அருள்மிகு அங்காள பரமேஸ்வரி கோயில், மேல்மலையனூர்Arulmigu Angala Parameswari Temple, Melmalayanur

Sthala Mahātmyam

The Angala Parameswari Temple at Melmalayanur, near Gingee in Viluppuram district, enshrines Angalamman, a fierce yet compassionate form of Parvati associated with Kali. The sthala legend recounts the beheading of one of Brahma's heads: to expiate the resulting Brahmahatya sin, the divine couple wandered as mendicants and finally regained peace at Melmalayanur, where the Goddess bathed in the sacred tank and settled. Angalamman is revered as a guardian who removes sins, cures afflictions and grants progeny, and the site is historically linked with cremation grounds. The temple's signature festival is Maasi Magam / Mayana Kollai — the 'looting of the cremation ground' — held the day after the full moon following Maha Shivaratri. Devotees, some dressed and painted as Angalamman, Kali or ghouls, enter a trance and perform fierce rituals; offerings of cooked rice are burned on the ground as vows, and the Goddess is believed to grant boons to those who fulfil them. Vast crowds gather for this dramatic night of exorcism and healing.