Agastyamalai

This mountain falls in the Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts of Tamil Nadu and the Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts of Kerala. It is a pilgrim center, where devotees come to worship sage Agasthya. Agasthya was a Dravidian sage and is considered to be one of the seven rishis (saptarishi) of Hindu mythology. The Tamil language is considered to be a boon from Agasthya. There is a statue of Agasthya at the top of the peak and the devotees can render poojas themselves.

The most famous legend regarding the mountain relates to Agasthya and the marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvathi on Mount Kailasha. When the wedding was announced, all the Gods, rishis, and people migrated north to the Himalayas. As a result, the earth went off balance and became dangerously wobbly. With disaster looming, Lord Shiva asked Agasthya to go south and balance the situation through meditation. He meditated and prayed on the mountain that now bears his name and once again put the world in balance.