Swamimalai is a panchayat town near Kumbakonam in Thanjavur District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the banks of river Cauvery, on the road connecting Kumbakonam and Thiruvaiyaru. It is most famous for the being one of the six "Padai Veedugal" (Battle Camps) of the Lord Murugan. The name of the town means 'God's mountain'. It has the only school that teaches the art (craft) of making bronze icons. Like the rest of this part of the Thanjavur District it is mainly an agricultural town producing rice and sugar cane. The town has one of the six (padal petra sthalangal) temples of Lord Karthikeya. It is fourth among the Padai Veedugal. The sacred story associated with this temple is that Lord Karthikeya expounds the meaning of pranavam (AUM) to His father, Lord Shiva, at this location. Hence, one can see the Lord Karthikeya depicted as Guru (teacher) and Lord Shiva listening as shishya (disciple)in the raja gopuram of the temple complex. The reinitiation and reassertion of...
