Kataragama is sacred to Lord Murugan, also familiarly known as Kartikeya. Lord Muruga has many shrines and places of worship. Among them are Alaivai, now known as Tiruchendur, a shrine on the southern coast of India about 36 miles from Tinnevelly; Avinankudi, now called as Palani Malai (Palani Hills), about the same distance from Dindigul; and Tiru-Erakam, now known as Swamimalai, a hill about four miles from Kumbakonam. Three of the shrines are situated amid mountains and forests, the deity is known as the God of the mountaneous regions.