Bannari Mariamman Temple

Arulmigu Sri Bannari Mariamman Temple is an Amman temple in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located near Sathyamangalam, Erode district.

The main deity is goddess Bannari, (the goddess of rain), an avatar of goddess Shakti. The goddess is considered powerful in Tamil and Kannada folklore. Nearly every village in the Kongu region of Tamil Nadu has a Mariamman temple.



History
Legend has it that Bannari was once a historian. A husband and wife from the Vannar community went to wash clothes at the river next to a large hill. The woman, who was one month pregnant at the time, went into labour. The husband used the sari he had brought for washing to help his wife during childbirth. According to the legend, two girls were born. The husband picked up one child, but the other would not stop crying. They placed the crying baby in a nearby trough and went to the village counter. When they returned to the baby, she was still crying. They attempted to soothe the baby using iron tongs and noticed "small wounds on the mother's right chest." Historical accounts say that the goddess transformed into a girl child when she saw the baby inside the trough the next morning. The goddess appeared in a dream and instructed them to hold a festival, where they would find her idol embedded in a neem tree. On the day of the village festival, everyone followed the Kongu custom of taking green flour and headed north. The goddess's idol has remained the same to this day.

Kundam Festival
Kundam Festival is celebrated in the Tamil Month of Panguni (March - April). Lakhs of devotees from different directions throng the temple in this month. Erode district observes a local holiday during this festival.

Poojas

 * Darshan (meaning open to the public) hours are from 5.30 a.m. to 9.00 p.m.

Women devotees participate in Thiruvilakku pooja on last Friday of every Tamil month.
 * Kalasanthi (5.30 A.M)
 * Uchikalam (12.00 P.M)
 * Sayaratchai (5.30 P.M)
 * Arthasamam (8.30 P.M)