Suchindrum

This important pilgrim centre is situated en route to . The temple enshrines Sri Sthanumalaya, the Trinity of God (Siva, Vishnu and Brahma).

Suchindrum was known as Gnanaranya. According to a legend, Atri Maharishi and his wife Anasuya, known for her chastity, had their hermitage here. Anasuya could bring rains to the parched land by sprinkling the padha theertham of her husband. When Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Parvati heard from Narada that a woman had excelled them all in her Pathi Bhakti, they decided to test the chastity of Anasuya.

To satisfy the bidding of their wives, the Trimurtis appeared at the hermitage of Anasuya as old brahmins seeking alms. When she was about to serve them food, the brahmins told her that they had taken a vow not to have food served by anyone wearing clothes. She sprinkled Atri’s padha teertham on the brahmins, who were immediately transformed into three babies.

Meanwhile, the long absence of the Gods worried the Devis, and they approached Anasuya for Mangalya Biksha. Anasuya sprinkled the padha theertham on the babies and the three Gods appeared by the side of their partners. The Devas and sages came to Gnanaranya to have darshan of the Trimurtis. Wheen they left, three Swayambu Lingas sprouted at the foot of a Konnai tree.

On either side of this Konnaiyadi shrine are a giant, white Nandi and Garudalwar, facing the sanctums of Sthanumalaya and Vishnu. The Vishnu idol is made of special mixture of jaggery and mustard. Hence abhisheka is perfromed only for the processional deity.

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Another legend has it that Ahalya, wife of Gautama Rishi, was once disgraced by Indra, who, in turn, was cursed by Gautama. Indra then came to Gnanaranya and did penance till Siva appeared and purified him. The devout believe that Indra is till doing puja in the temple at mid-night after the ardhajama puja. As Indra was purified at Gnanaranya, the place came to be known as Suchindrum.

The temple is known for its sculptural wealth. The 134-fiit-tall gopuram beacons the pilgrims from a long distance. On the eastern corridor is the shrine of Guru Dakshinamurthi next to konnayadi. The Vasanta Mandapam is a rare monument of art. The Navagrahas are engraved on the ceiling. During the Vasanta Utsavam in summer, the idols of Suchindra Perumal and Uma Devi are placed in the Vasanta Mandapam. There is a majestic Nilakanta Vinayaka or Mukkurani Pillaiyar.

On the outer prakaram, there are separate shrines for Cheravasal Sastha, Rama and Lord Muruga. There is an imposing image of Hanuman opposite to Lord Rama’s shrine. It is said to represent the Viswarupa of Hanuman as shown to Sita at Ashoka Vana in Lanka. On the northern corridor, there are four musical pillars cut out of single granite blocks.

Vigneswari (a rare feminine form of Vinayaka), Goddess Aram Valartha Nayaki, Indra Vinayaka, Kala Bhairava and Saakshi Ganapathy are also enshrined.

Festivals:

Ten-day festivals are held in Margazhi (Dec-Jan) and Chitrai (April-May).

Nagercoil:

The temple here is dedicated to serpent deity Nagaraja. The sanctum is surrounded by mud walls with the simple thatched roof. The Prasadam distributed in this temple is only sand scooped out from the sanctum. It is white in colour for six months and light black for remaining six months.

There are shrines dedicated to Anathakrishna and Siva. Lord Muruga and Devi Durga are enshrined on the prakaram. The garden is known for its Naga flower believed to be a symbolic representation of Sri Nagaraja.

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Devotees throng this temple on Sundays and on aayilyam(aslesha) star days with offerings of milk.

Temples around Nagercoil towards :

Thirparappu(40km) Sri Mahadevar; (30km) Sri Adi Kesava Perumal; Kerlapuram (25km) Sri Mahadevar; (20km) Neelakanteswara and Ramaswami; Mandaikadu (22km) Bhagavathi Amman; Kumaracoil (15km) Velimalai Murugan temple.

Tirunelveli:

The Siva temple, situated in the heart of this major commercial centre, is dedicated to Nellaiappar and his consort Kanthimathi. The temple, built by a Pandya king in the 7th centuary, is known for beautifully sculptured mandapams and theerthams. There are 2 entrances – one is Swami Sannadhi and the other Amman Sannadhi. Tirunelveli is one of the 5 places were the Lord performed his cosmic dance. It is known as Tambra Sabha.

The Siva - Parvati marriage is celebrated in the thousand – pillared mandapam in Aippasi (Oct-Nov). Vasanta Utsavam is held in April-May. The pillars in the Mani Mandapam give out unique musical sounds when struck.

Around Tirunelveli :

Krishnapuram (12km): The Venkatachalapathy temple is known for rare sculptural workmanship. There are two beautifully carved elephants adoring the entrance to a mandapam, known as Veerappa Naick Mandapam. The pillars here bear images of exquisite beauty depicting sceans from Puranas.

Map:

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