Ayothiapattinam

Ayothiapattinam is a panchayat town located in Vazhapadi taluk of Salem district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. This village is called Ayothyapatinam because of famous Kodandaramaswamy Temple, and is called as the (Ayodhya of South India). The temple is thought to remain from the time of Ramayana and finds mention in the Valmiki Ramayana.

Etymology
The word "Ayodhya" is a regularly formed derivation of the Sanskrit verb yudh, "to fight, to wage war". Yodhya is the future passive participle, meaning "to be fought"; the initial a is the negative prefix; the whole, therefore, means "not to be fought" or, more idiomatically in English, "invincible". This meaning is attested by the Atharvaveda, which uses it to refer to the unconquerable city of gods. The town is called as the Dakshina Ayodhya or (Ayodhya of South India).

Location
Ayothiapattinam is located 7 km east of Salem city. It acts as a gateway to Salem City for the people coming from east and northeast districts of Tamil Nadu. It is located 35 km from Yercaud, 168 km from Coimbatore, 195 km from Bengaluru and 330 km from Chennai.

Demographics
At the 2001 India census, Ayothiapattinam had a population of 9,956. Males constituted 50% of the population and females 50%. Ayothiapattinam had an average literacy rate of 67%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 56% of the males and 44% of females literate. 11% of the population was under 6 years of age.

Kodandaramaswamy Temple
Kodandaramaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple located in the Salem district of Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to Lord Rama, the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu. The temple is said to have been built primarily by Maharishi Bharadvaja and later constructed by Adhiyaman kings. The Raja Gopura of the temple is said to have been built by Tirumala Nayaka.





As per legend, Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman while returning from Sri Lanka stayed in the Bharadvaja Maharishi Ashrama Which was located here. Rishi Bharadvaja wanted to see the divine pattabisheka of Rama. Rama wanted to fulfill the wishes of the Maharishi and he gave a darshan to the maharishi and Bharadvaja maharishi prathishtaied the Archa roopam of Sri Rama.

The sanctum sanctorum was built by king Adhiyaman and the other mandapas built by Tirumala Nayaka. This temple is one of the Purana kshethram and Abhimana sthalam as it is mentioned in Ramayana and is a Vishnu temple.