Was Lord Hanuman married to Lord Surya’s daughter?

Lord Hanuman and his devotion to Lord Ram is unparalleled. He is forever seen bowing down to Lord Ram, his hands folded, and in his eyes nothing but respect and devotion for his Lord. Hanuman ji’s devotion was not limited to chanting mantras or sitting in meditation over Shri Ram’s name, he also did things that made him stand out. Torching Lanka, helping build a bridge to Lanka, carrying Lord Ram’s ring to Mata Sita, and so much more.

Lord Hanuman is also known as a Bal Brahmachari. A Bal Brahmachari is someone who vows to be a celibate for life during his childhood itself. This aspect of his character is evidence to his dedication to his strength, spiritual path, and his unparalleled devotion. But, there is actually a short twist to this celibate nature. Read on to know.

The incident where Lord Hanuman attempted to eat the Sun thinking of it as a mango is a childhood tale that everybody has heart. As the story goes, a young Hanuman, driven by his playful nature and strength, leaped into the sky to grab the sun. This caused a great disturbance in the universe, leading the gods to plead with Indra to intervene. Indra struck Hanuman with his Vajra, which knocked him down to earth and left a permanent mark on his chin. But later, all the Gods came together to bless him with divine powers. And Surya Dev became his Guru through a blessing.

According to some legends, shortly after the incident, Lord Hanuman became Surya dev’s ‘shishya’ and he was tasked with teaching Lord Hanuman the 9 vidyas. While 5 vidyas were given to him without any hesitation, the last 4 posed a problem. Why? Because they could only be given to a married man. Looking at Lord Hanuman’s celibate nature, it was not possible for him to marry a girl and start his life ahead. So, Lord Surya proposed that Hanuman ji marry a girl who is also an ascetic.

The story of Lord Hanuman's marriage to Suvarchala is not widely-known. According to legend, Surya dev proposed that Hanuman marry his daughter, Suvarchala, to receive the complete knowledge of the four Vidyas. Hanuman, who was determined to honour his vow of celibacy, finally agreed to marry Suvarchala when he was told that post the wedding rituals Suvarchala will retreat into deep meditation and Lord Hanuman can go on with his life.

After the marriage, Lord Hanuman continued to live as a Brahmachari, dedicating himself entirely to the service of Lord Rama and his spiritual practices. He also mastered all 9 vidyas after the marriage and was blessed with eternal wisdom. Surya dev’s daughter, Suvarchala, then retreated into penance and spent her life immersed in deep meditation.

In all of India, there is one extremely famous temple that pays respect to both Lord Hanuman and his wife Devi Suvarchala. Located in the Khamman district, Telangana, the Devi Suvarchala temple has idols of both Hanuman ji and her. Devi Suvarchala is Surya putri, or daughter of the sun, and the reason why Lord Hanuman could complete the study of 9 Vidyas.

(Image: @arvindvarchaswi/X)