The first of the six abodes, ~8 km from Madurai, is the rock-cut hill shrine where Murugan wedded Deivanai (Devasena), daughter of Indra, after vanquishing the demon Surapadman. Honoured as the site of the divine marriage, it is the great Panguni Uthiram kshetram. Carved into the Parankundram hill, its sanctums to Murugan, Durga, Vishnu and Vinayaka lie deep within living rock. Sung in Nakkeerar's Thirumurugatrupadai and Arunagirinathar's Thiruppugazh, it is counted first among the Arupadai Veedu.
