History of the Susindram temple:
Sage Athiri and his consort Anusuya were leading a holy life in Susindram performing penance. The sage left for Himalayas for a short while. During his absence, the three Murthys Brahmma, Vishnu and Shiva visited Anusuya asking for food. When Anusuya began feeding them that they could not accept her hospitality as she was wearing clothes. Sensing their mind, Anusuya spilled on them the water with which her husband’s feet were washed and the Gods became children. She breast fed them, put them in a cradle and made them sleep. The consorts of the Murthys, Saraswathi, Mahalakshmi and Parvathi came in search of their husbands and begged Anusuya to return them in their true forms. Anusuya obliged. The temple was built in memory of this incident installing the three Murthys in one form.
The presiding deity Sthanumalayan combines the three Murthys viz. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
People visit the temple for marriage, children, longevity and prosperity needs. They also seek blessings from Lord Hanuman in the temple for physical and mental health.
The devotees offer silk clothes, perform Abishekams (bathing the deity with milk, sandalwood water, rose water, etc.) They offer butter to Lord Hanuman and also garland made of paper bits in which the slogan Sri Ramajayam is written. Wealthy devotees arrange poor feeding and donate liberally for Annadhanam.
The Hanuman statue in the temple is 18 feet tall, in a majestic standing posture. This is a speciality in the temple.
Susindram Temple has a 7 tier Gopuram (tower). One can see a large part of the Nanjil region and the confluence of Kanyakumari sea (The Arabian sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean.) The Prakara of the Mandap is equal to that of Rameswaram.
Sculptural beauties:
The tall Hanuman, Nandhi, the vehicle of the Lord, musical pillars, the Vinayaka or Ganesh (elephant faced God) in a female form named Ganesini which is not found in any other temple, are the feast to the eyes of the devotees.
The presiding deity combines the three Murthys, Brahmma, Vishnu and Shiva.
It is in this holy place that Indra (the king of the Devas) was relieved of the curse of the chaste Akalya naming the Place as Susindram meaning purity of the body. It is here the consort of Sage Athiri proved her chastity to the three Lords when they came to her to test her purity. The devotees are expected to visit the temple with their spouses. The temple has special houses (Sannidhis) for the Gods in the temple.
Location from important places
Susindram is 70 Kms from Tirunelveli and 240 Kms from Madurai. Accomodation facilities are available in nearby Nagercoil and Kanyakumari, the room rent ranging from Rs. 150 to Rs. 800. As Susindram lies on a main thoroughfare, transport facilities are comfortably available. Buses are plying in short frequencies. The nearest railway stations are Kanyakumari and Nagercoil. The nearest airport is Thiruvananthapuram.
For more details the visitor/devotee can contact,
The Executive Officer, Arulmigu Sthanumalayan Temple, Susindram. Phone: 04652-241421.
