Navaladi Karuppannaswami Temple, Mohanur

Navaladi Karuppannaswami Temple in Mohanur, Namakkal district, is said to be between 500 and 1,000 years old. Its deity, Karuppu Sami, is also called Navaladian, Judge Durai and Pattamarathan, and the self-manifested image sits in a pit, with a dry tree, the Pattamaram, behind it. The names come from the temple's two trees, a naval tree and a neem: legend says King Mohur Pazhayan consulted the deity before every decision and made the neem the watch tree of the region, and the naval tree withered after Senguttuvan's invasion. The Chera king Senguttuvan is said to have worshipped here before marching north.

Devotees come with troubles of debt, family, illness, cattle, marriage and childlessness, and many write out their grievances like a petition to an official and tie them to the Pattamaram. Offerings include sheep and cocks, and the midnight Sathya Puja is held especially important. Festivals for Mariamman in Panguni and Kaliamman in Chithirai follow one another.