Demography of Polichalur According to the Indian census of 2001 Polichalur had a population of 15,329. The males constitute 51% and females constitute 49% of the population. Polichalur has an average literacy rate of 78%. It is higher than the national average of 59.5%. The male literacy rate is 84%, and female literacy rate is 73%. 11% of the population is under 6 years of age in Polichalur. History of Polichalur According to history Polichalur was earlier known as Pugazh Chola Nalloor. It was so named as it was earlier a famous town of the Chola Dynasty. The town was established in the 9th century AD by the rulers of the Chola Dynasty. They built the Agastheeswarar Temple here. Thaangal, a small pond was one of the significant places here till 1997. the pond was visited by several migratory birds during the monsoons. However, with time the lake disappeared due to land encroachments. Pilgrimage Places in Polichalur Polichalur is a popular pilgrimage centre visited by many devotees from different places. The Pozhichalur Agastheeswarar Temple is one of the famous temples located here. It is known as Agastheeswarar temple as it is believed that sage Agastya worshipped Lord Shivahere after he returned from the Himalaya Mountain. Traditionally, the temples that have been visited by Sage Agastya are known as Agastheeswaram. The temple is dedicated to Agastheeswarar and his divine consort Anandavalli. The sanctum of the Lord faces the eastern side and the sanctum of his consort faces the southern side. According to the architectural design it can be stated that the temple belongs to the 12th century. The temple has been constructed resembling the gaja-brashta-vimana i.e. shape of an elephant's behind. Ancient stone inscription have also been found in the temple. Once of the striking feature of the temple is the shrine dedicated to Lord Sani. Many festivals are celebrated with much enthusiasm like Shivaratri, Sani Peyarchi, Karthikai Deepam and Guru Peyarchi. During the festive season the temple is visited by thousands of devotees from far off places. Apart from the Pozhichalur Agastheeswarar Temple, there are many other temples located in Polichalur. Few of them are, Sri Rama Anjaneyar Temple, Sri Thirumeneeswarar Temple, Sri Pidari Kalliyamman Temple, Sri Vishnu Vinayagar Temple, Kalli Amman Temple, Sri Perariyamman Temple and others. |