Saraswati of Tirunelveli

Koothanur is known for having the only Saraswati temple in Tamil Nadu, but Tirunelveli proudly claims to have two Saraswatis. One is located inside the Nellaiyappar temple, while the other is a separate and beautiful temple dedicated solely to Saraswati.

The exterior of the temple resembles a 1900s residence, but inside, there is a spacious mandapa with a traditional madras roof supported by circular wooden pillars. The sanctum houses the seated Saraswati in the Padmasana posture, holding an aksha mala and kamandalu in her upper arms. Her lower right arm is in the abhaya mudra, while her left lower arm holds a palm-leaf manuscript. The sanctum is a stone structure with a salakara vimana, although the superstructure is not visible from inside the temple.

The Saraswati shrine existed at this site even in the late 1800s, but the current structure and the icon of Saraswati were made in the Tamil Chitrai month (April) of the Subhakrtu year (corresponding to 1902 CE) by Swaminatha Iyer and Ramaswami Iyer, who lived in the nearby Amman Sannidhi Street.

Happy travelling.