Viralimalai Murugan Temple is located at
Viralimalai in
Pudukkottai District. Located atop a hill, the deity,
Lord Muruga, is seated on a peacock along with Valli and Devasena. The temple is believed to have existed before the 15th century AD. Cigar is a unique offering during the pujas. The daily puja is performed six times a day and as per Kamika Agamam.
There are steps to reach the temple form the foot of the hill. On the way, there are many mandapas for the devotees to rest. Saravana Poigai, a water tank, is located on southern side at the foot of the hill. Towards the eastern side, there is a shrine for the goddess Maikannudaiyal. It is a custom that all the devotees going to the Murugan Temple visit this goddess first. The temple contains the statues of Kashyapa Muni and Narada Muni along with sculptures of Arundhati and Vashishta.
There is a cave on the way to the hilltop and the cave is for Meenakshi Sundareshwar. A mandapam called Sandana Kottam is located at the end of the flight of steps. Next to the mandapam are the Navaratri and Shanmuga Moorty Mandapam. There is a Raja Gopuram adjacent to the Navaratri Mandapam. The western part of the prahara contains the shrines of Vinayagar, Dakshina Moorthy, Agasthiyar and Arunagirinathar. The northern side consists of the shrine of Chandikeshwarar and Bhairavar. Inscriptions on the outer wall of the sanctum sanctorum depict the history of the temple.
The main festivals of the temple are Thaipusam, Pankuni Uttiram, Kanda Sasthi and Adikrittikai.
