Puliakulam

Puliakulam is a residential neighborhood in the city of Coimbatore. The Idol in Puliakulam Vinayagar Temple is one of the largest monolithic(Single stoned) statues and the largest Ganesha idol in Asia . The Temple is Situated in the middle of the Four road Junction and also acts as a roundabout for the Vehicles to pass by. The idol is placed facing the East towards the Puliakulam to Sowripalayam road.^[1]

Puliakulam
Neighbourhood
View of Puliakulam Vinayagar Temple
Puliakulam Location in Tamil Nadu, India
Coordinates: 11.2°N 77.4°E / 11.2; 77.4
Country	India
State	Tamil Nadu
District	coimbatore
Elevation	411 m (1,348 ft)
Languages
• Official	Tamil
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	641045
Telephone code	0422
Vehicle registration	TN-66
Lok Sabha constituency	Coimbatore
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Coimbatore South (State Assembly Constituency)

Geography

Puliakulam is situated just 4 km from the heart of city (Townhall and Gandhipuram), and only 3 km to Coimbatore Junction and 8.5 km to Coimbatore Airport. It borders with Papanaiken palayam in the North, Meena Estate in the East, Ramanathapuram in the South and Race course in the West. The two national highways NH 544 (Avinashi road) and NH 81 (Trichy road) are just 0.5 km away on either side, which are connected by SH 162 which runs between Coimbatore North and Chettipalayam.

Politics

Puliakulam comes under ward number 66 and 70 in the Coimbatore Corporation and comes under Coimbatore South (State Assembly Constituency).

Culture

Being one of the oldest settlements of the city, this village of old Puliakulam is very well-ordered. The people belong to 12 different Kula Theivams having separate temples for each one of them, where the festivals are celebrated in the month of August (Tamil month of Aadi). There is also a temple for the primary deity of the village "Mariamman". The old martial arts of Wrestling and Silambam are still practiced and performed.

Weekly Tuesday Market

Beyond the Temple, Puliakulam is also famous for its Tuesday market which is also called "Santhai" or "Sevai Santhai" every Tuesday. Every Tuesday there would be a special worship to Saint Antony in Saint Antony's Shrine. So there would be a huge crowd of pilgrims from Various parts of the city and sometimes even from far distances following a lot of stalls selling vegetables, fruits, textiles, eatables, toys, Fancy accessories, and much more. Usually becomes crowded and Heavy Traffic jams get cleared by the Local Youth or Responsible Persons from the neighbourhoods.^[1][2]

Economy

Most of the population living here is working class. Companies include:

• The Times of India

Locality

Major religious Spots

• Puliakulam Vinayagar Temple

Transport

Air

• Coimbatore International Airport - 11 km.
  • via Avinashi Road and Aerodrome Road
• Sulur Air Force Station - 19.4 km
  • via Ramanathapuram and NH 81

Rail

• Coimbatore Railway Junction - 4 km
  • via Western Trichy Road
• Coimbatore North Railway Junction - 5.5 km
  • via Pappanaickenpalayam, Bharathiyar Road and Cross-Cut Road
• Podanur Railway Junction - 5km
  • via Nanjundapuram Road

Road

Puliakulam is very well connected by road. The local auto rickshaws support during the day and night hours. The bus transport is available from 4am to 11 pm. The common bus route to reach this place is through bus numbers 5, 5C, 7, 7C, 22, 23A, 61, 95A, S2, S3, S4, S13, S26. It has easy access to

• Singanallur Bus Terminus - 5.4 km
  • via Sowripalayam, Uppilipalayam, Varadharajapuram and Kamarajar Road
• Gandhipuram Central Bus Terminus - 4.4 km
  • via Pappanaickenpalayam and Bharathiyar Road or
  • via Avinashi Road and Park Gate Road
• Ukkadam Bus Terminus - 4.6 km
  • via Western Trichy Road and Sungam Bypass Road
• Mettupalayam Road Bus Terminus - 21.5 km
  • via Race Course, Dr Krishnasamy Mudaliyar Road and NH 181
• Coimbatore Integrated Bus Terminus - 9.1 km
  • via Western Trichy Road, Singanallur and Vellalore Road

References

1. "Puliakulam Vinayagar Temple". Tamil Samayam. 13 September 2018.
2. "In the santhai at Puliakulam". The Hindu. 26 March 2013.