Palani Murugan Temple – Worship
The most esteemed form of worship at the temple is
the Abhishekam - anointment of the idol with oils, sandalwood
paste, milk, unguents and the like and then bathing it with water in an act of
ritual purification. The most prominent Abishekams are conducted at the
ceremonies to mark the hours of the day.
These are four in number - the Vizha Poojai, early
in the morning, the Uchikalam, in the afternoon, the Sayarakshai, in the
evening and the Rakkalam, at night, immediately prior to the temple being
closed for the day.
These hours are marked by the tolling of the heavy bell
on the hill, to rouse the attention of all devotees to the worship of the lord
being carried out at that hour. On a quiet day, the bell can be heard in all
the countryside around Palani.
After the Abhishekam, it is the practice to dress the
idol of the Lord, in an act called Alangaram, in one of several guises -
the most common being the Raja, or king, the Vaitheekan, or priest,
the Vedan, or hunter and the Aandi, or monk, which last is the most
celebrated in Palani, because it is the nearest to the natural form the Lord
assumed at Palani as an anchorite, having withdrawn from all the celestial
riches of his father's court at Mount
Kailash.
In addition to worship within the precincts of the
temple, an idol of the Lord, called the Uthsavamoorthy, is also carried in
state around the temple, in a golden chariot, drawn by devotees, most evenings
in a year.
