Anbil, Tamil Nadu

Anbil is a village in India's Tiruchirappalli district, close to Lalgudi, and situated on the banks of the Kollidam River.

Anbil is known for its temples. These include the Sundararaja Perumal Temple (also called the Vadivalagiya Nambi Perumal Temple), which is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu; also the Anbil Mariamman Kovil temple, dedicated to the South Indian mother goddess Mariamman. The latter temple also holds a popular annual car festival.

Anbil is the birthplace of many prominent figures in Tamil Nadu politics, including Anbil P. Dharmalingam, one of the founding members of the DMK Political Party and previous Cabinet Minister in the Tamil Nadu government.

Temples
The Sundararaja Perumal temple was constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture and is mentioned in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the religious canon of the Alvar saints of the 7th–9th centuries CE. The temple priests, who belong to the Vaishnava community, perform the pooja (rituals) daily and during festivals. The Theerthavari festival celebrated in the Tamil month of Masi (February–March), and Vaikuntha Ekadashi celebrated during the Tamil month of Margali (December–January), are the major festivals celebrated in the temple. The Sundararaja Perumal temple is one of the 108 Divya Desam temples dedicated to Vishnu.

The Anbil Mariamman Temple, dedicated to Mariamman, is one of the seven most important Mariamman temples, which include the temples at Samayapuram, Narthan Malai, Veera Singa Pettai, Kannanur, Punnai Nallur and Thiruverkadu. This temple is approximately 700 years old. According to legends from the Puranas, during a flood on the Kollidam river, the Goddess Amman took refuge under the neem tree near this temple, after which the temple was constructed. It is a common for devotees without children to visit this temple to pray for children.

The Anbil Alanthurai temple is dedicated to Shiva, Alanthuraiar and Soundaranayagi. The architecture is of the Chola period (Parantaka Chola). Here the form of Vinayagar is called "Sevi saitha Vinayagar." It is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalam. This place was referred to in Tevaram, written by the saint-poets (7th century) Thirugnana Sambandhar and Appar.

Agriculture
The economy of the village is predominantly agrarian. There has been a scarcity of labor for harvesting, but this has been addressed by use of mechanical harvesting. The main crops cultivated are sugarcane and paddy.

Transport
The closest railway station is in Lalgudi, about 9 kilometres away. The closest airport is in Tiruchirapalli, which is about 36 kilometres away. The village is connected by the state bus transport system, TNSTC.