Pal
̄
ani, Tamil NaduYet another pilgrimage center (of the many that could be described) is
Pal
̄
ani in the state of Tamil Nadu. Now one of the wealthiest temple
complexes in the south, Pal
̄
ani has been truly popular only in recent times.
It is true that Tamil texts dating back to the sixth century refer to a site which
this temple claims as its own, and the temple’s ta ̄lapura ̄n.a(story) claims that
medieval kings came to worship here.^10 The site was also associated with
medicinal ascetics in the medieval period. Further, certain festivals (for
example, the Tai Pu ̄ cam in January–February) were known to have been
held here in the seventeenth century. But it is only after the building of
roads and railroads that the site, tucked into the shadow of the Pal
̄
ani Hills,
became truly accessible. The favored deity at Pal
̄
ani is Murukan
̄, Tamil
Nadu’s favorite god. He is ensconced atop the local hill in the guise of an
ascetic, where he is said to have come when angered by his parents, S ́iva and
Pa ̄rvatı ̄, who had offered a fruit symbolic of their favor to Murukan
̄
’s elder
brother Ganes.a. It is only after S ́iva came and told Murukan
̄
that he wasthe
fruit (Pal.am nı ̄), that is, the true embodiment of his father’s authority and
attributes, that the young god was assuaged.
Since the 1950s as temple authorities aggressively advertised the virtues
of worshiping at Pal
̄
ani, pilgrims have poured into the town, specially for
four festival months – one each in October–November, January–February,
March–April, and May–June. The pilgrims are primarily Tamil; they often
walk from their home villages, bearing water for the deity. They are
encouraged to participate in various kinds of ritual activities at various
subsidiary shrines. They may carry colorful ka ̄vat.ison their shoulders (these
are shoulder arches decorated with peacock feathers), and the pilgrims’
dance is said to emulate the dance of the peacock, Murukan
̄
’s mount. At
the shrine of Karuppuca ̄mi (the black servant god), pilgrims may enter
into trance or watch the non-brahman priest smear the icon with boiling oil
ladled from his bare palm. In short, while classical a ̄gamic ritual procedures
are conducted in the main temple by brahman priests, various forms of folk
worship are encouraged at subsidiary shrines, where non-brahman priests
preside. Devotees have their heads shaved and bring gifts representing
various economic strata. A poor man may give a live rooster; a millionaire
or a corporation donates a silver or gold chariot. Different families and
communities take turns sponsoring various ritual events. All the trappings
of “modernity” are used by the temple authorities – from web pages to
electronically enhanced chanting, even while attempts are made to evoke
images of the past, which are thought to legitimate the proceedings. Most
of the temple’s festivals, however, are not more than a few hundred years
old; indeed, many of the activities and amenities are accretions of the
200 Religion in Contemporary India