Sri Dandayudhapani Swamy Temple Complex at Palani and Origin and Development of Muruka Worship in South India- A Comprehensive Cultural Study

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This is a comprehensive presentation of Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple and its connected temples, Palani. The present book has been divided into nine chapters. It starts with a brief introduction to the temple, scope, sources etc. The second chapter deals with Palani area's geography, rivers, geology, fauna and flora and the present administration of the town and facilities available to the pilgrims and tourists. The chapter on Palani through the ages vividly describes the history of Palani from the prehistoric times to free India on the basis of inscriptions, governmental manuscripts and on authentic books on history. The chapter on the origin and development of Muruka worship in Tamilnadu illustrates Muruka's origin and its development, and the identification of Tamil Murukan with Sanskrit Skanda Kartikeya. It also delineates various concepts found in the writings of the devotees of Muruka. The fifth chapter contains details about the performance of the pujas and the celebration of the most important and widely known festivals of Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani and its associated temples. The on the temple administration and functionaries and on the temple and society delineates the administration of the temple by its functionaries from time to time, and the mutual contribution of the society to the temple and vice versa. The next chapter describes the most important aspects like history, architecture, sculpture and iconography of the Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani Swami and its allied temples. The last chapter contains the concluding remarks of this temple study.

Dr. PR. Narasimhan is a retired Reader in Philosophy, Arulmigu Palaniandavar College of Arts and Culture, Palani, Tamilnadu. He holds a doctorate degree in Indian Culture besides post graduate degrees in Philosophy, English Language and Literature, and Indian Culture. He also holds a post graduate certificate in the teaching of English and post graduate diplomas in Gandhian Thought and Tourism. His interests are in Philosophy, Culture and Temple studies. He presented papers on different issues at state and regional level both in English and Tamil. Among his published books are VAINAVA MARABUM MEIPPORULIYALUM, SAIVA MARABUM MEIPPORULIYALUM both in Tamil, and History of Indian Philosophy and Religion for the Madurai Kamaraj University distance education. He has contributed nearly one hundred articles to the Tamil Encyclopaedia prepared by the Tamil university, Thanjavur. He is a regular article contributor to the SENTHAMIL a monthly magazine being published by Tamil Sangam, Madurai.

The temple as a religious institution represents "the most prominent and enduring of the symbols of the Indian culture". It is hence natural that the temple building "was first and last a religious exercise and not a merely artistic or secular experimentation in pattern". In sum, it could be viewed that the temple building is the "product of Indian religion and philosophy" and "the Indian architecture on the Hindu side, is formal, monumental and canonical. Its main motivation is based upon the beneficent character of the temple for the whole village, town or region. It was the common pool of the good will, genius and economic resources of the entire community and it received the unstinted patronage of Kshatriya kings, the unbounded financial assistance of the tradesmen and the unqualified support of the lesser folk"...and "was a coalescence of a common and deeply religious urge to render unto God, the things that are God's and to consider it as the most essential part of the civic well being". Any more addition is likely to be superfluous and the historical meaning is sumptuous and brings forth the core features in all finesse of form, quite clearly.

Indian temple architecture has been drawing the attention of Western scholars from the latter half of the nineteenth century, such as James Fergusson, Percy Brown, E.B. Havell and others to define the form, scope and extent of the architectural features in a regular historical narrative both region-wise and individually. The documentary perspective had some limitation as the temple development is essentially religious and the inherent qualities could not easily be defined or expressed as it needs an understanding of the canonical texts and the religious rituals connected with them.

To expand the matter further, the temple, mainly a place of worship also served as a center of spiritual learning and functioned as an administrative unit and catered to the social needs of the community. The many-sided activities of social, religious, economic and spiritual nature including the conduct of the day-to-day rituals were all inscribed in the temple precints, on the walls and in the interior. They confirm in clear terms "Of all the world's religions, it is Hinduism lone that had systematized ritual conduct in a highly specialized manner including well-ordered hilosophic, iconographic and conceptual forms of divine worship".

I joined duty as Assistant Professor of Philosophy in the then Arulmigu Palaniandavar college of Indian Culture, Palani. I learnt that the pay to the teaching and non-teaching staff of the college was distributed from the Hundial Kanikkai offered by the devotees to the Arulmigu Palaniandavar tirukkoil. Immediately I made up my mind that I should do something to enlighten the devotees about the temple as a whole. In due course I began to collect the materials related to the temple and finally, I wrote the theses with the title "A cultural study of Palani temple complex and submitted to the Madurai Kamaraj University for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philisophy. I obtained the same in the year 1982 and tried to publish in the form of a book. My efforts to do the same is fructified after thirty three years through Dr. C. Margabandhu, Director (Retd), Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi. I hope that this venture reach the public in proper way.

It is my obligatory duty to thank the personnel who helped me in this venture. At the outset I express my gratitude and thanks to Dr. D.R. Rajeswari, M.A. Ph.D. Reader in History, Institute of Correspondence Course and continuing education, Madurai Kamaraj University for having graciously accepted me as a part time research Scholar and rendered all the possible help at every step of this work as my guide and supervisor.

The temple in South India is perhaps the only ancient religious institution that has retained its importance and popularity down through the ages. It has been patronised by royalty and the laity. It has preserved age long traditions around it and fostered arts of different kinds in a remarkable way. Most of the temples contain valuable inscriptions that serve as the authentic source for reconstructing the ancient history of the land. During the mediaeval period, the South Indian temple was the centre of the socio-religious life of the people and of all the activities of the village community. In short the study of the temples of South India offer valuable and useful data for an understanding of the political, religious, art and social history of South India. Palani, the most popular of hill shrines in South India needs no introduction to the devotee of Muruka. The presiding Lord as Arulmigu Dhandayudhapani swami on the hill is a personal god to every Hindu, high or low, saivite or vaishnavite, irrespective of sectional differences and age, and, to every man, woman and child. The temple as it deserves to be better known and more widely understood for its ever growing influence and the Lord's grace in ever enlarging abundance, a humble attempt is made to give an outline of its interest in the following pages.

**Contents and Sample Pages**