Name: Coimbatore
Rating: 3.2

Eachanari Vinayagar Temple, Coimbatore Overview

Within half an hour's drive from the city of Coimbatore stands the shrine of Vinayagar at Eachanari dedicated to the Elephant God Ganesh. The temple follows typical Dravidian style architecture and is imbibed with a peaceful spiritual vibe around it. The story of the deity follows a myth that has been passed down from one generation to the next.

The tale of a cart getting stuck in the mud and a temple being created as per the God's wish a common and recurring folklore heard in many places all around India. It is more or less the same here as well. Needless to say that the temple celebrates the birth date of the deity every year with lots of grandeur and invites more people than any other day.

Ganesh Chaturthi is a busy time in this temple. Devotees flock here to show their devotion to Lord Ganesh every day, and the more pious and devout ones choose the early morning Homam yajna or fire ritual to attend. This is a costly affair, to both perform the offerings as well as to witness, because it is one of the most sacred forms of offerings done in any Hindu temple.

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Eachanari Vinayagar Temple Diety and Architecture

The temple is built in the Dravidian style of architecture which you can see all over south India. The spire rises in layers, with many Hindu gods and goddesses and sacred animals and other motifs inscribed on it as per tradition. The deity's face is black with a tilak on the forehead - typical to idols in the South Indian temple. The idol towers from a height of 6 feet and is 3 feet in diameter. The body of the deity was plated with bright gold in 2004.

Legend of Eachanari Vinayagar Temple

Folklore says that the temple exists from 1500 century, though there are no valid records of who constructed the structure or performed pujas in it back then. Legend also says that the idol image of Vinayagar or Ganesh was being taken to the Pateeswarar Temple in Perur in western Coimbatore. Pateeswarar is a shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva, so one can assume that Ganesh being the son of Shiva as per Hindu mythology, the two deities were being brought together. However, the story takes a turn here. Apparently, the cart in which the Vinayagar idol was being transported for installation from Coimbatore broke down near this place at Eachanari and got seated into the soil right where the temple stands. It became impossible to recover the cart and move on, and hence the devotees took it as the Lord's wish to reside here. That is how the temple came into existence.

History of Eachanari Vinayagar Temple

The temple had its first sacred consecration or kumbhabhishekam in 1977 and the second and last one in 1990. A final and special one was done in 2004 where the deity was wrapped with gold plating to give it a more majestic look. Earlier, in 1998, the temple got a golden chariot donated by the trustees.

Eachanari Vinayagar Temple Festivals

Ganesh Chaturthi
Like every temple dedicated to Lord Ganesh, Eachanari Vinayagar temple also celebrates the birthdate of the deity on Ganesh Chaturthi with much pomp. Held in the Tamil month of Avani or Sharavana, which falls at mid-July to mid-August, the festival takes place. The temple premise is decorated beautifully, and the footfall is also much more.

Tamil New Year
Tamil New Year marks the beginning of the upcoming year of agricultural prosperity on 14th of April. The day which represents the first day of the first month Chithirai as per the Tamil calendar is called Baishakhi in North India. The festival is named Puthandu and is celebrated in the Vinayagar temple with a tray arranged with three fruits - mango, banana and jackfruit, betel leaves (paan) and betel nuts or areca nuts (supari) along with flowers, a mirror, gold or silver jewellery and some money as Dakshina. This is offered to Lord Ganesh the first thing in the morning. Ganesh or Vinayagar being the god of prosperity, the devotees hope to be blessed with a smooth year ahead with opulence and no glitches.

Aadi Perukku
The Ashadh month or Aadi, as Tamils call it, is the month of monsoon in India. Aadi Peukku is the celebration of the rising water levels in the rivers and lakes that support the extensive agriculture of Tamil Nadu. Women gather in the temple to performs pujas to mark the onset of monsoon on the 18th of Aadi month, which falls around 2nd-3rd August.

Deepavali or Diwali
Deepavali or Diwali is celebrated across the nation as the victory of good over evil. In Tamil, locals burn crackers to mark the defeat of evil demon Narakasura in the hands of Lord Krishna, on the 14th day of the month of Aippasi. They begin the day by visiting temples of Lord Ganesh, Shiv and Vishnu.

Thai Pongal and Thai Pusam
Pongal and Pusam are both celebrated in the Tamil month of Thai and falls quite close to each other in January. Pongal is the harvest festival, and all the gods of prosperity, like Murugan, sun god Vinayagar are worshipped alike. Pusam is the victory of gods and men over the army of the asuras.

Pooja at Eachanari Vinayagar Temple

The main attraction for devotees in the Eachanari Vinayagar temple is the daily Ganapathi Homam or the sacred fire ritual. To perform one, a devotee has to deposit INR 15000 in the bank account of the temple, whose interests will be utilised for the Homam throughout the year, in whatever way requested by the devotee.

The chariot procession around the temple also takes place every day where the devotees can participate or simply witness.

Ganapathy Homam- 5:30 AM
Moolavar (deity) Abishegam- 6:30 AM
Alangaram- 7:30 AM
Utchikala Poojai- 12:00 PM
Annadhanam- 12:15 PM
Abishegam- 6:30 PM
Thanga Thear (chariot procession)- 7:15 PM

Pooja tickets
There are different prices for tickets to witness each event in the temple.
Ganapathy Homam: INR 1500
Drawing the chariot: INR 1600
Gold Kavasam Alangaram: INR 750
Special Entrance: INR 10
Abhishegam: INR 10/ INR 900
Milk Abhishegam: INR 150
Archana: INR 2

Best Time To Visit Eachanari Vinayagar Temple

The winter months from November to February are cooler down south and thus are perfect for a visit. Otherwise, if you want to witness the temple in all its glory, visit during the time of Ganesh Chaturthi.

How To Reach Eachanari Vinayagar Temple

The busy city of Coimbatore is only 12 kilometres away and does not take longer than half an hour to drive. You can easily hire a cab or a car, and it will drop you off at the temple on the Coimbatore - Pollachi road. There is an issue of traffic and lack of immediate parking, so it is suggested that you do not drive yourself.