History

First ever Medical school in the world is understood to have been established at Thoranamalai.
Thoranamalai temple is situated in the District of Tenkasi, near Kadayam on the laps of Mother Nature at her best in Kurinji Lands, more precisely described poetically as forested terrain rich with verdant slopes, flowers, birds, bees and wildlife. The poems of this land abound with an energy and enthusiasm characteristic of a people who thrive in the wildness of nature. Its modern day location corresponds to the western and Eastern Ghats in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. In this most pleasing ambiance on a hillock in a cave is Lord Murugan is in a standing posture blessing the devotees.
The temple is a place of antiquity. If a temple excels in spiritual form and grace then it must have been inhabited by Siddhars. The temple, which is associated with the Adi Siddhars, is still famous for its devotional ecstasy. This way, Thoranamalai is the site of Thoranagiri Siddhars. In addition, the idol of Lord Murugan in the temple was worshipped by the Siddhars.
This was the venue of the First ever Medial School………. also, many would be surprised, if this was the first place where a school was located.
These days we go to Schools, Colleges and Universities for education. In the earlier times, children learned the lessons sitting in the shades of verandah’s or in the shade of woods. In earlier times, the Gurukal was the School and Academy. At that time, in the beginning, the mountains and hilly areas were the location of these schools. In that order, Thoranagiri is the place where the world’s first ever medical school was started.
According to Sh. S K D P Kamaraj, a Sidha Medical Research Scholar, the hill station was once a Medical School and research center offering many degrees. He did not make this comment blindly, but, shows evidence for his sayings through the ancient writings by the great Siddhars. He gives examples of this especially from the writings of Agasthiyaa Muni.
The coming of Agathiyaa Muni…
When Lord Shiva’s marriage took place on Kailaya Hill, the Hindu Mythology cites, The North (northern hemisphere) went down and the South (southern hemisphere) rose up !! Kurumuni was sent by Lord Shiva to the south to level the world. Kumbhamuni was an Agathiyar known as Agathisar. When he came from the North and settled in Tendisai (South), it was Lord Shiva named Datsinamoorthy who taught Tamil, the original first language of the Adi Language.
Later, when Agathiyar was in a state of enlightment on the Bodhi Hill, he learned Tamil from Lord Murugan, the Tamil God, and wrote the first Tamil grammar, Agathiyam, after learning the meaning of Pranava. It was only after that, that Tolkappiyar gave a grammar book to Tamil. Although, Agathiyam is now invisible, the work of his disciple Tolkappiyar is still a subject of Tamil Grammar.
Agathiyar, who wrote a grammar for Tamil, was involved in the Paranormal Medical research of Tamil Medicine so that the people of the world could live without disease. Tamil medicine is not the same as medical education. One can become a complete paranormal medical scholar only if he has mastered all the philosophies of the movement from this earth to the sky. For this Agathiyar has studied and identified more than one lakh planets. He has given us the book “Agathiyaa Vaithiya Sekaram”, with medical notes, herbal tips and irrigation tips that he has researched.




Agathiyar had many disciples. He commissioned his best disciples to do research in various fields such as Astronomy, Geology, Mathematics, Chemistry and Botany. According to the research, Agathiyar also divided the paranormal medical curriculum. In that syllabus, Tamil language grammar was taught as the first course. Then there were there types of astrology and paranormal study, astronomy as Part One and as Part Two, Mountains, Herbals, Herbal rudimental philosophy, chemical research and its empirical research training, herbal & hymnal practices, empirical methods, ointments. The syllabus was divided into medicinal and parasitic treatments such as metalwork and conjunctivitis, herbal remedies in trinity & herbal remedies. Specialty medical courses included disinfection, detoxification, aorta, physiology, fiber, muscle, ivory, blood, theology, hypnosis, nephrology, nasal, ear, dermatology to name a few. In addition, the researcher Kamaraj says that all six levels of learning were taught in terms of creativity and wisdom.
After formulating such a complete syllabus, Agathiyar started a Siddha Medical Pandit School in Thoranagiri called Thoranamalai. The song explaining this is in the Agathiyya Medical Collection, quoted hereunder :

“மாமலரால் திருமாலுடனே வாணிமாமலரால்திருமாலுடன வாணி
மலைமகளாம்அம்பிகையாள் நின்றபாதம்மலைமகளாம் அம்பிகையாள் நின்ற பாதம்
குஞ்சரமும் ஆறுமுகனை அளித்தான்தனைகுஞ்சரமும் ஆறுமுகனை அளித்தான்தனை
ஆலமதில் ஆற்றாதும் போற்றல் செய்துஆலமதில் ஆற்றாதும் பாற்றல்செய்து
பொங்குறவே தோரணகிரி ஒட்டிபொங்குறவதாரணகிரி ஒட்டி
பயிற்சி முகாம் அதனின் தனமிசைபயிற்சி முகாம் அதனின் தனமிசை
தெளிவு காண ஆரல்சார் தேயம் ஒட்டிதெளிவு காண ஆரல்சார் தயம்ஒட்டி
ஆரம்ப பண்டித சித்த பயிற்சியத்தின்ஆரம்ப பண்டித சித்த பயிற்சியத்தின்
குருகுல வாசமதின் தோரணத்தின் வரிசைஒட்டிகுருகுல வாசமதின் தாரணத்தின்வரிசைஒட்டி
பயிற்சி பெறும் பாடத் திட்டமிசைபயிற்சி பெறும் பாடத் திட்டமிசை
சித்தர்சார் பண்டிதத்தின் தனம் கேள்...”


Chinese nationals…
There were many Tamil Medical students from all over the world, including China, in the Thoranagiri training center called Thoranamalai. Five councils of nations were formed with Thoranagiri as its headquarters. They are Thiruvalangadu, Chidambaram, Madurai, Tirunelveli and Courtallam where Lord Shiva danced. Research councils were established here. Scholarly schools were established in various parts of the country as their branches. They were called Ilanji, Marudhamalai, Avinankudi (Palani), Kollimalai, Siddharkugai and the hill he stood on.
The song explaining this is, quoted hereunder :
“தோரணகிரி பயிற்சி முகாம் தன்னில்
தொடர்துவாய் ஆங்காங்கே
அவைசார்பாக கூடமெனும்
கனகஅவை தில்லையாக, ரசித அவை
கயல்விழி எல்லை ஒட்டி
தாம்பர அவை காந்திமதி எல்லை
இரத்தின அவை என திருஆலங்காடு
சித்திர அவை கூடமெனு அசலம்சார்
குன்று ஒட்டி வரிசையதாய் கிளை
பலவும் தோரணகிரி இலஞ்சி ஒட்டி
அசலம்சார் குன்றுதனில்
மருதமலை, ஆவினன்குடி, சித்தர்குகை
அவன் அவளாய் நின்ற மலை
கொள்ளிமலை எனபல நிலையில்
தோரணகிரி பயிற்சி முகாம்
என அமைப்பை ஒட்டி
சித்தம் சார் பண்டிதத்தை பயிற்சி
பெற பண்டித பாடத்திட்டம் கேள்...”
The scholar S K D P Kamaraj points out that the course has been divided into two six years course and two separate medical degrees were issued for each course.
Cervical Surgery….
It was during this period that Agathiyar performed Cervical Surgery on King Kasivarman for a chronic headache. Agathiyar, hired a disciple Theraiyar, who was very helpful to him to do herbal research. He also stayed at Thoranamalai in Thoranagiri and established an ashram where he researched herbs and rendered excellent medical service. At that time, at the request of Agathiyar, Theraiyar carved an idol and worshipped the Tamil God Thirumuruga. After that Theraiyar, reached the state of Samadhi at Thoranagiri. Overtime, worship stopped there and the idol of Lord Murugan disappeared.
Thousands of years passed and Thiru N Perumal, Grand Father of Thiru Athinarayanan said Lord Murugan had appeared in his dream and told him that he was in Thoranamalai drowned in the swamp and that he should retrieve him and build a temple for the idol and worship him. Accordingly, he came there, retrieved Lord Murugan idol from the swamp and established him in the cave and worshipped him.
In 1970, Thiru Athinarayanan took over as the administrator of the Thoranamalai Temple. As a school teacher, he spent all his time in Thoranamalai except his working hours. The temple at that time was popular only in nearby surroundings of Kadayam and he intended to spread the fame of the temple and was wondering, how to go about it.

In early 1970s, cinema was the sole entertainment for people. So, Thiru Athinarayanan arranged to put slides about Thoranamalai Murugan in cinema theatres. For this, he travelled around on the bicycle he had. He visited every cinema theater in the neighboring cities and met the theater owners and said to them “I am from Thoranamalai,”, they would ask, “if you need any money”, for which his response was, just a request to display few slides on Thoranamalai in the theatre during intervals and help in propagating and popularizing Thoranamalai… Everybody was happy to cooperate and the render this favor as it did not have any financial burden on them and they happily agreed to display / show slides on Thoranamalai during the recess break.
This is how, the fame of Thoranamalai was spread to various districts. The most celebrated event in the temple during those days was the auspicious Vaikasi Visakha Festival. Huge crowd from nearby villages visited the temple for the day long poojas on this occasion. Thiru Athinarayanan, was wondering on what more could be done for the comfortable overnight stay devotees on such occasions. For this, Thiru Athinarayanan, met the proprietors of TP Sokkalal Beedi Company and explained to them about the huge gathering of devotees during Vaikasi Pooja and requested them to screen movies for free, for the gathering in the night at the sprawling open space near the temple. The proposal was accepted by the proprietors of T P Sokkalal Beedi. This was most welcome by the nearby village people and they enjoyed it.
From then on Vaikasi Visakha festival attracted huge gathering of devotees and following the Poojas, people started staying overnight in the temple. Thiru Athinarayanan proposed constructing a small art gallery / drama stage for performing arts and T P Sokkalal Beedi company, built an art gallery for performing arts and arranged for performance on that stage. Plays were also staged there. Thiru Murugan High School near Kadayam, availed this facility and performed various stage plays on this stage for the public on Vaikasi Visakha festival. In the meantime, many from cinema industry became of the scenic spots in and around Thoranamalai and came here to perform on stage and schootings. As the popularity of Thoranamalai spread out, many started visiting the temple not only from Tamil Nadu, but, from other nearby states too.



As popularity increased, in addition to visitors from nearby villages, there were more visitors from nearby cities too to Thoranamalai increased. They could not climb the hill easily for the dharsan main deity of Lord Murugan on top of the hill, the reason being the path to hill top was not uniform and smooth and one had to climb up treading on small rocks and through small bushes. Thiru Athinarayanan, sought help from many well wishers and laid the pathway, steps from the base to the summit, for the comfort of the visiting devotees. This helped devotees of all age to reach the summit in comfort.
In the recent years Dr Dharmaraj from Aavdayanoor has implemented various development activities in Thoranamalai for the comfort and ease of devotees in reaching the summit. He has renovated the Lakshmi Theertham on the hill and facilitated the pilgrimage.
Every landmark in this serene scenic temple stands in memory of Thiru Athinarayanan, who lived his life for the temple and reached it to its present stage, till he breathed his last in December, 2019. Subsequent to the demise of Thiru Athinarayanan, his elder son Shenbakaraman is running the administration of the temple. He is canvassing on the glorious history of the temple in major cities and with best of efforts, in addition to Vaikasi Visakam pooja, the Thaipoosam festival is also celebrated with all enthusiasm, including Thirukalyanam for Lord Murugan and the deity is procession in the neighbouring villages.
At the foot of the hill, Lord Ganesa sits in a dense oasis of Trees blessing the devotees.
The temple and its sourrounding have natural swamps (Sonai), which is filled with natural spring waters all through the year. Daily Annadhan is extended for the devotees.

Written by Balan, Kadayam
News Editor (Retd), Daily Thanthi, Pondicherry.,
Contact : Shenbagaraman ,
Mobile Phone Number 9965762002.