Tirtha (holy place) in the Tamil Nadu highlands, 75 km from
Madras.
It is known for one of the six temples dedicated to Murugan,
a hill god who was integrated into the pantheon as a version of Skanda.
Tiruttani is famous for being the location where he married
his tribal wife Valli, giving him a family link to southern India.
The identities of five of these temples are certain and
distributed around the state, while the sixth is supposed to be every other
Murugan shrine in Tamil Nadu.
Murugan's worship is therefore a symbol of Tamil pride and
identity, and since the number six connotes completeness—as in the six
directions or the six chakras in the subtle body—it also implies that nothing
outside is required.
See Fred Clothey, "Pilgrimage Centers in the Tamil
Cultus of Murukan," Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol. 40,
No. 1, 1972, for further information.
