Manakula Vinayagar Temple, Hindu temple in Puducherry, India.

Manakula Vinayagar is a Hindu temple in Puducherry, India, located a few steps from the beachfront promenade and marked by a tall gateway tower decorated with colorful sculptures. Inside, corridors lead around several shrines whose walls are painted with depictions of deities and scenes from ancient narratives.

The temple predates the French occupation of Puducherry and already existed before 1666. During Dupleix's tenure, attempts were made to destroy it, but it was spared after strong protests by the Hindu population and the threat of British and Maratha invasion. The temple was renovated in 2015.

The place takes its name from a sandy pond that once existed nearby and has since disappeared. Worshippers bring offerings before the deity's statue and then walk clockwise through the corridors, pausing at each shrine.

Visitors must remove their shoes before entering and can leave them in racks provided at the entrance. The temple opens early in the morning and closes at midday before reopening in the evening.

The golden chariot, 10 ft tall and 6 ft wide, is made of teakwood covered with engraved copper plates and 7.5 kg of gold, funded entirely by devotees' donations. It first ran on 5 October 2003 and is pulled inside the temple for a fixed fee; once a year, on Vijayadhasami, it goes out along the maada veedhis. The temple elephant Lakshmi, licensed by the Puducherry municipality since October 2013, stands at the entrance and greets visitors.