Arappaliswarar Temple

The Arappaliswarar Temple is located in Kollimalai and is dedicated to God Arappaliswarar. The Kolli Hills spread over 14 miles retains the pristine beauty that Nature endowed it with. And on this beautiful hill can be seen the Arappaleeswar Temple dedicated to God Shiva. The history of the temple tells us that the idol of the God was a spontaneous appearance (Swayambumurthy). Known to have been existence since the Sangam period, the temple also has a statue of the Chera King Valvil Ori. The simple architectural style of the temple adds charm to its sanctity. The temple has numerous Tamil inscriptions belonging to the Chola period gracing its walls. The temple is said to have a hidden path, which was constructed by the ruler Valvil Ori, that ends at the Shiva temple in Rasipuram. Kolli Hills has history dating back to 2, 500 years and famous for its ethereal "Kollipavai". This is a most beautiful feminine form created by a divine sculptor to create lust in the minds of the demons who came down to the Kolli Hills with evil intentions. Kollimalai was ruled by the Chera kings and one of them, Valvil Ori was known for his charity and compassion. He was also a great warrior capable of felling an elephant, deer, wild pig and such other animals with a single arrow. A part of the region ruled by him was known as Arappalli. The temple finds mention in the Thevaram hymns of Saint Ganasambandar and Saint Thirunavukkarasar as Arappalli. The temple gets its name from an event that occurred here. The River Panchanadhi that flowed through Araipalli had a lot fish in it. Devotees used to feed them and also bore their nose. Once a devotee, without realizing the significance of these fish, caught some and began to cook them. When the curry began to boil, live fishes began to jump out of the pot and flop towards the river. The devotee and the locals realized that the God had himself taken the form or a fish to save the rest. Hence He was praised as Arapaleeswarar, the one who joined the fishes cut by the devotee.