Sundararaja Perumal Temple or Thiru Anbil (also known as Vadivazhagiya Nambi Perumal Temple), is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu in Anbil, a village on the outskirts of Tiruchirappalli in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The temple, built in the Dravidian style, is mentioned in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, an early mediaeval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th to the 9th centuries CE. It is one of 108 Divya Desams devoted to Vishnu, known as Sundararajan, and his consort Lakshmi, known as Sundaravalli.

The temple is thought to have been built in the late 8th century CE by the Mediaeval Cholas, with later contributions from Vijayanagara kings and Madurai Nayaks. The copper plate inscriptions from Anbil attest to the Chola monarchs’ substantial contributions to the shrine. The temple is surrounded by a granite wall, which encloses all of its shrines and bodies of water. The temple’s gateway tower, the rajagopuram, is east-facing and features a three-tiered structure. The temple is situated on the banks of the Kollidam River.

Story/Legend of the Sundararaja Perumal Temple

According to Hindu legend, the sage Suthaba was performing penance underwater at this location. As a result, he failed to see that the sage Durvasa was waiting for him. Durvasa, enraged, cursed Suthaba to become a frog (Mendaka). Suthaba asked Durvasa to remove the curse from him. Durvasa stated that the curse was due to the sin he committed in his previous birth and that the god Vishnu would release him. Suthaba maintained his penance as a frog in the temple’s Mendaka Theertham when Vishnu appeared to him as Sundararajan. This temple is considered one of the 108 Divya Desams.

What is Divya Desams– A Divya Desam or Vaishnava Divya Desam is one of the 108 Vishnu and Lakshmi temples recorded by the Alvars, the poet-saints of the Sri Vaishnava faith. 105 of the 108 temples are in India, one is in Nepal, and the final two are thought to be in space, in Tirupparkatal and Vaikuntham. They are distributed over the Indian states of Tamil Nadu (84), Kerala (11), Andhra Pradesh (2), Gujarat (1), Uttar Pradesh (4), and Uttarakhand (3). Muktinath, Saligramam is Nepal’s sole Divya Desam. The 12 Alvars respect the Divya Desams in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, a collection of 4,000 Tamil hymns.

History of Sundararaja Perumal Temple

The temple is located on the northern bank of the Kollidam River, 25 kilometres (16 miles) from Trichy. The area’s king, King Sundara Chola, was a devotee of the shrine. Following his military conquests, he contributed vast sums of money to this temple. Anirudha Brahmarayar, his prime minister, is thought to be from Anbil, the village where the temple is located.

The copper plates from Anbil’s Chola period show a generous contribution from the Mediaeval Cholas. The temple inscriptions mention Vishnu appearing before Sage Valmiki at this location.

Architecture of Sundararaja Perumal Temple

The temple’s main entrance faces east and features a three-tiered rajagopuram or gateway tower. The presiding deity Sundararaja Perumal (Vishnu) is shown in a reclining pose over his holy serpent Adisesha at the main shrine. The sanctum contains images of his consorts Sridevi (Lakshmi), Bhudevi, and Brahma. The sanctum houses Sundararajan’s celebratory picture, Vadivalagiya Nambi.

The temples of the twelve Alvars, Narasimha, Venugopal, Lakshmi Narasimha (Lakshmi with Narasimha), and Hanuman are located in the precinct surrounding the sanctum. The roof structure over the sanctuary is in the shape of a gopuram, which is typically found in gateway towers. The front hall of the sanctum has a shrine for Andal in a standing posture and has her bronze image in a seated posture.

Facts about Sundararaja Perumal Temple

• Thiru Anbil, or Sundararaja Perumal Temple, in Anbil, a village on the outskirts of Tiruchirappalli in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu.
• Sundararajan is believed to have appeared to Brahma (the Hindu god of creation) and sage Sutapa.
•  The temple is classified as a Divya Desam, one of the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the book
• The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
• The temple is a late 8th-century creation, believed to have been built originally by the medieval Cholas, and expanded later by the Vijayanagar and Nayak kings.
• Free food is offered to hundreds of devotees every day in the temple and the expenditure is fully funded by contributions from devotees.
• The temple is revered in Naalayira Divya Prabandham, the 7th–9th century Vaishnava canon, by Tirumalisai Alvar in two hymns.
•  The temple is thronged by devotees praying for marriage. Special ablution is also performed for Andal seeking their wishes.

Famous Festivals In Sundararaja Perumal Temple

• The Tirthavari festival celebrated in the Tamil month of Maasi (February–March)
• Diwali – Diwali is one of the most admired and auspicious festivals in the town.
• Chitra Poornima is also a significant occasion for celebration in the temple.
• Vaikuntha Ekadashi – Vaikuntha Ekadashi celebrated during the Tamil month of Margazhi (December–January) is the major festival celebrated in the temple.

How To reach Sundararaja Perumal Temple

Sri Sundararaja Perumal Temple is located in Anbil village of Thiruchirapalli District in Tamilnadu.

By Air: Trichy International Airport is just 30 kilometres from the temple. People can avail of local transport from the airport to the temple.

By Railway: Lalgudi is around 7 kilometres from Anbil village. Trichy is also a busy railway junction with connections to other regions of the state and the country. People can easily go by road from there to the temple.

By Roadways: There are buses and private vehicles like taxis and autos for reaching the temple from Trichy town and other nearby places.

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