Arulmigu Manakula Vinayagar Temple, Pondicherry

The brightly painted gopuram of this temple attracts instant attention of the visitors, but there’s more to Arulmigu Manakula Vinayagar Temple than its vibrant exterior and stunning architecture. Built more than 350 years ago, this ancient temple is dedicated to Lord Ganesha and draws devotees from all over Pondicherry and beyond. One of the unique aspects of this Ganesh temple in Pondicherry is that the deity here is seen in the company of his two consorts, Riddhi and Siddhi, which is a rare thing to witness.

As per the Hindu scriptures, Lord Ganesha’s name is chosen from the 16 types of his forms. As such, the idol in this Pondicherry temple is named Bhuvaneshar Ganapathy. However, due to the location of the temple near the sea, it came to be known as Manal Kulathu Vinayagar. Manal means sand and Kulam means pond in Tamil. Later, it was named as Manakula Vinayagar.

An imposing structure, the architecture of this Pondicherry Ganesh temple follows the Dravidian style, as is commonly seen in the temples of South India.