Suchindram Sthanumalaya Perumal in Tamil Nadu

                                          Suchindram Sthanumalaya Perumal
                                 

                                                            
The place got the name of Suchindram, according to the Sthalapurana, as Indra was relieved of a curse. The term "Suchi" means purifying and the place where Indra was purified got the name of Suchindram. According to the believers, Indra even now visits the temple daily for performing "Ardhajama Pooja" in the night.

Suchindram (Suchindrum) is the famous Shakti Peetha where it is said that the Upper Teeth of Maa Sati fell and the idols are Devi Maa as Narayani and Lord Shiva as Sanghar or Samhara Bhairava. Some times the goddess is popularly known as Kanya Kumari or Bhagavathy Amman, and looks extremely beautiful after early morning Puja. Samhara Bhairava is present in a nearby village, Suchindram, he is locally called Sthanu Shiva.

The temple is dedicated to Sri Sthanumalayan. The word denotes Siva, Vishnu and Brahma as. Sthanu represents Siva, Mal represents Vishnu while Ayan represents Brahma, means Siva, Vishnu and Brahma in “One Form”.

It is said that Thanumalaya Swamy temple is the only shrine dedicated to the Trinity in India. The present structure of the temple is the work of a number of persons spread over a number of centuries. It is a complex of many beautiful structures constructed at various times and is one of the best specimens and a store house of the Dravidian style of art and architecture.


About Temple:-
                             

The temple is an architectural marvel, as it is well known for exquisite workmanship in stone. It possesses many musical pillars, which have been carved out of single granite blocks and rise to a height of 18 feet.
Suchindram temple is a rich storehouse of art and sculpture in stone. The gopuram itself is a gigantic structure depicting mythological stories from Indian scriptures. The moment one enters the temple through the gopuram (which is 134 feet high) one comes across the hollow trunk of a tree estimated to be over 2,500 years old. The trunk has been plated to preserve it from decay. In that hollow there are 3 lingams representing Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara (the trinity of the Indian scriptures) and the image of Anasuya who turned them into babies is at its centre [for this legend see below in the three last paragraphs]. A small decorative shrine has been erected in front of it.

By its side the figure of Shiva’s white bull Nandi looks towards the sanctum where the Trinity are represented in the form of a linga which has sixteen moons (Chandrakala), one over the other under the canopy of the serpent Naga. The white bull, of gigantic stature, is said to be 800 years old. It is made out of a paste of holy chalks; consequently its colour is milky white. There are ornamental carvings on the neck.

Here all the Trimurtis (Brahama, Vishnu and Shiva) are in the same shape of a lingam; it is believed that at midnight Lord Indra comes and stays till dawn to worship them. This is why daily rituals in this particular temple are over by dusk, leaving the night free for Indra to worship.

At the entrance to the main temple are figures of two gigantic doorkeepers, Dwarapalakas. Their physical features are robust and awe-inspiring. On two other pillars close by are two gigantic Yalis. The Yali is a mythical lion creature with elephant’s trunk; it was considered to be the most powerful animal in the world, but unfortunately this strange species is now extinct! In front of the sanctum sanctorum below the ceiling is a Champakaraman Mandapam (pillared forechamber) with 32 exquisitely carved pillars.

The entire stories of Anasuya [see end] and of the Ramayana have been carved on the northern and southern sides respectively. By the side of the sanctum is the main deity, Vishnu (made from eight different minerals), fixed to the wall. The figure is cased in silver and no water is poured over this image; it is to the processional Suchindra Perumal, that daily ablutions are offered.

A number of images of female lamp bearers, known as Deepa Lakshmi, are attached to each pillar around the corridor. Unfortunately, the Muslim religious iconoclasts -Tipu Sultan, Chanda Saheb and Baha Saheb - who plundered this temple in olden days, disfigured and mutilated the beautiful Deepa Lakshmi sculptures by cutting off their hands, noses and breasts (towards the inner part of the temple, the management has reconstructed the mutilated portions). The features of these lamp-bearers vary from pillar to pillar, showing different styles of dress and hair decoration. In them different designs of ornaments used in olden days can be seen. Only one Deepalakshmi was not disfigured and mutilated (the one facing the god Siva) apparently out of fear of the god’s wrath.

In the northern corridor there are four ‘musical’ pillars, each one in the form of slender cylindrical rods cut out of a single block of granite stone; these produce different musical sounds when tapped. Two of the musical pillars have 33 cylinders and the other two 25 cylinders. One pillar of 33 cylindrical rods gives the sound of Jalataranga, the other of Tambura (musical instruments). One of the 25-cylindrical-rod pillars gives the sound of Mridangam (drum) and the other of the sitar (the harp). The carving of these stones to produce different musical notes and the skill shown in shaping the cylinders with 33 and 25 rods from a single block of granite using the crude chisels of ancient times is marvel. The four pillars were intended to produce sounds which could create a musical symphony in praise of the Lord.

Beside these four ‘musical’ pillars, two other pillars face each other. These are the sculptural depictions of Ramavarma, king of Travancore State, and his brother, Martanda Varma. The two royal devotees were always followed by their cashier and another servant. After each offering, the king would have to wash his hands in water from a special jar; a towel was then needed to wipe his hands. The sculptured servant holds a water jar in one hand and a towel in the other - always ready to offer service to the king. It is a Hindu custom to offer remuneration to priests for the performance of religious rites but because kings do not carry money with them, the cashier follows them; his duty is also to give money to those begging. In the sculpture the cashier is followed by a deer and by Kundodaran - his attendant, holding a bowl on his head - to receive the alms. The features of Siva are considered excellent and life-like. On the left side of the same pillar, the wife of the Rishi of Darukavana is seen dropping alms into the bowl with a spoon.

On the pillar of the Chitra Sabha entrance is a carving of Krishna with flute in hand. On the left of the pillar is a carving of a tree beside the tank where the Gopis (female cowherds) of Vrindavan went to bathe naked, leaving their clothes on the bank. Krishna, as a boy in sportive mood, took away their garments and hung them on the branches of the tree. In the carving a gopi is shown in full naked glory and another gopi, in an attempt to recover the clothing, is climbing up the tree to implore Krishna (who sits on one of the branches with his flute), to return the same. This scene, carved with meticulous detail on one block of stone, is considered to be a masterpiece of Dravidian sculpture.

There are numerous idols of Vinayaka, the god of success. Beyond the Navagraha Mandapam (pillared antechamber) lies the temple of Maya Ganapati containing an image of Maya Ganapati - Ganapati (the elephant-headed god) with his legendary wife Maya, the illusionary one. As well as holding Maya by one hand he holds a water pot in his trunk. This Vinayaka has ten hands holding different insignias. There is yet another Vinayaka known as Sakshi Vinayaka (that is, Vinayaka who witnessed the redemption of the curse on Indra). Vallabha Vinayaka is the most peculiar, holding by his left arm his wife Vallabha. There is also a stone with Pali inscription of the Buddhist emperor Asoka; a Tamil translation is given on another side of the stone.


There rare female form of Vinayaka (Ganesha) here is known as Vigneshwari, or Vallabha Ganeshaani, as described in the Mantra Shastras. This Ganeshaani murti in sukhasana pose at Suchindram is one of only a few, the others being at a 10th century temple dedicated to 64 yoginis in Bheraghat, near Jabalpur, and one at the Tanumalaya Swami Temple in Suchindrum,

 Kerala. In Tibet, this female form of Ganesh is worshiped as Gajanani.

The southern corridor is a very long one where mass feeding of pilgrims took take place in olden days. The large rectangular-shaped stone vessels held the different curries served to the large number of people who used to assemble. In the northern corner of the western prakaram is a small temple of exquisitely carved wood, with figures of Rama and his consort, Sita.

About Hanuman Statue:-

he Hanuman statue in Suchindram was buried in 1740 AD fearing  an attack by the Tipu Sultan and was forgotten. It was rediscovered in 1930 and restored for public viewing.

Legend:-

There are many legends associated with this temple. Anasuya, the wife of Aarti Maharishi was famous for her chastity and her devotion to her husband - an embodiment of a Hindu wife. She could perform miracles by sprinkling the 'paatha theertham' (water with which she washed her husband's feet) to bring rain to a parched earth or to transform objects to her desire.
When the three Devis, - Goddesses Luxmi, Saraswathy and Parvathy heard through Sage Naradha the powers of this earthly woman they wanted to test her chastity. They approached their husbands Lords Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva to test Anasuya's devotion to her husband. The three Moorthys transformed into three old mendicants and went to the hermitage where Anasuya was living and sought alms from her. When Anasuya was about to serve them food they told her that they had taken a vow whereby they could not accept alms from a person wearing clothes. As it was a sin to refuse alms to mendicants she prayed to her Lord and sprinkled a little 'paatha theertham' on the three old beggars. They were all immediately transformed into babies and throwing off her clothes she offered them food.

The Goddesses learning what had happened pleaded with Anasuya to grant them 'maankalya biksha' (gift of married life) and to give them back their husbands. Anasuya showed them the three babies. The Devis ran to the cradle and picked one baby each. Anasuya then prayed to her Lord to restore them back to their original form. Lo and behold! Brahma was in Luxmi's embrace, Siva in Saraswathy's lap and Parvathy cuddling Vishnu. They accepted that Anasuya's fame as the chastest woman on earth was justified. Thus the Thrimoorthy came to be represented by the Lingam at Suchindram; the bottom represents Brahma, the middle represents Vishnu and the top Shiva.
There is another lore associated with this temple. Once Indra was infatuated with Ahalya, the wife of Rishi Gautama. One night he came to the hermitage where Gautama was living and crowed like a cock indicating the approach of dawn. Rishi Gautama thinking that dawn was imminent awoke from his sleep and went to the river for his ablutions prior to commencing his prayers. Realising that it was too dark for dawn and too early for morning to break he returned to his hut. In the meantime Lord Indra took the physical appearance of Rishi Gautama, approached Ahalya and satisfied his desire. Rishi Gautama returning from the river was enraged when he saw his wife in another man´s embrace and cursed the man's entire body be covered with 'yoni' (the female organ) and his wife Ahalya to become a statue of stone. Lord Indra in order to get rid of this curse went to Gnanaranya and prayed to the Three Moorthys to rid him of this curse. When he was rid of his curse and transformed into his original form he built a temple and installed the Lingam to represent the three Moorthy - Thanu-Maal-Ayan, and the name of the place came to be known as Suchi-Indran (the place where Indran was purified).



Temple Festivals:-

Navaratri are celebrated with great enthusiasm and devotion two times a year. On the other hand, Shivaratri is also a major festival being extolled with great joy and happiness. But two major festivals that account the major attraction are the ‘Suchindram maargali festival’ and the ‘Rath Yatra’. During these festival, some people keep fast (not eating any food) as a respect and dedication towards god worship.

Ashokssthmi is the most import ant festival of the hilly goddess celebrating for three days. Following the every year based calendar Mesha sankranti and Raja sankrajti are also important ones for her as a goddess of tantra sastra. A large number of devotees visit the temple and worship to the deity during these days every year.

About Rath Yatra:-

The chariots of Sthanu-Mal-Ayan temple are very beautiful, and the center of attractice at the annual Car Festival here. The chariots come out at the end of a 10-day festival, which begins on the day of Sathayam, in the month of Markazhi (December/January). Lakhs of devotees come to enjoy the festival. Another processional festival is held in Chiththirai (April/May), when the deities are taken out on the cars to give darshan to the devotees.

While Their Lordships' original temple chariot was destroyed during the invasion of Khan Chanda Saheb, many devotees sacrificed their lives in protecting the remaining chariots, thus forcing the invaders to retreat. Afterwards, the Devi (Amman) car was made the major chariot. Each year it is accompanied by the chariots of Ganesa and Swamy, and each of the chariots bears one member of the Trimurti.
The chariot is made of wood and is carved with beautifully detailed sculptures, many of which feature the pastimes of Krishna and Rama lila. Each year, the upper portion of the car is remade with fresh poles and fabrics, and taken out on procession.


Temple Timings:-

Open 7:30 am

Close 7:30 pm