Swamimalai is a small town on the banks of the Kaveri near Kumbakonam, and home to the Swaminatha Swamy Temple, the fourth of Lord Murugan’s six abodes.
Significance
The temple commemorates the story in which young Murugan asked Lord Brahma the meaning of the sacred syllable “Om”. When Brahma could not answer, Murugan explained its meaning to his own father, Lord Shiva — earning the name Swaminatha, “teacher of the Lord”. The temple is built on a raised hillock (a mada kovil), with Murugan’s shrine on the upper level.
Visiting
Swamimalai is part of our Arupadai Veedu tour and can easily be added to the Kumbakonam temple tour or the Navagraha circuit.
