Thiruparankundram, Madurai

Thiruparankundram is a town located in the Madurai district about 8 km away from the city of Madurai. The town is famous for its Murugan temple and the Dargah of Hazrat Sultan Sikandar Badusha Shaheed. The dargah is located atop the Thiruparankundram hills. The Murugan temple is a temple which was carved out of a hill. The hill is considered to be one of the six holy abodes of the lord.

This ancient temple was constructed in the 8th century by the Pandya kings and it houses the shrines of several gods and goddesses, such as Lord Shiva, Goddess Durga and Lord Vishnu. The significant feature of the temple is that it is located at a spot where the sun and the moon can be seen together. It is believed that Lord Murugan got married at this temple; hence, the temple is considered auspicious for marriage ceremonies.