The temple we know as Salem Kottai Mariammam temple today was actually a fort in the ancient times of Chara kings. Earlier, the region of Salem was known as Chara Nadu. There were two temples in the premises; one was Perumal temple and the other was Mariamman temple. Chara kings considered Mariamman goddess as the guardian deity and regarded her with the name Goddess Periya Marimman.The current temple came into existence later when Kanakasabai Mudaliar and Siva Sankara Mudaliar placed the goddess Periya Mariamman to the eastern bank of Thirumanimuthu river. They performed special Kumbabhishekam (holy bath with holy water). There are written evidences in the form of prose that confirms the history of the temple. As per the poem, the goddess was found on the fort (known as Pariya Mari). When the goddess appeared in the area, the area of Salem also came into existence. This poem proves that the temple has a great history, and the age of the temple is at least 500 years. As per record, it is one of the oldest surviving temples in the Salem district. Archeological and religious importance of this magnificent place makes it a “must visit” destination of Tamil Nadu.