Namakkal Anjaneyar Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Salem Airport is the nearest, 52 km away. Trichy and Coimbatore airports are 85 km and 153 km away.

• By train

  Namakkal is on the broad-gauge Salem to Karur line, which opened on 25 May 2013. Trains also run daily to and from Bangalore, Dindigul, Palani, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil, Pollachi and Palakkad.

• By road

  National Highway 44 connects Namakkal with the rest of India.

Why devotees come here

Namakkal Anjaneyar Temple stands in Namakkal town, Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu, and is dedicated to Hanuman. Its 18 ft image of Anjaneyar is carved from a single stone and is one of the tallest Hanuman images in India.

Anjaneyar is the local name for Hanuman, and the temple in Namakkal is dedicated to him. The image is 18 ft (5.5 m) tall and carved from a single stone. It is believed to date from the 5th century. It is one of the tallest Hanuman images in India.

Legend says Lakshmi asked Hanuman to bring her a view of Vishnu in the form of Narasimha. He was carrying an image made of Saligram stones, and Lakshmi placed it here. The spot grew into a hill before Hanuman could return. Devotees believe the statue keeps growing, and a priest is said to have set a magic needle on its head to stop it.

The temple has a flat gateway tower and a pillared hall that leads to the sanctum. The sanctum has no roof, and it faces the Narasimha shrine in the foothills, 130 m (430 ft) away. The image wears a sword at its waist and holds a garland made of Saligram stones.

Festivals

• Panguni month (March to April)Panguni Uthiram

  A fifteen-day festival when the deities are taken around the streets of the temple.

Tips for your visit

• The sanctum has no roof, so the image stands open to the sky.
• The Namagiri Amman shrine sits within the Narasimha Swamy temple complex, so it is part of the same site.

Questions people ask