Palani,
the sacred hill has been the object of pilgrimage for
centuries. The custom of making pilgrimage to sacred spots
is a very ancient one and is not confined to any one country
or religion. The Egyptians tread the hot sands to the
oracle at Thebes.
The
ancient Greeks marched to Delphi to hear the counsel of
Apollo, the Mexicans journeyed to the quetzal temple with
reverence. To Buddhists. Kapilavastu and Benares were
holy places to which they thronged year after year. To
Christians the very name of Jerusalem will send a thrill
through their frame.
Pilgrimages
were enjoyed by our Sastras and in Mahabharata there is
even a separate chapter called Tirtha Yatra Sargam. The
convention of pilgrimages was instrumental in proliferation
of temples - the adobe of Gods.
They
were inspired not only by piety but also by a sense of
aesthetic beauty. Naturally the apportioned places of
beauty like Kurunji to Muruga their charming god. Even
the Gods of Beauty Manmata and Rati were painted in his
temple at Tiruparankunram.
Legends of Muruga are countless, though the Saiva Agamas
have listed 64 exploits as Subramania Parakrama. They
named him Muruga, Kumara,etc. each pregnant with meaning
linked with beauty.
Murugu in tamil means beauty and Kumaran means young.
This eternally young and beautiful god was called Muruga.The
worship of Muruga is very ancient. In Bhagavad Gita Krishna
equates himself with Senani(Muruga). The demon Taraka
was killed by Muruga when he was only six days old. The
devas consecreated him as senani-general. The story of
Kumara is so sacred that Kalidasa was inspired to pen
Kumara Sambhava, a great classic.
When
we near any Muruga temple, the chorus 'Arohara' is heard
far and wide. What does that term signify? A band of colored
light seen in the sky in the regions of north pole is called
aurora bore eslis. Legends and Upanishads in our land describe
god as an effulgent light. Any effulgence that have no shape
is called aurora and that is what the devotees of Muruga
loudly chant Arohara, an expansive form of Arora.
It
is not correct to say that religion is not scientific. There
is an old proverb, "Science without religion is blind
and religion without science is lame, "and Palani temple
is the finest example of a proof of that proverb. The idol
is made of some herbs that will cure some incurable maladies.
To stand near the sanctum will confer benefits both physical
and spiritual.
