page_title: Mannargudi
section_title: Culture
hierarchical_section_title: Mannargudi / Culture
caption_attribution_description: English: Mannargudi Mallinatha Swamy Temple
context_page_description: Mannargudi is a town in Tiruvarur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Mannargudi taluk. The town is located at a distance of 20 km from the district headquarters Tiruvarur and 310 km from the state capital Chennai. Mannargudi is known for the Rajagopalaswamy temple, a prominent Vaishnavite shrine.
  Mannargudi was founded as an agraharam village by the Medieval Cholas during the 7 th century A.D. The town was subsequently ruled by various dynasties including the Chola king Rajadhiraja Chola, Vijayanagar Empire, Delhi Sultanate, Thanjavur Nayaks, Thanjavur Marathas and the British Empire. Mannargudi was a part of the erstwhile Tanjore district until India's independence in 1947 and Thanjavur district until 1991. It subsequently became a part of the newly formed Tiruvarur district. The town is known for agriculture, metal working and weaving. The region around Mannargudi has considerable mineral deposits.
  Mannargudi is administered by a municipality established in 1866. As of 2011, the municipality covered an area of 11.55 km² and had a population of 120,336.
context_section_description: Mannargudi has three prominent Hindu temples, namely, Jayamgondanatha temple, Rajathi Rajeswara temple and Raja Gopalaswamy temple. Pamani Naganathar Temple, a padal petra sthalam in Pamani is also located nearby, northerly.
  Rajagopalaswamy temple is the most prominent landmark in the town. During the Tamil months of Panguni (March–April), the most prominent festival of the temple, namely, Pangunith Thirivuzha, is celebrated. Theppothsavam, the float festival, celebrated during the Tamil month of Aani (June–July) and Adipooram, the chariot festival, celebrated during the Tamil month of Aadi (July-Aug) are other prominent festivals of the temple that attract visitors from nearby villages and towns to Mannargudi. The Nayak kings of the 15th century promoted music in the temples. Instruments like Mukhavina, Dande, Kombu, Chandravalaya, Bheri and Nagaswaram were commonly used in the temple service. Haridra Nadhi, the temple tank associated with the Rajagopalaswamy temple, is one of the largest temple tanks in the state. Hindu pilgrims take a holy dip in the tank during festive occasions.
  Mannargudi has four mosques, located at Theradi, Keela Raja Veethi, Big Bazar Street and Thamari Kuzlam Vada Karai.
  Mallinatha Swamy temple is a Jain temple located in the town. Mallinathar is the 19th Tirthankara of the Jainism. It is an ancient temple built during the reign of the Chola dynasty in the twelfth century and is one of the prominent ancient Jain temples in the state. Apart from the idol of Mallinathar, there are idols of Dharma Devi, Saraswathi Devi, Padmavathy Devi, Jawalamalini Amman among others.
  The Vaduvoor Bird Sanctuary, located 12 km (7.5 mi) is a prominent visitor attraction for the people of Mannargudi. Muthupet Lagoon, a mangrove forest located 29 km (18 mi) away from the town, is another tourist attraction for the citizens of the town.
caption: Mannargudi Mallinatha Swamy temple, a historic Jain monument in the city
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