Suchindram Thanumalayan Temple - A famous Hanuman Temple near Kanniyakumari, TN, India

Information Courtesy: www.templedetails.com

hanumalayan Temple is located at ‘Suchindram’, Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu dedicated to Lord Hanuman and also named as ‘Suchindram Lord Anjaneyar Temple’. The meaning of the name Suchindram is “Purify”, which is derived from Sanskrit. Thanumalayan Temple is also called as ‘Sthanumalayan Temple’. The name Sthanumalayan indicates ‘Trimurtis’ (Three Gods). The Trimurtis are:

Lord Shiva (Sthanu)
Lord Vishnu (Mal)
Lord Brahma (Aya)
The present structure of the Thanumalayan Temple was believed to be built in the 17th century and drives away with its architectural excellence. The temple has a seven- storey white Gopuram (temple tower) and its facade are adorned with sculptures of various deities. Lord Indra, the king of Devas was believed to be got rid of His curse by worshiping the sacred Lingam at this Thanumalayan Temple. And hence it is said that Lord Indra visit this temple everyday to worship Lord Shiva. This temple is considered significance for both Shaivaites, who reveres Lord Shiva as the Supreme God and Vaishnavites, the followers of Lord Vishnu, sects of Hinduism.

Speciality

The presiding deity of this temple is Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Brahma, in a single form called as ‘Thanumalayan’. Lord Hanuman is also considered as the main deity of this temple. The statue of Lord Hanuman stands majestically at a height of 22 feet, which is carved of a single block of granite. The 22 feet tall statue of Lord Hanuman at this temple is revered as one of the tallest statues in India. The statue of Lord Hanuman was said to be concealed underground at this temple in 1740 to protect it from the attack by Tipu Sultan, a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore.

And the hidden statue was rediscovered in the year 1930 and was re-established by the “Then Devaswom Board Commissioner Rajya Seva Praveena Sri M.K. Neelankantha Iyer” of Kottarathu Mathom, Moncompu. The unique feature of this temple is that the statue of Lingam, an infinite nature of Lord Shiva, represents the three main Gods (Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Brahma) of Hinduism. There is four beautiful musical pillars, stands at a height of 18 feet, which are carved out of a single stone and when stricken, it produces various musical notes.

And the dancing hall of this temple contains an additional 1035 pillars filled with wonderful carvings. The temple also houses the statue of Lord Nandeeswarar, the vahan of Lord Shiva, which stand at a height of 13 feet tall and measures 21 feet long. The statue of Lord Nandeeswarar at this temple is esteemed as one of the biggest Lord Nandeeswarar statues in India. The temple has the images from Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, Goddess Amman, Lord Kandan, which strongly signifies both the sects Vaishnavism and Shaivism.

Pooja Timings
Abiseka Pooja for Moola lingam – 04.15 AM
Abiseka Pooja for Thanumalayan deity – 04.45 AM
Daily festival Pooja – 05.30 AM
Tharai Abiseka Pooja – 06.30 AM
Mistanga Pooja – 07.00 AM
Uchikkala Pooja, Deepa Aradhanai – 11.00 AM
Deepa Aradhanai, Ahala Pooja & Arthajama Pooja – 06.30 PM
Festivals
Avani Festival – August
Masi Festival – March
Margazhi Festival – December
Margazhi Festival – January
Chiththirai Festival – April

By Road
Suchindram is about 11 km from Kanyakumari and about 7 km from Nagarkoil lying between these two towns. Busses ply from Thirunelveli, Kanyakumari and Trivandram.

By Train
The nearest railway station to Thanumalayan Temple is Nagercoil Junction which is 3 Km away from Thanumalayan Temple.

By Air
The nearest airport to Thanumalayan Temple is Thiruvananthapuram International airport, Thiruvananthapuram which is 70 Km away from Thanumalayan Temple.