Located in Suchindram in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, The Thanumalayan Temple also called as The Thanumalayan Temple is an ancient temple dedicated to the Holy Trinity of Hinduism - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The current temple was built in the 17th century and is famous for its sculptures. The trinity in a single form is called Sthanumalyam. The top, middle and bottom portions of the image in the temple represent Shiva (Sthanu),Vishnu (Maal) and Brahma (Ayan) respectively.

Location TamilNadu, Kanniyakumari (, Chennai

Legend

There are many legends associated with the Thanumalayan Temple. One of the legends of  Suchindram is related to chastity of Anasuya, wife of Sage Atri. Sage Atri and his devoted wife Anasuya had their hermitage at Gnanaranya (now known as Suchindrum). The legend is that the trimurtis appeared in front of Anasuya as brahmins. They asked food from Anasuya. When Anasuya was about to serve, to test her chastity, they imposed a condition that they would eat only, if she served in nudity. Through the power of her chastity she converted the three gods into babies and suckled them. On the plea of godesses Anasuya restored the dieties on the same spot as a lingam.

Architecture

A perfect example of Dravidian Architecture, the temple is known for exquisite workmanship in stone. It possesses many musical pillars, which have been carved out of single granite blocks and they rise to a height of 18 feet; these are an architectural and design highlight of the temple grounds. There are an additional 1035 pillars with carvings in the area of dancing hall. Nandi's idol in the temple is 13 feet high, 21 feet long and 10 feet wide, is one of the biggest of its kind in the country. The Anjaneya image in the Suchindram temple is 22 feet tall and has been made out of a single granite block. It is one of the tallest statues of its type in India. All the mandapams have been built during the period of the King Nayakar.

Culture

Kanyakumari is the south most tip of India and Tamil Nadu. The region is known for its rich tradition of literature, art, music and dance. Religion has always been the at the helm of the cultural philosophy with classical art forms. Tanjore painting and Bharatnatyam are few of the products of Tamil culture. Kanyakumari is also known for its reverence to the feminine forms of divinity.

Darsan Info

The temple is open from 4:00 AM to 12:00 PM & 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM.

Darsan Dresscode

Men should be bare waist-up and women should be traditionally dressed to enter the temple premises. Devotees are not allowed to carry anything inside the temple except wallets.

Pooja Samagri

The accessibility to good quality pooja articles in today's adulterated world as well as availability of all the items required is a major concern for many devotees. Please check out our P-STORE page for various high quality Pooja Samagri for your Pilgrimage

Temple Rituals

Abhishekam, Mistanga pooja, Uchikkala poojai, Deepa Aradhanai.

Special Rituals

Ashtothiram, Rice powder alankar, butter alankar, vada alankar, methuvadai malai, thattavadai malai, annadanam, and abhishekam can be offered for a fee.

Additional Info

 

ChicKing Fried Chicken, Hotel Prabhu, Akshaya Restaurant, Hotel Tasty

Supermarket : Available