Spiritual tourism: A tranquil haven
Puducherry is a place of diverse faiths where followers of different religions find peace and solace in the many places of worship - temples, churches and mosques
In and around Puducherry there are a as many as 350 temples – big and small. Neighbouring Karaikal has another 99. Some were built by the Chola kings between the 10th and 12th centuries. You can locate the architecturally fine sight of the Sri Gokilambar Thirukameswara Temple, 10 km from Puducherry.
Thirunallar Temple
The world famous Thirunallar Temple (Shani Temple) is situated in Karaikal. Thirunallar is 5 km west of Karaikal. The sanctum sanctorum of Lord Dharbaraneswarar Temple holds Siva as the main deity. However, its shrine dedicated to Saneeswaran (Saturn) which figures in the story of Nala-Damayanthi; makes this the most famous Saturn Temple in India. The blessings of Saturn are said to be overwhelming, while its wrath causes great misery. The temple hosts a mammoth festival (Shani Peyarchi), each time Saturn moves from one sign of the zodiac to another. This town is also an ideal base for pilgrims wanting to visit the other eight Navagraha temples situated in Tamil Nadu. The temple experiences at least 30,000 pilgrims/tourists on every Saturday and at the Sani peyarchi, a festival held every two and a half years, at least five lakh people gather.
The Varadaraja Temple (12th century) in Puducherry is the most important Vishnu temple in town. Vedapureeswarar Temple built in 18th century houses a Siva shrine, stone inscriptions and a swayambhulinga. Manakkula
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