Vennaimalai Murugan Temple, Karur

The Balasubramaniyaswamy Temple, better known as Vennaimalai Murugan Temple, stands in Vennaimalai village on the edge of Karur, along the Karur–Pugalur road. Its legend tells that when Brahma, humbled by Shiva for his pride, went away to do penance to Murugan, the divine cow Kamadhenu took over the work of creation and is believed to have made a hill of butter, vennai in Tamil, and the sacred tank from her milk. The temple was built by Thinnappa Chettiar of Karur.

A flight of steps climbs to the raised shrine, entered through a three-tiered rajagopuram. A tall granite pillar at the foot of the hill lines up with the sanctum, where Balasubramaniyaswamy is enshrined; a shrine facing it holds his parents as Kasi Viswanathar and Visalakshi, and a Vinayaga shrine sits at the foothills. The tank, Thenu Theertham, lies outside. The temple opens 6 am to noon and 5 to 8.30 pm, serves lunch to devotees daily, and celebrates Panguni Uthiram, Thai Poosam and Karthikai. The district administration counts it among Karur's prominent tourist attractions.