

Palani is considered the most prominent abodes of Lord Muruga. This is the only temple where abishekam is performed for Vel instead of Lord Murugan. Tiruparamkundram is considered the first of the six abodes. Arunagirinathar visited various Murugan temples and on his way back to Tiruvannamalai, visited Palani and sung praises about Swaminathaswamy. He became a staunch devotee and composed Tamil hymns glorifying Murugan, the most notable being Thirupugazh. After ruining his health, he tried to commit suicide by throwing himself from the northern tower of Annamalaiyar Temple, but was saved by the grace of god Murugan. He spent his early years as a rioter and seducer of women. Religious importance Īrunagirinathar was a 15th-century Tamil poet born in Tiruvannamalai.

According to the literature Lord Muruga is a leader of the Kurinji region. Separate gods for these land types are clearly told in Sangam literature.

They are Kurinji (mountainous region), Mullai (forest region), Marutham (agricultural region), Neithal (coastal region) and Palai (desert region). In Tamil literature five types of lands are explained. Kartikeya married Valli by love and married Deivayanai by winning the war held at Tiruchendur. Muruga is depicted as the god of love and war. Karthikeya killed Soorapadman and saved the devas. They assigned Kamadeva to awake Lord Shiva from his penance, who later gave birth to Kartikeya. According to the legend, in the olden days the demon Soorapadman tortured the Devas, who went to complain to Lord Vishnu and Brahma. The story of Lord Murugan is described in Skanda Purana.
