- Main deity
- Panchamukha Anjaneya (36 ft)
- Timings
- 7 AM to 11 AM, 4 PM to 9 PM
- Distance from Puducherry
- About 12 km
- Busiest day
- Saturday
- Nearest airport
- Chennai
- Ideal time needed
- 1 hour
What makes it special
The five-faced form of Hanuman is believed to protect devotees from every direction, and here it is carved on a scale that dominates the open campus. Common offerings here are butter, new cloth and long garlands made of betel leaves. Vadas made from urad dal are also strung into garlands and offered, a practice said to cool Hanuman's fierce energy; the vadas are later shared with the needy.
Festivals and customs
Saturdays draw the largest crowds. Krishna Jayanthi and Vaikunta Ekadasi are the main festival days. Many devotees facing long illness or persistent troubles vow to visit on six Saturdays in a row, chanting 'Jai Ram' 108 times on each visit, and receive a sacred thread for the wrist.
Timings and dress
Darshan is available in two sessions, 7 AM to 11 AM and 4 PM to 9 PM. There is no formal dress code, but clothes that cover shoulders and knees are the respectful choice. Weekday mornings are the calmest time for a quiet darshan and a clear view of the idol. Footwear is left at the counter near the entrance, and the paved courtyard can get hot by midday, so a morning or evening visit is easier on bare feet. Prasadam stalls near the gate sell the vada garlands if you wish to make the offering yourself.
How to reach
Take a bus or auto from the Puducherry bus stand towards Tindivanam, or come by taxi from town in about 20 to 30 minutes. Puducherry has direct trains from Chennai, and Chennai airport is the main air gateway, about three hours by road. The Shiva temple at Irumbai lies on the same route and is easy to add on. We can include Panchavati in a Puducherry day tour or on the drive from Chennai.
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