Sundararaja Perumal Temple Anbil

Getting there

• By air

  Tiruchirappalli International Airport (TRZ) serves Trichy. Tamil Nadu has four international airports, at Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli and Madurai.

• By road

  Tiruchirappalli sits at the junction of National Highways NH 45 and NH 67. The temple is about 25 km from Trichy.

Why devotees come here

Sundararaja Perumal Temple stands in Anbil, Tamil Nadu. It is dedicated to Vishnu, worshipped as Sundararajan, with his consort Lakshmi as Sundaravalli. The temple is one of the 108 Divya Desam temples, and devotees throng it to pray for marriage.

Legends of the temple tell of Sage Suthaba, who was cursed by Durvasa to become a frog and was freed by Vishnu as Sundararajan. Another legend tells of Brahma, who believed he was the most handsome being in the world. Vishnu cursed him, and Brahma later learned that appearance is temporary. The temple is classified as a Divya Desam, a term for the 108 Vishnu temples mentioned in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham.

The temple is believed to have been built by the Medieval Cholas in the late 8th century CE. Later contributions came from the Vijayanagara kings and the Madurai Nayaks. King Sundara Chola, the ruler of the area, was a devotee of the temple. After his victories in war, he donated wealth to it. Copper plate inscriptions from Anbil show generous gifts from the Chola kings.

The main entrance faces east under a three-tiered gateway tower. The main shrine shows Sundararaja Perumal reclining over the serpent Adisesha. Shrines of the twelve Alvars surround the sanctum precinct, along with those of Narasimha, Venugopal, Lakshmi Narasimha and Hanuman.

Festivals

• Tamil month of Maasi, February to MarchTirthavari

  The most prominent of the temple's two yearly festivals.

• Tamil month of Margazhi, December to JanuaryVaikunta Ekadashi

  Celebrated at the temple during Margazhi.

Tips for your visit

• The Board runs an annadhanam scheme, so devotees get free food at the temple.
• Six daily rituals and two yearly festivals are held at the temple.

Questions people ask