Swamimalai

Swamimalai is a panchayat town that is a suburb near Kumbakonam in Thanjavur District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the banks of river Kaveri and is the site of the fourth of the six abodes of the Hindu deity Murugan (Kartikeya).

==Mythology== According to Hindu mythology, Murugan is described to explain the meaning of pranava mantra (Om) to father Shiva, the site of which is regarded to be Swamimalai in regional tradition. In the Murugan temple of the town, Murugan is depicted as a guru (teacher) and Shiva listening as shishya (disciple) in the gopuram of the temple complex. The form of Murugan is known by the epithet Swaminathan and Tagapan Swami in this site.