Pariyur Kondathu Kaliamman Temple

Pariyur Kondathu Kaliamman Temple

Arulmigu Kondathu Kaliamman Temple is an Amman temple located at Pariyur near Gobichettipalayam in Tamil Nadu, India. There are other temples, namely Sri Amarapaneeswarar Temple, Sri Adinarayana Perumal Temple and Sri Angalamman Temple nearby.

Pariyur Kondathu Kaliamman Temple is dedicated to Kali, the alterego of Parvathi. Parvathi is the simplest form of Sakthi and the consort of Shiva. Kali is the aggressive form of Parvathi.

In Kongunadu, one can find Kali temples along with Shiva and Vishnu temples in the vicinity. This conglomeration in Kongunadu is a great example of its unity of divided Hinduism sects of Saivam, Vaishnavam and Saktham. Pariyur-amman temple is located in the midst of ever rolling green carpet fields. This beautiful location and the unending peace should be experienced than explained.

Pariyur kondhathu kaliyamman temple is one of the famous and ancient one because the name of pari (king) .The no of deities available like Kondhathu kaliyamman, Amaravidangaperuman, Adhinarayanaperumal, Angalamman etc. Pariyur is one of the famous places in kongu nadu. The name of pariyur is "Parapuri" is located by Pariyur, Gobichettipalayam, and Erode (DT).

History

The history of the temple dates centuries back. The exact date of establishment is unknown and the current temple was built in the mid 1950s. The place was previously known as Azhagapuri or Parapuri and the name Pariyur came from 'Pari' 'oor' meaning, 'place ruled by Pari'. Vēl Pāri was a great king who is considered in Tamil literature as one of the Kadai ēzhu vallal (literally meaning, the last of the seven great patrons). Arulmigu Kondathu Kaliamman is a powerful Goddess who was the deity responsible for the prosperity of the country ruled by Pari.

The existing temple was built around mid 50's of the 20th century. Hearsay reports cannot confirm the presence of a better temple in the immediate past. However, the numerous stone carved pillars and the fantastic art work cannot be ignored. The main Lion mount opposite the Goddess has a swirling stone ball in its mouth which cannot be taken out. How did it go in then? This is one of the better proof of the art work.

The temple is located on a South to North axis with the Goddess facing North. Rajagopuram lies at the South corner. On entering through the Rajagopuram, one would reach the Maha Ganapathy Saptha Kannigai and Pon Kaliamman temples. Next to these Devasthaanams is Kanavaala Ganathy. This Ganapathy is installed and maintained by the Kanavaala community people of Pudupalayam. Maha Muniappan is located on the North West corner of the temple.

The Maha Kundam, which is the remains of the Kundam festival where people walk on fire, leads to the entrance of Mahamandapam. The Lion mount faces the goddess and Neeli and Sooli guarding the entrance. The Goddess, though the aggressive form of Kali, has a very peaceful look. Hearsay reports suggest that a Chakra has been installed for pacifying the Goddess. The Parivara Sakthi's dots the black polished granite Sanctum Sanctorum. The Urchava Sakthi is in the south eastern end of the sanctum sanctorum.

A great Shiva temple built entirely in Rajasthan marbles, a beautiful Vishnu temple and Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple within the Shiva temple needs to be visited for devotion to flare up in one's mind.

Architecture

The Amman temple has a five storey main Gopuram at the South corner and an outer mandapam covering the inner sanctum made of black marble. There are intricate carvings on the pillars of the temple including a ball shaped of single stone inside the lion's mouth. The lion is considered the main vahana (vehicle) of the Goddess. The goddess facing north wears a crown of fire and is seen stamping a demon under her feet. Rudra is believed to be on the head of the Goddess. The temple also has shrines dedicated to Siddhi Vinayagar, Sri Pon Kaliamman and Kannimar.

There is a colossal statue of Sri Maha Muniappan, who is regarded as the savior against fear and evil apart from granting boons for bearing children. The divine ropes offered to Sri Maha Muniappan and Sri Kondathu Kali are considered to provide protection against evil and ill health. Apart from this, there are deities of Kaval Deivam (Guardian Deities), Brahma and other Gods/Goddess. Inside the temple, one can see the statues of Brammahi, Maheshwari, Gowmari, Vaishnavi, Mahendri and Chamundi. There is an urchavar statue normally referred to as 'Chinna Amman' which is the miniature of the main Goddess.

Schedule and Puja

The temple is open from 6 am to 1 pm and from 4 pm to 8 pm. Abisegam and Puja is performed thrice daily on a normal day at 5.00 am, 11.00 am and at 5.00 pm. Archanai is performed all the time and Prasadham can be got from a stall dedicated to it.

  Pooja Timings

Pooja	Timings
Vizha pooja	06:00 A.M
Kalai sandhi pooja	09:00 A.M
Siru kalai sandhi pooja	10:30 A.M
Noon pooja	12.00 P.M
Malai kaala pooja	05:00 P.M
Artha sama pooja	07.00 P.M

SPECIAL POOJA'S

SPECIAL POOJAS	TAMIL MONTH
Kudamulukku Aanduvizha	Chithrai
Siththiri Therthiruvizha	Chithrai
Aani thirumanjana vizha	Aani
Annabisheka vizha	Aippasi
Karthikai Deepam	Karthika
Aarunthira Dharisanam	Margazhi
Maga Sivarathiri vizha	Masi

Special practices

To decide on things, people around the area ask the decision of the Goddess through a special practice known as "Vaaku Kettal". They keep flowers on both the sides of the Goddess Kaliamman and the decision depends upon the flower which falls from the statue. The Goddess is specially dressed in sandal paste or turmeric paste during festivities.

Marriage Ceremonies

Because of the cultural and religious importance, people prefer Pariyur for marriages of their kith and kin. People as far as from Delhi with roots in Tamil Nadu conduct their marriage rituals here. There is a marriage hall which was constructed newly at a cost of over 60 lakhs.

Fairs and festivals

The famous 'Fire Walking Ceremony' (Kundam) is held during January every year. The kundam is 40 feet in length and lakhs visit the temple during this ceremony. The annual car festival is celebrated during that with grandeur. This temple attracts a large gathering from the surrounding places all the time.

The annual festival lasts for about a month. It starts with 'poochatuthal' which marks the beginning of the festival period. About two weeks after that comes a Monday when Amman is decorated in sandal armour (santhana kaapu). A day after that Pongal is kept to honour the Goddess and ladies carry a sweet called 'pachai maavu' to be presented to the Goddess.

The famous Kundam takes place the next day (Thursday) followed by the car festival the following day (Friday). On the next day, the Goddess starts on a week-long visit to the surrounding areas in a muthu palakku or pushpa palakku (caravan of flowers). The people of the surrounding areas receive the Goddess with prayer and offerings. Then finally she returns to the temple and the festival is complete. During the festival, a lot of people visit the temple to offer their prayers. A lot of temporary shops and others come up during this period synonymous with fairs in India.

The other festivals celebrated include Navaratri when the Amman poses in nine forms, Chithirai Kani (Tamil New Year), Ambu Sevai (demonstration of Goddess killing a demon), Pongal, Adi Perukku, Pongal and other Hindu festivals. Kudu Muzhukku or Kumbhabhishekamis performed once in 12 years. A midday free meal is provided to the poor in accordance with the chief minister's free anna dhaanam project. The goddess is taken for a procession on a golden chariot, around the temple premises every evening There are two large temple cars which are taken for procession during the annual festivities. The temple cars are usually used for the procession during the festival times. A Golden armor or 'Kavacha' is also being made for the Goddess.

Because of cultural and religious importance, people prefer Pariyur for marriages. There is a marriage hall which was constructed newly at a cost of over 60 lakhs.

Contact

THE EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Arulmigu Kondathu Kaliamman Temple,

Pariyur, 

Gobichettipalayam-(Tk),

Erode - (DT). 

Phone: 04285-291022 / 04285-222010

Mobile: +91 86100 10254

Website

http://www.pariyurkondathukaliamman.org/

Filmography

The temple is famous for the films that were shot here. Many Tamil and Malayalam films have been shot in and around the temple.

Connectivity

Pariyur is situated on the highway connecting Gobichettipalayam & Anthiyur.

Bus services are available frequently from Gobichettipalayam. To get there by road, reach Gobichettipalayam and travel further 3 km to reach Pariyur. By rail, reach Erode (40 km) and then travel by road via Gobichettipalayam. The nearest airport is Coimbatore, 85 km away.