உச்சிப்பிள்ளையார் கோயில் (மலைக்கோட்டை)Rockfort Ucchi Pillaiyar Temple

Sthala Mahātmyam

The Ucchi Pillaiyar temple crowns the summit of the ancient Rockfort in Tiruchirappalli, reached by a long flight of steps cut into the 83-metre granite outcrop. The shrine is bound to the Sri Ranga Mahatmyam legend of the Ranganatha idol that Rama gave to Vibhishana of Lanka, on the condition it never be set on the ground, lest it take root there. As Vibhishana bathed in the Kaveri, Ganesha, disguised as a cowherd boy, placed the idol down, fixing Ranganatha forever at Srirangam, and then fled up this hill. When the enraged Vibhishana struck the boy's forehead, Ganesha revealed himself; devotees point to a mark on the deity's brow as the spot of that blow. Thus the 'Pillaiyar on the summit' (ucchi = top) commemorates the divine ruse that won Srirangam its Ranganatha. The rock was first cut by the Pallavas and the shrines completed under the Madurai Nayaks. Vinayaka Chaturthi is the chief festival, when pilgrims climb to the hilltop for darshan and sweeping views of the temple town below.