Prince Charming holds court / fort......

A thickly wooded rocky outcrop forms the  backdrop with lush tropical vegetation and gurgling brooks. A vast fort with sacred pools at the foothills. Would a  Prince Charming - an Azhagar - wish for a better address ?

Azhagarkoyil or Tirumaaliruncholai  has everything going for it. Enchanting setting, wonderful architecture , great artistic flourishes .....and now, its a certified no plastic-bag  zone too ! Even in summer, it is breezy here , thanks to the hill, whose summit is 1409ft high. 

Azhagarmalai has a very ancient history and the temple is considered  The Oldest Vishnu shrine in Tamil Nadu.( 3 to 4 BCE) It has been a place of worship since pre-sangam times , when  Mayon was the native  Guardian Spirit - he was later assimilated into the idea of Vishnu. Seyyon , who later became Murugan /Subramanya , also  had an abode  in these hills named Pazhamudirsolai. 

Archeologists have found Jain and Buddhist vestiges in the hills and foothills and there is a school of thought , the shrine itself may have earlier been one of those and later dedicated to Vishnu. Literature and Folklore seem to support such an idea. One very telling feature of the temple is the unusual circular sanctum (which is called Nangal Kunram ) reminiscent of Buddha chaityas. 

Sangam era songs have references to Azhagar , as in the Paripaadal : "cilambaaru anintha seerkezhu thiruvin cholaiyadu thodar Maalirunkunram ".

Subsequently , the place was sung about by many poets and the Azhwars , melting at the beauty and grace of Kallazhagar , the Pariyerum perumal ( Horse riding Lord) .

Every year, mounted on his horse, the Lord crosses the stream to attend the wedding of his sister Meenakshi in Madurai. The event is celebrated with great pomp and pageantry. Madurai is 18kms away. 

During the infamous sacking of Srirangam by the Invaders, the deity Arangan was spirited away from Srirangam and taken to the safety of Azhagarmalai, where for a year, He was kept hidden in a well and later moved to Kerala and finally to Melkote . 

Two forts, Iraniyan Kottai and Azhagapuri Kottai, built by Pandya kings attest to the fact that this place served well for military  purposes too. The early shrine built by Pandyas was later  renovated and expanded by Vijayanagara kings . Other kingdoms like Hoysalas, Vaanars, the Lanka kings and Madurai Nayaks have given endowments. The premises did not suffer much  damage  by the invaders. In 1801, the British became the Patrons of the Temple. 

 

The roof of the sanctum was covered with gold plates by Jatavarma Sundara Pandyan(13th CE) and it is believed that the processional figure of Azhagar is also made of Aparanji Gold .

Azhagarmalai and the temple together have yielded around 120 inscriptions of various periods, the oldest being the Brahmi scripts seen in the Jain vestiges and the Vattezhuttu seen in the temple .

 

The region , by Legend, is connected to the Trivikrama avatara . When Trivikrama raised his foot to measure the skies , Lord Brahma is said to have offered an abulation of water on his foot. This water streamed past his anklets and fell on earth as the stream Noopura Gangai( Silambaaru in Tamil) in Azhagarmalai. This spot and the spring there are considered Holy and currently arrangements are made for pilgrims to get a shower of the holy water there. Of course, the que is serpentine ! But the walk up, through the hilly path is very pleasant . 

One other VIP of this pilgrimage center is Pathinettam Padi Karuppu. A fierce guardian deity , who is the personal security officer of Azhagar. There are various legends about him , the most plausible explanation is that he was a forest sprite , guarding the hills, from before the worship of  Vishnu began here who was later assimilated into the system. Only a huge closed  double door is worshipped everyday as the Karuppu, the Sword representing him is open to public only once a year, when Azhagar sets out for Madurai. 

The mukhamantapa ( front pavilion) has life sized sculptures of mythological characters , donors and Yalis ,  full of life and artistic beauty. A pleasant, cool place to rest, in case one has to wait for the sanctum doors to open. 

Towards the rear is a Chitramantapa that is not open to public. Apparfently it has some very lovely Vijayanagara period murals in a precarious condition. (Was lucky to attend a webinar about them and was able to view some great traditional art. And took screen shots .)

( a montage of views) 

The pathway to the shrine is lined with vendors selling exotic herbs , seeds, fruits and roots from the hills. Apparently, all medicinal. If a layperson cannot  identify them, the Vendors kindly educate them on their usefulness and how to prepare the ingredients for consumption.