After his war with Surapadman at Tiruchendur, the story goes, Murugan came to this hill to let his anger subside, and the name Tiruttani is often explained as the place where anger was quenched. Here he also married Valli, the daughter of a hill-tribe chief, after wooing her in the guise of a hunter. Tradition identifies Tiruttani with the fifth abode of Tirumurugatruppadai, the hills where Murugan dances.
Murugan stands here holding a vajra, the thunderbolt, instead of his usual spear, and an elephant rather than a peacock faces him: Airavata, Indra's white elephant, said to have been given to Murugan in gratitude. The same iconography is found at Swamimalai. The temple has a nine-tiered gopuram, four enclosures and a sacred tank, Kalhara Theertham, at the top of the hill.
The 365 steps up Thanigai hill stand for the days of the year, and on the night of 31 December pilgrims worship them one by one in the Padi Thiruvizha, the steps festival. Aadi Krithigai, when devotees arrive carrying kavadi and flowers, is the biggest festival. The temple is a couple of hours' drive west of Chennai and is run by the HR&CE Department.
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