Thiruparankundram Murugan Temple - 6 Padai Veedu

One of the prominent religious shrines and among the six sacred abodes for lord Muruga, the Subramanya swamy temple is located in Thiruparankundram at the outskirts of Madurai city. This temple is carved out of a mountain. The 2 daughters of lord Vishnu, Amrita Valli and Sundara Valli, wishing to become the consorts of lord Muruga, started doing penance. Pleased with their prayer and dedication, lord Subramanya appeared before them. He told Amrita Valli that she will be brought up by Indra as his daughter and he will marry her in due course. Her sister Sundara Valli was also graced to be born to sage Sivamuni and brought up by Nambi. Amrita Valli went to Mount Meru, the abode of Indra and told him to look after her.

Indra became very happy as she was the divine child and directed Airavatam, his white elephant, to take care of the child. As she was brought up by the elephant Airavatam, she came to be known as Devayani. So this is the place, where lord Murugan married Devayani, one of his consorts. All the devas, Shiva and Parvati attended the marriage and blessed the couple. This temple not only attracts devotees for its religious significance but also mesmerises every visitor with its architectural wonder. The structure of the temple can be mainly attributed to Pandyan reign and Nayak rules of the 8th Century. A mosque near to this temple, dedicated to one Arab ruler to the neighbourhood of this temple is an added attraction. There are 5 holy water sources around the temple, usually visited by the devotees.