Patteeswarar Temple, Perur - Lord Shiva Temple

Dedicated to Lord Shiva, this Patteeswarar temple is located in the western part of Coimbatore. The construction stone was laid by Karikala Cholan of the 11th century with the successive efforts by Vijayanagar and Hoysala emperors. The presiding deity is lord Shiva considered self manifestation. In the 9th century, Sundarar, one of the saints of Saivism, visited the temple and immortalized it in his Thevaram. The greatest attraction of the temple is the ‘Kanaka Sabha’, built in a typical Dravidian architecture. It is a hall adorned by a gold plated statue of Lord Nataraja. The smaller pillars in the hall were designed with a lot of mythological carvings. The entire hall has exquisite sculptures and architecture.

Legend says that, one day, in a playful mood, the divine cow ‘Kamadhenu’ hit the anthill around this area and demolished it. Shocked to notice the presence of Shiva Lingam in it and later it did severe penance to get the salvation for the mishap happened. Lord Shiva mercifully came down to name this place as ‘Kamadhenu Puram’ and he would stay in the place as Patteeswarar. Though we can not witness it, the footprint scar of the cow is visible on the head of the deity here. Tippu Sultan, the then ruler of Mysore surprisingly supported financially for this temple, though he was against Hindus. The temple saw renovations in the middle of the 18th century. In the 20th century, the Kalyana Mandapam and the front Mandapam were built and the tower was restored. The surroundings of Perur were excavated and Roman coins were discovered here. Even the small shrines surrounding the main temple contain very ancient inscriptions of high value.