பரபடல இலககயததல தரபபரஙகனறம: வழபடடறகம அகவழவககமன பணபடட நலவள: Thiruparankundram in Paripatal Literature: A Cultural Landscape for Worship and Love

This article attempts to explore the ancient landscape of Thiruparankundram, which dates back two thousand years, through the literature of Paripatal. The classical Tamil text Paripadal describes the geological structure of the city of Madurai, which is a part of Tamil Nadu, the history of the gods worshipped there, the methods of worship and human love. In it, the connection between the landscape of Thiruparankundram, a hilly place which is a part of Madurai, and the ancient Tamil people is essential. The life experiences of the ancient Tamil people are related to nature. Therefore, the natural environment of Thiruparankundram, the inexhaustible spring water and the creatures that lived there have been the reason for the connection between the land and the people. Moreover, since the mountain was a place beloved by humans in Tamil Nadu, that landscape has merged with the life of the Tamil people. According to Tamil tradition, a mountain-based place is beloved by humans. Since Murugan was seen as the god of the land and love, they converted Thiruparankundram into the abode of Murugan. Therefore, the cultural landscape of the temple, which emerged based on the nature and worship of Murugan, reveals the temple as a symbol of love. The relationship that the ancient Tamil people had with the cultural landscape of Thiruparankundram, the natural elements of the land, and their integration of it with their lives has been documented in the form of paripatal poems.