Religion As per the religious census,
Hinduism was the dominant religion with 89.79% adherents, with
Islam (7.48%) and
Christianity (2.36%) being the major minority religions. There are several
Hindu temples in the city. The Kottai Mariamman Temple (
ta), dedicated to the goddess
Mariamman, has an annual five-day festival during the
Tamil month of
Aadi (mid-July to mid-August). The Sukhavaneswarar Temple (
ta) is dedicated to
Shiva, which was named after sage Sukha, and is mentioned in the hymns of
Arunagirinathar. The
Alagirinathar Temple is dedicated to
Vishnu. Jamia Masjid is the oldest
mosque in the city and lies on the southern bank of the Thirumanimutharu River. It was reportedly built in the late 19th century. The
Christ Church is located on Fort Road and was consecrated in 1875. Lechler Memorial Church, the oldest church in the city, was built in 1856 by a German missionary in Fort Salem.
Cuisine Thattu vadai set (or simply called as settu) is a
savory snack and popular street food, which originated in Salem. These are sold in several roadside stalls set up on the streets of Salem. It is a sandwich of two crunchy
thattai discs with vegetable fillings smeared with various
chutneys. There are several varieties of the same, depending on the ingredients used such as
eggs, raw
mango, or
murukku. Norukkal Mix is another popular snack, made up of smashed murukku, mixed with chutney, cut vegetables, and
chilli powder. ==Education==