is found with four arms in the standing posture. It is believed that the sage Agastya used to visit the deity daily.

The current structure of the temple appears to be at least 300-400 years old. There are some 18th century inscriptions found in the temple.

The sacred tree of the site is Tamarind tree. Lord Murugan is depicted by the Vel weapon. The idol of Valli and peacock are also found under the Tamarind tree. A small shrine for Lord Ganesh is also found in the area outside the main shrine.

At the entrance of the sanctum, there is a small idol of Lord Ganesha. The shrines of Meenakshi-Sundareshwar, Utsav Shanmukha and Utsav Murugan are also found near the sanctum.

The prakara (corridor) is full of small shrines and idols such as Kanni Vinayak, Shasta, Gajalakshmi, Chandikeswarar and Bhairav.

The tank is found outside the main shrine. One more shrine for Ganesha named as Tirupani Vinayakar is also found in the outer region.

Happy travelling.

Fast Facts:

Site Name: Thirumalai Murugan Temple
City Name: Thirumalai
Highlights:

An ancient temple located on top of a hill in Western Ghats

Location: 60 kms from Tirunelveli; 13 kms from Courtallam; Located in the Southern part of Tamil Nadu state, India

Nearest Railway Station: Tenkasi

Nearest Airport: Madurai (around 200 kms)

How to reach: Easily reachable by road from Tirunelveli, Tenkasi,Courtallam or Madurai

Hotel: A lot of luxury hotels and budget hotels are available in Courtallam and Tenkasi

Restaurants: There are a lot of good restaurants in Courtallam and Tenkasi

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