Jnanamalai Jnanaskandan Temple – History
Gnanamalai and the small
temple stand out for the fact that this is the place
Arunagirinathar praises the Lord of Jnanamalai in his two Thiruppugazh
verses, a place that had been elusive for many years. In 1998 some local people
along with Archeological Department officials discovered a worn stone
inscription which translated affirms:
"...in the 18th year of
King Sambuvarayar rule, his son Prince Kalikarayan established steps to reach
Jnanamalai
of this village..."
The period is established as
AD 1322-1340. On seeing this news item in the newspaper Dinamani, Ra. Krishnan,
the author of several books including Arunagirinathar
Adicchuvattil (In the Footsteps of Arunagirinathar), visited the site, conducted
research and established conclusively that this Sthalam is indeed Jnana
Malai celebrated in the songs of Saint Arunagirinathar.
Shri Valayappati R. Krishnan discovered
this temple in 1998. The main deity of Muruga is said to date back to the
Pallava period. Siruvapuri Murugan Abisheka Committee had taken up the renovation activities with
the help of Villagers and on 15 September 2000, Kumbhabhishekam was
performed.