Pazhamudircholai Murugan Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Madurai International Airport is about 12 km from the city. Madurai Domestic Airport is at Avaniyapuram.

• By train

  Madurai Junction is the main railway station of Madurai.

• By road

  Madurai has three bus terminals: MGR Bus Stand (Mattuthavani) and Arappalayam for inter-city buses, and Periyar Bus Stand for city buses.

Why devotees come here

Pazhamudircholai Murugan Temple stands atop Solaimalai hill on the outskirts of Madurai in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the six abodes of Murugan, the Arupadaiveedu. Its name is tied to a legend about a fruit that scattered at the spot.

Legend says sage Narada once gave Shiva a fruit of knowledge, as told in the Kanda Puranam. Murugan felt cheated when the fruit was given to Ganesha. He left Kailasha and lived as a hermit on the Palani Hills. Another legend says Murugan sat in a naaval tree and shook it to drop some fruits for the poet Avvaiyar. The name joins pazham, meaning fruit, udir, meaning disperse, and cholai, meaning orchard.

Earlier, only the vel, the divine weapon of Murugan, was worshipped here. Later, shrines to Ganesha and to Murugan with his consorts were added. Murugan is seen with Deivanai and Valli on a hillock near a stream called Nupura Gangai. The temple is mentioned in the Sangam poem Tirumurukāṟṟuppaṭai by Nakkeerar.

The poet Arunagirinathar composed Tamil hymns on Murugan, the most notable being the Tiruppukal. He also included hymns about this temple among them.

Tips for your visit

• The temple is also called Solaimalai Murugan Temple, so search under that name too.
• The name is also spelt Pazhamudhir Solai or Pazhamurdircholai, so try those spellings as well when you search.

Questions people ask