Palani Murugan Temple – Traditions
One of the chief traditions of the temple is the tonsuring of devotees, who vow to discard their hair in
imitation of the Lord of Palani.
Another is the anointing of the head of the God's idol
with chandanam, or sandalwood paste, at night, prior to the temple being
closed for the day. The paste, upon being allowed to stay overnight, is said to
acquire medicinal properties, and is much sought after and distributed to
devotees, as rakkala chandanam.
Traditionally, the hill-temple of Palani is supposed to
be closed in the afternoon and rather early in the evening to permit the Lord
to have adequate sleep, being but a child, and therefore, easily tired by the throngs
of devotees and their constant impersonations.
A tradition that is not very well known is that of
the Palli-Arai or bedroom, wherein, each night, the Lord is informed
of the status of the temple's accounts for the day, by the custodians of the
temple, and then put to sleep to the singing of odhuvar or bard.
Panchamirtham (mixture of five) is believed to be a
divine mix prepared by Vinayagar at the end of the divine encounter. He mixed
honey, dates, banana, raisins and jiggery and distributed it to Shiva and
Karthikeya. The practice is followed in modern times where the devotees are
provided Panchamirtham as a Prasad.