1500 year old Lord Shiva's Tamil Architectural Temple

Annur Manneswarar Temple is a Shiva temple located in Annur, Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, India.It is considered auspicious to have darshan of Lord Shiva at the auspicious Manneswarar Temple, and it is believed that prayers will be answered and fulfilled.

The Manneswarar Temple is about 1500 years old. Built by the Chola kings, the temple is unique in that the main deity is seated facing west.The temple is notable for its Tamil traditional architectural design, history, and religious practices, making it an important cultural and spiritual site in the region.

The temple's Rajagopuram (entrance tower) has a seven-tiered structure. On each side of the Shiva lingam inside is a wing-like shape, which represents Garuda (Vishnu's eagle vehicle). This wing-like shape signifies that Lord Shiva is closely observing our actions. The lingam also has a scar, which represents the wound caused by the hunter's weapon.

Special pujas are performed in the temple on Amavasya days. The goddess is known as Arundhavashelvi. Every Friday, the Unjal festival is celebrated, on which devotees worship her for the welfare of children. Goddess Durga is worshipped in the Shivaprakaram of the temples, but it is believed that all prayers are fulfilled favorably in the shrine of Durga.

History of the temple

If we look at the mythology, there is a story behind the creation of this temple. Many years ago, this area was densely covered with Valli plants. A hunter named Annie earned his livelihood by hunting animals in this forest. Although he considered hunting a sin, he had to do this to survive. He was not that good at any other job. One day, having failed to hunt any animal, he tried to dig up the Valli plant for its root. But even after cutting it, he found that the length of the root remained the same. Out of curiosity, he dug further and found blood oozing from the root. A voice echoed that all his sins had been forgiven.

The hunter, anxiously trying to reveal what had happened to the king of the area. The king visited the place and to his surprise, he saw a Shiva Lingam. He did his best to pull the Lingam out with a chain pulled by an elephant. But all efforts were in vain. In his dream, the Lord appeared; He advised him to abandon attempts to take it out as he wanted the Lingam to remain there. Therefore, the king built a temple at that place.

Temple Darshan Timings:

The temple is open from 6.00 AM to 1.00 PM and from 4.30 PM to 8.30 PM.

How to reach the Temple

The temple is located in Annur, 32 km from Coimbatore. All buses from Coimbatore to Sathyamangalam pass through Annur. There are also bus facilities from Tiruppur, Avinashi, Sulur. If you are traveling by plane and train, you must first reach Coimbatore and then take a bus to Annur. Apart from this, private taxi facilities are also available from Coimbatore Airport and Railway Station.

Note: All photos used in this post were taken by me on 10.02.20225, using my Vivo Y28 smartphone.