Manakula Vinayagar Temple

Manakula Vinayagar Temple is a Ganesha temple close to Promenade Beach in Puducherry. It is known for its temple elephant and golden chariot.

Manakula Vinayagar Temple is a Ganesha temple in the heart of old Puducherry, about 400 m west of the Bay of Bengal and roughly a 10-minute walk from Promenade Beach, according to Wikipedia. It is one of the town's best-known Hindu shrines and predates the French period; Wikipedia records that it survived an attempt to demolish it during Dupleix's tenure after local protests.

A temple elephant named Lakshmi blesses visitors, and the temple has a golden chariot built of teakwood with copper engravings and gold, first used ceremonially on 5 October 2003. Devotees traditionally bring newborns here before visiting other shrines. The temple was renovated in 2015. Incredible India gives the opening pattern only as early morning to noon and again from evening to night, with no exact times, so confirm locally.

Wear modest clothing and remove footwear before entering; these are general temple practice rather than rules found in the sources. Because the temple is a short walk from the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the Pondicherry Museum, it fits easily into a morning walk around the French Quarter.