Parayadi Shri Muthukaruppannaswamy Temple is in Uthamapalayam village in Theni District, Tamil Nadu.
Parayadi Shri Muthukaruppannaswamy Temple also known as Parayadi Muthiah Temple is considered 1500 years old. The temple consists of two parts: one atop the hill and the other at the foot of the mountain.
The temple also has a spring called Parayadi Theertham, which flows all year round.
Before entering the main shrine, devotees first worship Mukthivinayaka. The sanctum sanctorum is guarded by two fierce-looking deities, Deva Bhudagan and Akasa Bhudagan, who hold sickles and maces.
The idol of Muthukaruppannaswamy in the main shrine shows him in a fierce form (Ugra Murthy). He has a mustache, holds a sickle in one hand, and stands with one leg on a witch while holding her head.
The face and chest of the idol are made of Navapashanam, the same material used for the idol of Pazhani Murugan.
Because of his fierce form, Muthukaruppannaswamy is believed to sweat a lot. Temple priests use fans to cool the deity, and a bowl of water is kept in the sanctum every night to quench his thirst. This water is given to devotees as prasadam the next morning.
Long ago, there was a Shiva temple on the hill. Muthukaruppannaswamy protected Lord Shiva from a witch who tried to take him away. He killed the witch and chose to stay on the hill after that.
Over time, the original Shiva temple disappeared, and people began worshipping Muthukaruppannaswamy instead. A temple was built for him.
The temple is called Parayadi Muthiah Temple because “Parai” means rock in Tamil, and Muthukaruppannaswamy lives under a rock there.
Unlike many other temples, daily abhishekam (ritual anointing) is not performed here. Instead, on New Moon Days, the deity is coated with a special mixture of ashes made from Darba grass, sandalwood, rosewater, civet, and five types of oil. On Full Moon Days, the deity is anointed with butter.
On Shivaratri, special prayers are performed throughout the night. The prasadam for this festival is Vazhai Mattai (banana tree bark), which is believed to bless families with children. The daily prasadam offered in the temple is a sweet pudding (payasam).
