There are numerous temples in Puducherry town and in nearby villages. Most of them were built by the Cholas between 10th and 12th centuries, which were dedicated to the local village gods.
While excavating in the Madagadippattu village, a beautiful temple with excellent art works was found. There is another temple named the Varadharaja temple, situated in the heart of the town. It is a Vishnu shrine of the Chola period, which was built in the 12th century. The Chola inscription found in this temple informs about a Sanskrit University.
The Siva temple known as Ambalathu Adigal Mutt temple is situated nearby. The Kimbili Swami Mutt temple a little away has a rare sculpture which has a unique pose of Siva and Mahakali dancing together in unison. One more temple called the Siddhanta Swami Samadhi temple near the burial ground is renowned for one of the songs of poet Bharathiar. The statues in stucco of all the siddhas and saints can be seen in this temple of Puducherry people of all faiths visit.
In Villiyanur area of Puducherry, there is a temple called Thirukkameswara temple. This is a Siva temple, which was built by the Cholas in the 12th century. In the month of May-June, the annual festival of this temple attracts thousands of devotees.
The Manakkula Vinayagar temple near Aurobindo Ashram is the most famous and important temple of Puducherry. It was originally an idol planted near a `manal kulam` sandy tank. As per the legends, it is said that the early European settlers wanted to eliminate it from there and they had actually thrown it several times into the sea. But, after throwing it each time, the deity appeared in the same place on the next day. This frightened them and they dumped the idea. Later, when the Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram donated lands, the temple building was built in a proper manner. Several mural paintings of all Ganapathis can be seen around the corridors of the temple.
The famous Vattaparai Amman is situated in the Thiruvamathur village of Puducherry. It is a round-shaped rock. Earlier, when any dispute arose, instead of going to court they used to come and stand here before the deity. They believed that the concerned person will tell only the truth and nothing but the truth here. It is believed that the deity of this temple of Puducherry is supposed to be so powerful that any false witness would be severely dealt with by Amman, so none dared to utter falsehood. In this way, many disputes were thus solved here.
