Here Murugan is worshiped along with his consorts Valli as Iccha Shakti and Devayani as Kriya Shakti and himself as Jnana ShaktiThe great Tamil poet and saint Avvaiyar was tested by Muruga here. In an episode of Divine Play with Avvaiyar, one of the most famous devotees of Muruga, the Lord enacted the following drama.
One day Avvaiyar became tired while traveling under the hot sun and sought refuge under the shadow of a fruit tree, hungry and thirsty, when a boy who sitting on the tree asked her whether she wanted fruits from the tree.
When Avvaiyar told him that she did, the boy asked Avvaiyar whether she wanted roasted fruits or unroasted fruits. Avvaiyar who was a famous Tamil poet and incredibly knowledgeable litterateur scoffed silently at the very thought of the existence of a "roasted fruit" and decided that the boy didn't have knowledge even about a fruit.
However, tired as she was, she decided that she didn't want to argue with the boy and asked him to pick unroasted fruits for her, which the boy then proceeded to do. Several fruits fell out of the tree and Avvaiyar picked them up, blowing on them to remove the sand. Smiling, the boy asked Avvaiyar if she was blowing on his "roasted fruits" to cool them.
Avvaiyar was astonished as to how a small village cowboy could have played such an intelligent drama. Blowing on the fruit to remove the sand was indeed poetically comparable to an attempt to cool "roasted fruits". Humbled by the immense poetic knowledge and clever wordplay of the boy, Avvaiyar begged the boy to reveal his true identity, unable to reconcile herself with the fact that a simple cowherd could have such profound thoughts.
The boy then disappeared and in his place, Muruga appeared. Avvaiyar, stunned to find herself in Divine Company, bowed in obeisance and realising the infinite nature of knowledge, prayed to Muruga to bless her and continue bestowing his Infinite Grace on her to aid her virtually endless quest for knowledge.
.A natural spring called Noopura Ganga with a temple dedicated to Raakkayi Amman is located at the top of the hill. Pilgrims to the temple take a dip in this small, sacred spring which is said to have originated from the anklet of Lord Vishnu. It is believed that the devotees who worship at this shrine are blessed with wealth and health. The Silambar river flows near the temple.
The branch of the novel tree where this incident took place is still found at the top of the Pazhamudircholai. We can still see this tree just before entering the Solaimalai Murugan Temple.
In the early days, there was only the trident and later they made the statue of the Lord Murugan alongside the Goddesses Valli and Theivanai. This is the only temple where the Lord Murugan can be seen with his wives Valli and Theivanai among the 6 abodes of the Lord Murugan.
The Holy Pond
Slightly above Pazhamudhircholai, the holy pond is located and is called as Nupura Ganga. It is also called as Silambaru and is also believed to be 1000 years old. The Goddess Rakayi temple is located here. Worshipers of this goddess usually take a holy bath at the place where the Nupura Ganga falls. Samba Dosa, an offering made for the devotees of the famous Azhagar temple is made from this holy water.
The Novel Tree
Normally the fruits of the novel tree ripen in the month of Tamil months Aadi (Mid – July) and Avani (Mid – August). But only in the novel tree of this temple can be seen with ripened fruits in the Tamil month of Ippasi (Mid – October) because of the miracle of the Lord Murugan.
