Thirumalai Kovil, Panpoli

Thirumalai Kovil is a hilltop temple to Murugan at Panpoli near Sengottai in Tenkasi district, set on a small hill ringed by the Western Ghats near the Kerala border, about 100 km from Thiruvananthapuram. Coconut groves and small villages surround it. A path of 625 steps leads up, and a road now also reaches the top. The deity is known as Thirumalai Kumarasamy, and the temple, a Vaippu Sthalam, is associated with the Vishakha nakshatra; a shrine to Thirumalai Kali Amman stands within the premises.

The present temple was built by Sivakami Ammaiyar (about 1784–1854), a devotee from a wealthy family of Achanputhur. Childless, she was advised by the Muslim holy man Walar Masthan to serve Murugan on the hill, and Murugan is said to have appeared in her dream asking for a temple; she sold all her property to build it. Thai Pusam, in January–February, is the annual festival.