The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.
Puducherry, Puducherry · 11.9357°, 79.8336°
A Ganesha temple 400 m from the Bay of Bengal in Puducherry, of considerable antiquity and older than the French settlement. Attempts to destroy it under Dupleix were abandoned in the face of protest; it was renovated in 2015 and owns a golden chariot of 7.5 kg of gold first drawn in 2003.
What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.
A saint called Thollaikkathu Siddar is said to have received enlightenment from the deity here about three hundred years ago and taken samadhi in the temple, and newborn children are brought to this shrine before any other.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Undetermined
Answers only from cited records
Opening the line…