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Suchindram is about 11 -km from Kanyakumari,
which has a temple dedicated to a deity, who is the representation of the
combined forces of Lords Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. The temple has a
beautiful Gopuram, musical pillars and an excellent statue of the monkey
God Hanuman, apart from a valuable collection of art from different
periods. Large number of Vaishnavites and Shaivites visit this temple.
Unique Feature Of The Temple
Suchindram temple is unique in the whole of India. It is dedicated to
three different deities represented by one image in the sanctum and is
called "Sthanumalayan ("Sthanu" - Lord Shiva; "Maal"
- Lord Vishnu and "Ayan" - Lord Brahma) Kovil".
The Legend Associated With The Temple
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 3 Devis, - Goddesses Laxmi (also spelt as Lakshmi), Saraswati
and Parvati heard through Sage Narada 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 Moortis (sculptures) 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 'Maangalya 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. Brahma was in Laxmi's embrace,
Shiva in Saraswati's lap and Parvati cuddling Vishnu. They accepted that
Anasuya's fame as the chasest woman on earth was justified. Thus the
Trimoorti or Trimurti came to be represented by the Lingam (also spelt as
Linga) at Suchindram; the bottom represents Lord Brahma, the middle
represents Lord Vishnu and the top Lord Shiva.
Another Tradition
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 Moortis 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 (also spelt as Linga) to represent the three Moorti -
"Thanu-Maal-Ayan", and the name of the place came to be known as
"Suchi-Indran" (the place where Indra was purified).
About The Temple
The temple is rich in sculpture and architecture. The entrance tower to
this temple is visible from a distance as it rises majestically for 134
feet. The face of the tower is covered with sculptures and statues from
Hindu mythology and the entrance itself is about 24 feet high with a
beautifully carved door. There is only one corridor running along the
outer wall of the temple with many shrines and Mandapam (also spelt as
Mandapa) scattered in the inner area.
One can see about 30 shrines dedicated to various deities within the
temple complex. There is a large Lingam (also spelt as Linga) in the
sanctum, the idol of Vishnu in the adjacent shrine and a large idol of
Hanuman at the Eastern end of the Northern corridor represent almost all
the deities of the Hindu pantheon.
In the 'Alankara Mandapam' adjacent to the Northern corridor there are
four large pillars each formed by a group of smaller pillars all carved
from a single stone. Of all these large pillars two have 33 smaller
pillars and the other two 25 each, which are famous as the musical
pillars. A different musical note can be heard when each of these smaller
pillars is tapped. Unfortunately, the pillars are covered by iron grills
to prevent vandalism.
A gigantic figure of Hanuman, 18 feet high depicting 'Vishuvaroopam' can
be seen when we step out of the 'Alankara Mandapam'. There are other
carvings and sculptures on every pillar and panel throughout the temple,
which are a feast to the eye and the imagination.
Festivities
There are two important festivals, one in 'Markazhi' (December/January)
and the other in 'Chithirai' (April/May). During the Markazhi festival, on
the 9th day the deities are taken out in procession around the streets on
three festival cars.
Air: The nearest airport is at
Trivandrum.
Rail: The nearest railway station is at Nagercoil
on the Trivandrum
- Kanyakumari section of the Southern
Railway.
Road: Suchindram is just 11-km from Kanyakumari.
There are regular buses from Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli,
Kanyakumari and
Trivandram
to Suchindram.
Accommodation is available at the economy class hotels, devasthanam cottages and railway retiring rooms in Kanyakumari (also spelt as Kanniyakumari).