While climbing the rock-cut steps heading to Ponmalai Velayuthasami Temple, a hill shrine of Lord Muruga at Kinathukadavu, a little boy asked his mother: 'You say that the name of this hill is Ponmalai (Golden hill). But, what I see here is only hard, black rocks. What happened to the gold on this mountain, mother?'
Though the child’s question is unanswerable, a popular myth prevalent among the people of Kinathukadavu helped the mother answer her little boy.
'Dear, the hill was, indeed, once golden and so it got the name appropriately as Ponmalai. But, you know what happened one day? Long ago, a greedy goldsmith, who lived in Kinathukadavu, wanted to possess the entire shining gold on the hillock. So, by a dark, silent night, he stealthily climbed up the mountain and started to scrape off the gold using his teeth. But, the Almighty, who was observing this, cursed him to be a rock and made all the gold disappear from the hill'
Though the mother’s tale on the greedy goldsmith convinced the child, the greed of the realtors in Kinathukadavu seems to be still unnoticed by the Lord, as another mountain behind Ponmalai cannot be traced ‘amidst’ the plenty of houses, which have come up now in its place.
Also, the surroundings of the hill, through which the yesteryear film start M.G.Ramachandran led his heroine Banumathi home, singing ‘Ethanai Kalamthan Eamaatruvai Intha Naatile’ in Malaikallan, have no traces of the blockbuster being shot here over half a century ago.
The shrine Ponmalai, which the 15th century Tamil poet Arunagirinathar celebrated as ‘Kanaga Giri’ in his literature Thirupugazh, is said to have been built by a Mysore king about 700 years ago. Legend has it that a Diwan (The finance minister) in the Mysore palace was suffering from an incurable pustule in either of his feet. Though several indigenous medical practitioners of Mysore made vain attempts to cure the disease, it is said that Lord Muruga appeared in the Diwan’s dream and told him that he would provide a cure for the malady, if he visited a hill at Kinathukadavu, where he would notice His footprints. As ordered by the Lord, the Diwan visited the hill and discovered the Lord’s footprints to his surprise.
And when the Mysore king came to know the miraculous cure of his Diwan’s malady, he built a temple near the Lord’s footprints on the hill. As Kinathukadavu was then under the rule of Puravipalayam Zamin, the king left the temple administration to the Zamindar, who consecrated the shrine.
The ancient hill temple, which is now under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, still has its ever-flowing, beautiful spring. But, the Lord of the hill also witnesses the flow of wine, when some anti-social elements, sitting comfortably leaning against the rocks, ‘clink’ their plastic tumblers and say ‘Cheers’
'Dear, the hill was, indeed, once golden and so it got the name appropriately as Ponmalai. But, you know what happened one day? Long ago, a greedy goldsmith, who lived in Kinathukadavu, wanted to possess the entire shining gold on the hillock. So, by a dark, silent night, he stealthily climbed up the mountain and started to scrape off the gold using his teeth. But, the Almighty, who was observing this, cursed him to be a rock and made all the gold disappear from the hill'
Though the mother’s tale on the greedy goldsmith convinced the child, the greed of the realtors in Kinathukadavu seems to be still unnoticed by the Lord, as another mountain behind Ponmalai cannot be traced ‘amidst’ the plenty of houses, which have come up now in its place.
Also, the surroundings of the hill, through which the yesteryear film start M.G.Ramachandran led his heroine Banumathi home, singing ‘Ethanai Kalamthan Eamaatruvai Intha Naatile’ in Malaikallan, have no traces of the blockbuster being shot here over half a century ago.
The shrine Ponmalai, which the 15th century Tamil poet Arunagirinathar celebrated as ‘Kanaga Giri’ in his literature Thirupugazh, is said to have been built by a Mysore king about 700 years ago. Legend has it that a Diwan (The finance minister) in the Mysore palace was suffering from an incurable pustule in either of his feet. Though several indigenous medical practitioners of Mysore made vain attempts to cure the disease, it is said that Lord Muruga appeared in the Diwan’s dream and told him that he would provide a cure for the malady, if he visited a hill at Kinathukadavu, where he would notice His footprints. As ordered by the Lord, the Diwan visited the hill and discovered the Lord’s footprints to his surprise.
And when the Mysore king came to know the miraculous cure of his Diwan’s malady, he built a temple near the Lord’s footprints on the hill. As Kinathukadavu was then under the rule of Puravipalayam Zamin, the king left the temple administration to the Zamindar, who consecrated the shrine.
The ancient hill temple, which is now under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, still has its ever-flowing, beautiful spring. But, the Lord of the hill also witnesses the flow of wine, when some anti-social elements, sitting comfortably leaning against the rocks, ‘clink’ their plastic tumblers and say ‘Cheers’