Swamimalai Murugan Temple

Swamimalai Swaminathaswamy Temple is the fourth of the six Arupadai Veedu, the sacred abodes of Lord Murugan. According to tradition, the young Murugan explained the meaning of the Pranava mantra Om to his father, Lord Shiva, at this spot, and the deity came to be known as Swaminatha, the teacher of Shiva.

The shrine stands on a man-made hillock on the banks of the Cauvery. At its base are the shrines of Lord Shiva as Sundareswarar and Goddess Meenakshi, while Murugan is worshipped above. In an unusual feature, an elephant, said to be Airavata gifted by Indra, stands as his vehicle in place of the usual peacock.

Temple Timing

Darshan usually begins early in the morning, around 5 AM, and continues until about noon, then resumes in the evening from around 4 PM until late evening. Timings change on festival days and with the season, so please confirm locally during your visit.

Temple Festival

The annual temple festival and car festival fall in April. Other important occasions include Vaikasi Visakam, Skanda Sashti, Karthigai Deepam, Thaipusam and Panguni Uthiram. A special Padi Puja is offered to the sixty steps on Tamil and English New Year days.

Architecture

The temple rises about sixty feet on its artificial hill and has three gopurams and three enclosures. Sixty steps, each linked to a year of the Tamil sixty-year cycle, lead worshippers up: the first thirty reach the second enclosure and the remaining thirty reach the third.

How to Reach