Vallimalai Temple is dedicated to Lord Muruga, also known as
Subramanya Swami. The shrine is located atop a hill at Vallimalai in Vellore
District in Tamil Nadu. Valli the consort of Muruga has prominence here. It is
here Muruga courted and married Valli. Vallimalai Murugan Temple is around 25
km from Vellore.
Rock Cut Hill Temple - The shrine is a rock cut hill temple. One has to climb 300
steps to reach the temple. Major portion of the temple is inside a cave. The
cave shrine is divided into three levels.
Muruga is worshipped here along with his consorts Valli and
Devasena.
The name Vallimalai - The hill gets its name from Goddess Valli who is believed to
have performed penance here to get Lord Muruga as her husband.
Unique Offering - A unique offering made to the deity is honey and corn flour.
This is because Valli belonged to the Vedar community (hunters) who reside in
the area. So it is believed that they used to offer wild honey and corn.
Story of Sacred Tree of the Temple - The sacred tree of the temple is Vengai Tree. Legend has it
that before their marriage Muruga and Valli were secretly meeting in the
forest. Suddenly Valli’s father came there. To avoid the awkward situation,
Muruga turned into a Vengai Tree.
There are separate shrines dedicated to Kumari Valli at the
foothill and atop the hill. The murti is depicted as holding hand catapult to
drive away birds. At the foothill, there is also a murti of Muruga with six
faces.
Festivals - The most important festival observed here is the marriage of
Valli and Muruga in the full moon day in Maasi month (February – March). Other
important festivals are Thai Pusam, Aadi Krithigai, Thiru Karthigai and Skanda
Sashti. The day after Skanda Sashti festival is observed as the marriage
between Muruga and Devasena.
The subsidiary deities worshipped in the temple are Ganesha,
Kashi Vishwanathar, Nambirajan (father of Valli) and nine warriors of Muruga.
Tuesdays - Special prayers are offered to Muruga here on Tuesdays especially
by those suffering due to the bad positioning of Mars or Chevvai in their
horoscope.
Related
Six Temples dedicated to Muruga in Tamil Nadu
Related
Six Temples dedicated to Muruga in Tamil Nadu