Tiruttani Murugan Temple
திருத்தணி முருகன் கோயில்
The fifth of Murugan's six abodes, on Thanigai hill in Tiruvallur district, where Murugan is said to have cooled his anger after the war with Surapadman and married Valli. 365 steps lead to the top.
Then & Now
Tiruttani Murugan Temple through the centuries
2026 Today
Pilgrims climb 365 steps or drive up the ghat road, and the hill glows with lamps on the night of the steps festival.
Heritage Passport
Stamp No. 33 ௩௩
In your passport
Be within 500 m of the monument to collect this stamp.
Sign in to collectThe hill of calm
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.
An elephant, not a peacock
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.
A step for every day
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.
Timeline
c. 200 CE
Identified with the fifth abode of Tirumurugatruppadai
1300s
Arunagirinathar sings of Tiruttani in Tiruppugazh
Today
Active temple under the HR&CE Department
Key Facts
Gallery
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Visiting etiquette
- Dress
- Modest clothing is expected: shoulders and knees covered. Veshti/dhoti or trousers with a shirt for men, and saree or churidar with dupatta for women are ideal.
- Footwear
- If you climb the steps, leave footwear at the stands at the foot of the hill; otherwise leave it at the stands by the hilltop entrance.
- Photography
- Camera phones are not allowed inside the temple; deposit them at the counter near the entrance (₹5 under the HR&CE rules from 1 September 2026). Photography is never permitted in the sanctum.
- Entry
- Entry is free; paid special-darshan tickets are sold at the counters and can be booked through the temple's HR&CE website. Only Hindus may enter the sanctum.
- Timings
- Usually open from about 06:00 to 20:45, with longer hours on Krithigai days, Aadi Krithigai and the 31 December steps festival. Check locally before you go.
- Offerings
- Flowers, garlands, coconut and archana tickets are sold on the hill. During Aadi Krithigai many devotees carry flower kavadis.
- Behaviour
- Queue patiently, walk around shrines clockwise and keep your voice low near the sanctum. Please don't touch the deities, priests or ritual items, and let kavadi-bearers pass on the steps.
Visitor Information
Visiting Hours
About 06:00-20:45 (check locally; longer on festival days)
Best Time to Visit
October to March; Aadi Krithigai (July-August) for the festival
Location
Open in OpenStreetMapஉவப்பத் தலைக்கூடி உள்ளப் பிரிதல்
அனைத்தே புலவர் தொழில்.
You meet with joy, with pleasant thought you part; Such is the learned scholar's wondrous art!
A kural on learning
Chapter 40 · Learning
Book: Wealth
Uvappath Thalaikkooti Ullap Piridhal / Anaiththe Pulavar Thozhil
English: G. U. Pope (1886), public domain