Thirumakkottai

Thrirmakkottai is a village in Mannargudi municipality in Thiruvarur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The village is 16 km south of Mannargudi and 19 km north-east of Pattukkottai. It has good communication and is well connected with both towns. The nearest railway station is 16 km away at Mannargudi.GeographyThirumakkottai has an average elevation of 6 metres (19 feet).EconomyAs an agricultural village, Thirumakkottai's economy largely depends on the income from agriculture. The crops cultivated include rice, cotton, sugarcane, and pulses like urad and mung bean. The agriculture around this area mainly depends on the rivers Koraiyaru, Mullaiyar, and Pamaniyar. Other sources of irrigation are bore-wells.There is a hydroelectric power plant in this village, which supplies electricity to nearby districts.TemplesThe place was once a forest of Paarijatha trees, which are endemic plants having sweet-smelling flowers.This village is surrounded with temples and tanks. One important temple is Sree Gnanapureeshwarar temple, which is a vast temple complex with a more than 1000-year-old history. "Gnanapureeshwar" is a word dedicated to Lord Siva. Thirikulam, a tank situated opposite to this temple, is famous for curing Ven Kushtam, i.e. white leprosy.The temple was built by the Chola King Kiruthasekaran, probably in 903 B.C. He kept Thirumakkottai as his capital. The famous of this temple is the deity is surrounded by 16 Vinayagar (Pillaiyar) in different locations and positions. This is the only place in the world where such a divine setup is established. This village is related to the history of Ramayana. History says that Sri Rama visited this village to meet his guru (master) Rishi Vasistha while travelling to Lanka to get Sita back.