Culture of Gobichettipalayam

The city is surrounded by lush green fields and is popularly called the "Chinna Kodambakkam". The city has developed a reputation for warm and hospitable culture. Being a cosmopolitan city, the culture of the city reflects its diverse population which has resulted in a unique blend. In spite of modernization, the city continues to honor its traditional beliefs.
Cuisine
Gobichettipalayam cuisine is predominantly south Indian with rice as its base. Most locals still retain their rural tradition, with many restaurants still serving food on a banana leaf. North Indian, Chinese and continental cuisines are also available. Mysorepa (a sweet made from lentil flour and Halwa (a sweet made of different ingredients like milk, wheat, rice) are famous. Idly, Dosa, vada-sambar and Biryani are apopular among the locals. Coffee shops and Chat Centres have been on the increase, and serve as meeting places for young people.
Temples
The city is home to the Pariyur Kondathu Kaliamman Temple, a 5-acre (20,000 m ) Hindu temple dedicated to the Goddess Kaliamman (an incarnation of Kali).There are also hill temples dedicated to Lord Balamurugan at Pachaimalai and Pavalamalai as described earlier. As the main economy is agriculture , the city is known for its lush green spectacular paddy fields that extend in all directions.
Arulmigu Kondathu Kaliamman Temple, Pariyur
Gobichettipalayam boasts of some famous temples like Pariyur Kondathu Kaliamman Temple . Pariyur got its name from the great king , who ruled these regions. The Kondathu Kaliamman is believed to be the saviour God of the town. This temple got an award for cleanest temple in Coimbatore district in the 1980s.
The famous Kondathu Kaliamman Temple in Pariyur, is located about 3 km from Gobichettipalayam city, where a 'Fire Walking Ceremony' (Kundam)is held during January every year. The annual Temple Car festival is celebrated with grandeur. This temple attracts a large gathering from the surrounding places all the time. The temple also has a marriage hall associated with it. The temple is about 1500 years old. The Goddess Kali is seen wearing a crown of fire. The people of this locality usually ask the Goddess for permission via a special ceremony, before starting any job. The inner sanctum of the temple is made of Black Marble. The protector God of this temple is called Sri Maha Muniappan, who blesses couples with children and chases fear away from the minds of the people. There is are many shrines dedicated to Lord Ganesha, Apart from these, there are shrines of Sri Saptha Kannigai, Sri Ponkaliamman, Lord Brahma and other Gods.
Arulmigu Amarapaneeswarar Temple, Pariyur
Apart from the Amman temple, there is a temple dedicated to Shiva in Pariyur. The Shiva temple whose chief deity is Sri Amarapaneeswarar, is built fully of white marble, brought from Rajasthan. There are separate shrines dedicated to Sri Soundaranayaki Amman and the war lord Karthikeya known as Sri Shanmukha Subramaniyar, seen with his wives Deivayanai and Valli. There is a shrine dedicated to Lord Ganesha known as Anukkai Vinayakar at the entrance and Sri Nandhi, the vehicle of Lord Shiva. There are also shrines dedicated to Navagraha, Bhairavar, 63 Nayanmars and other Gods. Maha Shivaratri and Pradhosam is celebrated with much grandeur apart from other festivals of Shiva and Murugan.
Arulmigu Adinarayana Swamy Temple, Pariyur
The chief deity of Vishnu temple is called Adhi Narayana Perumal. He is seen along with Sri Devi and Bhu Devi. The specialty of the temple is that, there is a separate shrine dedicated to Lord Hanuman, who is considered very powerful and grants the wishes of the people. There are also statues of Sanjeevi Anjaneyar and Veera Anjaneyar. Sri Garuda Alwar is seen in front of the main sanctum. The main Gopuram of the temple depicts the scene of narration of Bhagavad Gita, the holy book of Hindus. Vaikunta Ekadashi and other festivals of Vishnu are celebrated here.
Arulmigu Balamurugan Temple, Pachaimalai
There two old hill temples dedicated to Lord Murugan . One is located at Pachaimalai (meaning Green hill), about 3 km from the centre of the state. All Saivite, Koumaram and Hindu festivals are celebrated at the temple, especially 'Thai Poosam' in Jan/Feb, 'Panguni Utthiram' in March, and 'Skanda Sashti' in Oct/Nov. The temple has various shrines dedicated to different Gods and Goddesses. There is a huge statue of Lord Murugan, which can been seen miles away from the temple. Apart from his normal peacock vehicle, the temple also has a Golden Chariot for the God.
Arulmigu Muthukumaraswamy Temple, Pavalamalai
It is the second of the hill temples that are dedicated to Lord Murugan. It is located about 2 km from the town on the way towards Pariyur. The chief deity is called Sri Muthukumara Swamy. All festivals of Lord Muruga are celebrated here, which is usually followed by the free distribution of food.
Arulmigu Kumaara Subramaniyar Temple, Kumaran Kundru, Moolavaaikkaal
It is the third of the hill Temples dedicated to Lord Murugan. It is situated on the Gobi - Sathy main road at a distance of about 4nbsp;km from the town. Surrounded by lush green fields, it is presided by the benevolent deity of Lord Muruga. A visit to this Temple is a divine experience in itself.
Arulmigu Mariamman Temple, Bannari
Bannari is located about 35 km northwest of Gobichettipalayam. The temple is dedicated to the powerful Goddess Mariamman. The temple itself is very famous and attracts huge crowds round the year. The temple also has a marriage hall associated with it.
Arulmigu Adinarayana Swamy Temple
The temple is located in the heart of the town. The chief deity of temple is called Sri Devi Bhu Devi Sametha Adhi Narayana Perumal. There are also statues Sri Ganesha(Thumbikai Alwar), Sri Anjaneya and Sri Garuda Alwar. There are also shrines of Navagraha, Vishnu Durga and Sandikeshwarar. Vaikunta Ekadashi and other festivals of Vishnu are celebrated here.
Arulmigu Eswaran Temple
The temple is located close to Sri Adinarayana Swamy Temple. The chief deity of temple is called Sri Visweswaraswamy (Shiva). There are also shrines dedicated to Lord Ganesha, Sri Vishalakshi Ambal and Lord Murugan. There are also other shrines dedicated to Sri Dakshinamurthy, Navagraha, Sri Bhairava and other Gods. Maha Shivaratri, Thiruvadhirai and other festivals of Shiva are celebrated here.
Arulmigu Saratha Mariamman Temple
The main deity of the temple is Sri Saratha Mariamman. The temple is located in the main bazaar street and attracts huge crowds. The Goddess is very powerful and it is believed that the Goddess Mariamman cures chicken pox and other diseases. A festival is celebrated every year for honoring the Goddess, with much grandeur.
Arulmigu Kamkshi Amman Temple
The main deity of the temple is Sri Kamakshi Amman. The temple is famous among the local people. Many occasions are celebrated in the temple and the Goddess goes on rounds visiting all the households during the New moon day(Amavasya).
Arulmigu Hanumantharaya Swamy Temple
The mail deity is Sri Hanumantharaya Swamy popularly known Anjaneya Swamy. The temple is famous among the locals. The temple is located in the main part of the town nearer to Sri Saratha Mariamman temple. The temple also has statues of Lord Rama with Sita and Lakshmana. The God is believed to give mental strength and courage to fight evil.
Arulmigu Ayyapa Swamy Temple
This temple is specially dedicated to Lord Ayappa. The temple has shrines for many other Gods including Lord Ganesha and Lord Karthikeya. The temple is frequented by devotees who wear Mala and go on a pilgrimage to Sabarimala.
Arulmigu Subramanya Swamy Temple
The temple is also one of the famous temples frequented by locals. The main deity Lord Subramanya(Murugan) is considered very powerful and it is a pleasure to watch Lord Subramanya posing as a king. There are also shrines dedicated to Lord Ganesha and Navagraha.
Arulmigu Suyambu Makaaliamman Temple, Pudukaraipudur
The temple is situated 6 km from Gobichetipalayam in Gobi -Athani main road. The Function was held every year during last week of December ie the second Wednesday of the tamil month Markhazi. The sacred water from this temple is taken to Pariyur Amman temple two weeks before the Kundam Function and used for Poochatu i.e the start of annual function. Another important function of the temple is AdiPooram which is celebrated for 10 days with Daily Yagnams and Poojas during the months of July-August.
Others
Apart from these, there are many other temples which include Sri Astalakshmi Temple, Sri Matheswaran Temple, Sri Sakthi Vinayakar Temple. There is a municipal park with a Temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha inside which is a place frequented by the natives.
Marriage Ceremonies
Because of the cultural and religious importance, people prefer Gobichettipalayam for marriages of their kith and kin. People as far as from North India with roots in Tamil Nadu conduct their marriage rituals here. Gobichettipalayam is famous for its cooks and delicious dishes and that paved the way for a Cook's association also (Samayal Kalaignar Sangam).
There is a marriage hall called "Seetha Kalyanamandapam" constructed in a vast area where four weddings could take place at a time. The marriage hall was constructed decades ago and it also used to host many famous dramas and debates from the olden days. The architecture is splendid and its built with such a grandeur that attracted the cinema field. The Seetha Kalyanamandapam was built by Sri Thangamani Gounder for conducting marriages free of cost. Today also it continues to charge only meagre amount for maintenance. The other famous marriage halls include Sri Muthu Mahal, Bhuvana Bhavanam, Sri Karthikeya Mahal, Sri Ramayammal Thirumana Mandapam, G.K.P. Thirumana Mandapam among others.
Cinema
Because of its lush green fields, Gobi has been a popular destination for movie shootings which earned its nickname "Chinna Kodambakkam" or "Mini Kollywood". A lot of Tamil, Malayalam and a few Hindi movies have been shot here.

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