Temple, Sriran
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is a Hindu
the temple is dedicated to Ranganatha (a form
of Vishnu), located in Srirangam,
Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India.
Constructed in the Hindu architectural
style, the temple is glorified by Alvars in
their Naalayira Divya Prabhandam and
has the unique distinction of being the
foremost among the 108 Divya Desams
dedicated to the god Vishnu.
Srirangam
Srirangam Temple gopurams
Religion
District
Festivals
Uriyadi
Jeeyarpuram
Tower: Pranavakara
Vimanam.
Location
State
Country
Architecture
Type
Creator
over 600[note 1]
Website
It is the most illustrious Vaishnava temple in South India rich in legend and history.
The temple has played an important role in
Vaishnavism history starts with the 11th-century career of Ramanuja and his predecessors Nathamuni and
Yamunacharya in Srirangam. Its location,
on an island between the Kollidam and
Kaveri rivehavehas rendered it vulnerable to flooding as well as the rampaging of
invading armies that repeatedly
commandeered the site for military
encampment. The temple was looted
and destroyed by the Delhi Sultanate
armies in a broad plunder raid on various
cities of the Pandyan kingdom in early
14th century. The temple was rebuilt in
late 14th century, the site was fortified and
expanded with many more gopurams in
the 16th and 17th centuries. It was
one of the hubs of the early Bhakti movement
with devotional singing and dance
tradition, but this tradition stopped during
the 14th century and was revived in a
limited way much later.
The temple occupies an area of 155 acres
(63 ha) with 81 shrines, 21 towers, 39
pavilions, and many water tanks integrated
into the complex making it the world's
largest functioning Hindu temple. The
the temple town is a significant archaeological
and epigraphical site, providing a historic
a window into the early and mid medieval
South Indian society and culture.
Numerous inscriptions suggest that this
Hindu temples served not only as a spiritual
centre, but also a major economic and
a charitable institution that operated
education and hospital facilities ran a free
kitchen, and financed regional
infrastructure projects from the gifts and
donations it received. [note 2]
The Srirangam temple is the largest
Temple compound in India and one of the
largest religious complexes in the
world. Some of these structures have
been renovated, expanded and rebuilt over
the centuries as a living temple. The latest
the addition of the outer tower which
approximately 73 metres (240 ft) tall,
completed in 1987. Srirangam temple is
often listed as one of the largest
functioning Hindu temple in the world, the
still larger Angkor Wat being the largest existing temple. The temple is an
active Hindu house of worship and follows
the Tenkalai tradition of Sri Vaishnavism.
The annual 21-day festival conducted
during the Tamil month of Margali
(December–January) attracts 1 million
visitors. The temple complex has been
nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage
The site, and is on UNESCO's tentative list.[4]
Location
The Ranganathaswamy Temple at
Srirangam, also known as Periyakovil
and Srirangam Tirupati is located about
12 kilometres (7.5 mi) north of the city of
Tiruchirappalli, about 325 kilometres (200 mi) southwest of Chennai. The city is
connected daily to other major cities by
the network of Indian Railways, Tamil
Nadu bus services and the Highway
Tiruchirappalli International Airport (IATA:
Srirangam temple complex across the river on left.
The temple site is on a large island
bounded by the Kaveri River and Kollidam
River. It is vast and planned as a temple
a town with a Sapta-Prakaram design where
the sanctum, gopuram, services and living
area are co-located in seven concentric
enclosures. Rampart walls were added
after medieval centuries that saw its
invasion and destruction. The temple
monuments are located inside the inner
five enclosures of the complex,
surrounded by living area and
infrastructure in the outer two enclosures.
Numerous gopurams connect the Sapta-
Prakaram enclosures allow the pilgrims
and visitors reach the sanctum from
many directions. The site includes
two major temples, one for Vishnu as
Ranganatha and others to Shiva as
Jambukeshvara. The island has some cave temples, older than both.
History
A temple at Srirangam is mentioned in
Tamil literature of the Sangam era (6th
century BCE to the 4th century CE,
including the epic Silapadikaram (book 11,
lines 35–40):
The temple was first built by
ஆய ர
வ ரி
the Chola ruler,
ெத
Dharmavarma. The Kaveri
தைல
River flood destroyed the
ைட
temple vimana, and later,
அ
த
the early Cholas King
ற
Killivalavan rebuilt the temple ப ளி
complex as is present today.
பல
Beyond the ancient textual
ெதா
history, archaeological
ேத த
வ ரித
evidence such as
ைர
inscriptions refer to this
காவ ரி
temple, but these stone
வ ய
inscriptions are from the late 1st
ெப
millennium CE. The
த
inscriptions in the temple
belong to the Chola, Pandya, த வம
மா ப
க ட த
dynasties who ruled over the
வ
ண
region. These inscriptions
range in date between the
During the period of invasion
viritteḻu
talaiyuṭai
aruntiṟaṟ
pāyaṟ
forces in 1311, the Arabic
paḷḷip
palartoḻu
texts of the period state that
tētta
he raided a "golden temple"
viritiraik
on the river "Kanobari" (Kaveri),
kāviri
destroyed the temple and
viyaṉperu
took the plunder with the
tutti
golden icon of the deity to
Miramar
Delhi. According to Steven P.
mārpaṉ
kiṭanta
Hopkins, this is believed to
vaṇṇamu
be the Ranganathaswamy
m
The Tamil texts that followed
magnificent
offer various inconsistent
nt cot
legends on how the temple
having a
regained the Vishnu icon.
thousand
According to one found in
heads
spread
Koil Oluku, a young girl had
out,
vowed to fast till she had
worshipped
d and
the Muslim army as it
praised by
returned with the loot back to
many, in
Delhi. There she sneaked into
an islet
the palace and saw that the
surrounded
d by
Sultan's daughter had fallen
Kaveri
in love with the image. The
with
the young girl returned to
billowing
Srirangam and told the
priests about what she had
the lying
seen in Delhi. The priests
posture of
went with musicians to Delhi,
the one
found the icon capriciously
who has
playful possession of the
Lakshmi
sitting in
Sultan's daughter, day and
his chest
night. They sang and
Silapadika
danced before the Sultan to
ram (book
return the icon, and he gave
11, lines
it back which upset his
35–40)
daughter. To console the
daughter, the Sultan sent in
his army again to bring it back, but this
the time they were not successful.
According to other versions, the Muslim
daughter followed the icon from Delhi to
Srirangam on a horse and still not seeing
the idol gave up her life before the door of
the sanctum, symbolizing that love
brought back the icon after the war had
taken it away.
An 1870 photo of the gopurams in the temple town.
Beyond these legends, there were more
severe second invasion of South India
including Srirangam between 1323 CE and
1327 CE by the armies of the Sultanate
The sanctum's Vishnu image with its jewellery
was pre-emptively removed by the Hindus
before the Delhi Sultanate troops reached
Srirangam by a group led by the
Vaishnavite Acharaya Pillai Lokacharyar to
Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu. The Goddess
Ranganayaki (Lakshmi) was also taken away to another location by a separate
group. The temple was defended and
according to the Tamil tradition some
13,000 Sri Vaishnavas devotees of Srirangam, died in the fierce battle.
After nearly six decades when Madurai
Sultanate ruled after the Pandyan rulers
were ousted after the repeated Delhi
Sultanate's invasions, the Vijayanagara
Empire ousted the Madurai Sultanate in
1378. Thereafter, the image of
Namberumal was brought back to
Srirangam. Before then, for decades the
deity and the priestly wardens wandered
and secretly carried the temple's icon
through villages of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and
Karnataka. They finally went to the hills of
Tirumala Tirupati, where they remained until the temple was rebuilt in 1371. The
the icon was consecrated again according to
the legends. This time, in memory of the
first Sultan's daughter which tradition calls
Thulukha Nachiyar, a niche in the temple
was built for her. The niche shows her as a
girl sitting on a horse that carried her to
Delhi. Her legend is still remembered.
During contemporary processions when
the icon is taken out of the sanctum and then
returned to it after its journey, Thulukha
Nachiyar is dressed in Muslim garments
and food offerings are made to her in the
form of butter and chappathis (wheat bread).
Thereafter, under the Vijayanagara Empire, the temple site saw over 200 years of
stability, repairs, the first round of
fortifications, and the addition of
mandapas. The Vishnu and Lakshmi
images were reinstalled and the site
became a Hindu temple again in 1371 CE
under Kumara Kampana, a Vijayanagara
commander and the son of Bukka I. In
the last decade of the 14th century, a
the pillared antechamber was gifted by the
Vijayanagara rulers. In the 15th century,
they coated the apsidal roofs with solid
gold sheets, followed by financing the
addition of a series of new shrines,
mandapas and gopuras to the temple,
according to George Michell.
After the destruction of the Vijayanagara in
late 16th century, geo-political instability
returned. The site became the focus of
bitter wars between the Hindu Nayakas
and the Muslim Mughals in the 17th
century. The Nayakas fortified the
temple town and the seven pra karas. It
was taken over by Muslim Nawabs of
Arcot as a lucrative source of revenues,
and thereafter attracted a contest between
the French and British military powers.
Srirangam temple site and the neighbouring
city of Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) became an
intense centre of Christian and Muslim
missionary activity during the 18th and
19th centuries. With the establishment
of the Madras Presidency within the British
Empire, geo-political stability returned and
the Ranganathaswamy Temple site
attracted interest in archaeological and
historical studies.
Sri Vaishnavism
The epigraphical evidence suggests that
these Hindu dynasties — Cholas, Pandyas,
Hoysalas, Gajapatis, Nayaks, Vijayanagara
– assisted with rebuilding, renovation and
supported the traditional customs. Some
mention substantial gifts to the temple. A
Chola king, for example, presented the
Temple with a golden serpent couch. Some
historians identify this king with
Rajamahendra Chola. The temple has
witnessed and played a key role in the
early Sri Vaishnavism history, particularly the centuries that followed the major
Hindu philosopher Ramanuja (1017–1137
CE), and his predecessors Nathamuni and
Yamunacharya.It witnessed the
the debate between the Dvaita (dualistic) and
Advaita (non-dualistic) sub-traditions
within Vaishnavism. Centuries later, it was
a key site in the debate and disagreements
between the northern Tamil and southern
Tamil traditions also called as the
Vadakalai and Tenkalai. The early rulers such as the Pallavas, Cholas and Pandyas
supported it as a hub of the Bhakti
movement with devotional singing and
dance tradition, but this tradition stopped
during the 14th century and was revived in
a limited way much later.
Puranic Story
A painting of Ranganatha from Tiruchirapalli.
The temple and its artwork are the subjects of
numerous different Tamil legends covered
in regional Puranic texts. Sriranga
Mahathmiyam, for example, is one of the
compilation of the temple mythology
about its origins. According to it,
Brahma was performing austerities during
the Samudra Manthana (churning of
cosmic ocean), and Srirangam Vimanam
emerged as a result. It remained in
Satyaloka for ages was brought to
Ayodhya by king Ikshvaku. After Rama,
an avatar of Vishnu had killed the evil demon Ravana, and he gave it to King
Vibhishana who wanted to be with
through Tiruchi en route to Sri Lanka where he had become the king, the
Srirangam Vimanam would not move from
the island. So, he gave it to a local king
called Dharmavarma, if the king
consecrated the Vimanam to face the
south cardinal direction eternally, blessing
him and Lanka. Hence, it is that the deity
(in a reclining posture) faces South, his
body aligned to the east-west axis.
As per another legend, Sanaka, the four
child sages came for a darshan of
Ranganatha in Srirangam. They were
stopped by Jaya and Vijaya, the guardians of Vaikuntha. Despite their pleadings,
they were refused entry. In anger, all four
of them cursed the guardians in one voice
and left. The guardians approached
Vishnu and told him about the curse.
Ranganatha said that he would not be able
to revert the curse and gave them two
options: be born as demons opposing
Vishnu in three births or good human
beings in the following seven births. Eager
to be back with the Lord, The guardians
accepted being demons and are believed
to have taken the form of Hiranyaksha and
Hiranyakasipu; Ravana and Kumbhakarna;
and Sisupala and Dantavakra. Vishnu assumed four avatars – Varaha,
Narasimha, Rama, and Krishna,
respectively – to kill the demons in each
one of those births.
Plan of four inner courts of the Srirangam Temple (Burgess, 1910)
The temple is enclosed by 7 concentric
enclosures with courtyards (termed
programs or mail servers). Each layer has walls and gopurams, which were built or
fortified in and after the 16th century.
These walls total 32,592 feet (9,934 m) or
over six miles. The temple has 17 major
gopurams (towers, 21 total),[note 3] 39
pavilions, 50 shrines, 9 sacred water pools,
Ayiram kaal mandapam (a hall of 1000
pillars) and several small water bodies
The temple is aligned to the north-south
an east-west axis, on an island
surrounded by the Kaveri River. The River
has long been considered sacred, and
called the Daksina Ganga or the "Ganges of
the South". The outer two programs
(outer courtyard) are residential and
markets with shops, restaurants and
flower stalls. The five inner
courtyards have shrines to Vishnu and his
various avatars such as Rama and
Krishna. Major shrines are additionally
dedicated to goddess Lakshmi and many
saints of Vaishnavism. In particular, these
shrines celebrate and commemorate the
Tamil poet-saints and philosophers called
the Alvars, as well as Hindu philosophers such as Ramanuja and Manavala
Mamunigal of Sri Vaishnavism tradition.
Despite the construction of various
mandapas and gopuras over a span of
many centuries, the architecture of the
Ranganathaswamy temple is one of the
better illustrations of Hindu temple
planimetric geometry per agama design
texts in the Tamil tradition. According to
George Michell, a professor and art
historian of Indian architecture, the
regulating geometry and plan of Srirangam
the site takes on "a ritual dimension since all
the architectural components, especially
the focal gopuras and the most important
colonnades and mandapas are arranged
along the axes dictated by the cardinal
directions". This alignment integrates the
routes that devotees follow as they
journey into the innermost sanctum.
Shrines
Sculpture in the Venugopala shrine.
Utsava murti (Processional idol) of Sri Ranganathaswami during the Vaikuntha Ekadashi festival.
The temple complex includes over 50
shrines. These are dedicated to Vishnu,
Lakshmi as well as various Vaishnava
scholars and poets. The shrines of Vishnu
display him in his various avatars, as well as his iconography. For example, Sri
Ranganathaswamy temple shrines include
those of Chakkaratalvar, Narasimha,
Rama, Hayagriva, and Gopala Krishna.
The Chakratalvar shrine is in the east
facing on the south side of Akalanka. The
sanctum is approached through a
Mukamandapa (six rows of pillars) built
during the Cholas and a Mahamandapa with six rows of eight pillars built during
the period of the Vijayanagar Empire. There is a circumambulation passage around the
sanctum. The image of Chakratalvar is
sculpted with Narasimha on the rear side and can be viewed from the passage
around the sanctum. The Venugopala
the shrine, one of the most elaborately carved,
is in the south-west corner of the fourth
the enclosure of the temple was rebuilt by
Chokkanatha Nayak, according to an inscription dated 1674.
The main shrine for Ranganatha is in the
innermost courtyard. The sanctum has a
golden vimana (crown tower over the sanctum sanctorum). It is shaped like the
Tamil Omkara (om symbol), shows anthropomorphic Paravasudeva on its
gable has an etching of Ramanuja as well
on it, and is plated with gold. Inside, a 6-
metre (20 ft) edifice of Sri Ranganthar
reclining on Adisesha, the coiled serpent,
can be seen. [note 4] Adisesha has five
hoods and is coiled into three and a half
rounds. Vishnu's head rests on a small
cylindrical pillow and his right palm which
faces upwards and rests next to his head.
Neither Sridevi (goddess Lakshmi) nor
Bhudevi (goddess Earth) is depicted near
his feet, as is found in the late medieval era
paintings. The sanctum does not show
Brahma coming out of or connected to his
navel either.However, the procession
images of Sridevi, Bhudevi and
Ranganathar, otherwise known as
Alagiyamanavalan and Namperumal reside
within the sanctum in different places to
ease their darshana (viewing).
The sanctum can be entered through the
south gateway, one the reclining Vishnu is
facing. The doorway as one enters from
the mukhamandapam also called the
Gayatri mandapa is flanked by Jaya and
Vijaya, the guardians of Vaikuntha. The
sanctum chamber is round, even though
the vimana above is an oval projection.
The circumambulation path ( pradakshina-
path) is set in a square, to journey
clockwise. This garb has-griha is surrounded by a raised square Tiruvunnali,
encircling pillars and another inner square.
As the visitor completes the
circumambulation around the resting
Vishnu, one sees four additional
On the western wall inside the
core sanctum is Ganesha (son of Shiva
and Parvati, Shaivism), on the
the northwestern corner is Yoga-Ananta
(Vishnu seated in yoga asana on Sesha,
Vaishnavism), on the northeastern side is Yoga-Narasimha (Narasimha seated in yoga asana, Vaishnavism), and on the
the eastern wall is Durga (an aspect of Parvati,
Shaktism), considered to be Vishnu's sister.
The golden Vimana over the sanctum at Srirangam midst of its gopurams is gable with the Paravasudeva image.
The exterior of the vimana and attached
mandapam (hall) have intricately carved pilasters with fluted shafts, double
capitals, and pendant lotus brackets.
Sculptures are placed in the niches of
three sides of the sanctuary walls;
maidens enhance the walls in between.
The elevation is punctuated with a
a secondary set of pilasters that support
shallow eaves at different levels to cap
larger and smaller recesses. The
the sanctuary is crowned with the traditional
fashion with a hemispherical roof. The
double-curved eaves of the entrance porch
on the east side are concealed in a later
columned hall. Dhanvantari, a great physician of the Hindu mythos is
considered to be an avatar of Vishnu –
there is a separate shrine of Dhanvantari
within the temple.
The shrine of Ranganatha's consort,
Ranganayaki (Lakshmi) is in the second precinct of the temple with 2 main idols
(moola mortise) and 1 procession idol
(utsava murti). During the festival
processions, Ranganayaki does not visit
Ranganatha, but it is he who visits her.
Ranganatha visiting Ranganayaki and
being with her is called as 'Saerthi' during
'Panguni Uthiram'. There are three images
of Ranganayaki within the sanctum.
There are separate shrines for major
saints in the Vaishnava tradition, including
Sesharayar mandapam artwork
The Ranganathaswamy Temple has many
mandapams:
Thousand pillar mandapam is a theatre
like a structure made from granite. It was
built during the Vijayanagara rule period.
It has a central wide aisle with seven
side aisles on each side with pillars set
in a square pattern.
Sesharaya mandapam is the intricately
carved hall built during the Nayaka rule
period. It is found on the east side of the
fourth prakaram courtyard. The northern
side of this community hall has 40
leaping animals with riders on their
back, all carved out of monolithic pillars.
Garuda Mandapam is named after the
vahana (vehicle) of Vishnu, named
Garuda. It is on the south side of the third prakaram courtyard. It too is dated
to the Nayak rule era. Inside the
community hall, on its pillars, are
portrait sculptures. In the middle is a
free-standing seated Garuda figure,
identifiable by his eagle head, wings and
him facing the Vishnu shrine.
Kili mandapam is found inside the
innermost (first) prakaram courtyard. It
is next to the Ranganatha sanctum.
Here walking elephant balustrades line
the steps that lead into the gathering
hall. This is dated to the 17th century
Hindu rulers. The hall and structural
elements are carved with animals, and
in its centre is a raised square platform
with four carved pillars.
Ranga Vilasa mandapam is one of the
larger community halls designed for
large spaces between the pillars for the
pilgrim groups and families sit
together and rest. It is covered with
Hindu mythology murals and narratives
from the Ramayana.
The Hall of 1000 pillars is a fine example
of a planned theatre-like structure and
opposite to it is the "Sesha Mandap". The
1000-pillared hall made of granite[61] was
constructed in the Vijayanagara period (1336–1565) on the site of the old
Temple. The most artistic halls that the
Nayaks added to the complex is the Sesha
Mandap on the east side of the fourth
enclosure. The hall is celebrated for the
leaping animals carved onto the piers at
its northern end. The pillars consist of
sculptures of wildly rearing horses bearing
riders on their backs and trampling with
their hoofs upon the heads of rampant
tigers, seem only natural and congruous
among such weird surroundings. The
the great hall is traversed by one wide aisle in
the centre for the whole of its greater
length, and intersected by transepts of like
dimension running across at right angles.
There remain seven side aisles on
each side, in which all the pillars are
equally spaced out. The Garuda
Mandapa (hall of the legendary bird deity
of Vishnu, garuda) located on the south
side of the third enclosure is another
Nayak addition. Courtly portrait sculptures,
reused from an earlier structure, are fixed
to the piers lining the central aisle. A free-
standing shrine inside the hall contains a
large seated figure of Garuda; the eagle-
headed god faces north towards the
principal sanctum. The Kili mandapa
(Hall of parrot) is located next to the
Ranganatha shrine, in the first enclosure of
the temple. Elephant balustrades skirt the
access steps that ascend to a spacious
open area. This is bounded by decorated
piers with rearing animals and attached
colonettes in the finest 17th-century
manner. Four columns in the middle define
a raised dais; their shafts are embellished
A Vaishnava devotee in namaste posture
Thousand pillar hall
Garuda mandapa
Vellai gopurams (tower) There are 21 gopurams (tower gateways), among which the towering Rajagopuram
(shrine of the main gateway) is the tallest
temple tower in Asia. The 13-tiered
Rajagopuram was built in 1987 by Ahobhila
Matha, a historic Srivaishnava Hindu
monastery. This tower dominates the
the landscape for miles around, while the
The remaining 20 gopurams were built
between the 12th and early 17th centuries.
The gopurams have pronounced
projections in the middle of the long sides,
generally with openings on each of the
successive levels. The Vellai gopura (white
tower) on the east side of the fourth
the enclosure has a steep pyramidal
the superstructure that reaches a height of
almost 44 metres (144 ft). The
structure of the Rajagopuram remained
incomplete for over 400 years. Started
during the reign of Achyuta Deva Raya of
Vijayanagara Empire, the construction stopped after the fall of Vijayanagara in
late 16th century and wars thereafter. The
Rajagopuram (the main gopuram) did not
reach its current height of 73 metres
(240 ft) until 1987, when the 44th Jiyar
(acharya, chief counsellor) of Ahobila
Matha began collecting donations to
complete it. The whole structure was
constructed in eight years. The
Rajagopuram was consecrated on 25
March 1987.The length and breadth at
the base of the Rajagopuram is 166 and
97 feet (50.6 and 29.6 m), while the length
and breadth at the top is 98 and 32 feet
(29.9 and 9.8 m). The 13 glistening copper
' kalasams' atop the tower weigh 135 kg
(298 lb) each, are 3.12 m (10 ft 3 in) high
with a 1.56 m (5 ft 1 in) diameter vessel.
A 2-storey gopura
A 3-storey gopura
A 13-storey gopura (the Rāja Gōpura) the
main gopura which is not within the temple
but on the street leading to the temple.
A 7-storey gopura with colourful figurines on
each tier; with gods in the centre and other dolls
on either side.
Inscriptions and frescoes
The Ranganathaswamy Temple town has
over 800 inscriptions, of which nearly 640
are on temple walls and monuments.
Many of these relate to gifts and grants by
rulers or the elite, while others relate to the
temple's management, scholars,
dedication and general operation. The
inscriptions have been a source of
information about South Indian history,
culture, economy and social role. These
range from the late 9th century to the rule
of Aditya Chola I, to the last historical ones from the 16th century. Others are from the
times of Cholas, Nayakas, Pandyas,
Hoysalas and the Vijayanagara era.
The historic inscriptions at the
Ranganathaswamy Temple is in six
major Indian languages: Tamil, Sanskrit,
Kannada, Telugu, Marathi and Odia. Many
of the inscriptions are in Grantha
characters.
The temple has a lot of inscriptions of
Kulottunga I. One interesting epigraph is a Kannada record that states that an
entourage led by the Kannada-
sandhivigrahi (foreign affairs minister) of
Chalukya Tribhuvanamalla (Vikramaditya
VI) made some donations to the temple.
The inscription is dated in the 29th year of
the reign of Kulottunga
The temple has inscriptions of the
Suryavamshi Gajapatis of Odisha as well.
In one inscription, it is mentioned that
Hamvira Deva Mahapatra, son of the
legendary Kapilendra Deva Gajapati made donations to the temple after he
aggressively marched upon the
Vijayanagara Empire upto Tiruchirapally
and then Rameswaram. This inscription is
in Tamil.
Some of the mandapam and corridors of
the Temple complex has frescoes, of
which some have faded. These narrate
Hindu legends and mythologies, or scenes
relating to Vaishnava scholars.
monuments
The Ranganathaswamy Temple complex
includes huge medieval-era Kottarams or
granaries. These provided food reserves
and security to the temple town and
supplies to its kitchen serving the needy
travellers, pilgrims and the local population.
The temple has many other structures,
participating and supporting various
aspects of social life. Some mandapams
and temple compounds were devoted to
education, both religious and secular such
temple inscriptions state that its premises
had an arokyashala (hospital) for those
needing medical care. Several 11th
and 12th-century inscriptions describe a
gift of land to support the recitation of Hindu
texts in the temple and for feeding Sri
Vaishnavas.
The temple has twelve major water tanks.
Of these, the Surya Pushkarini (sun pool)
and Chandra Pushkarani (moon pool) are
two of the largest that harvest most of
rainwater. They have a combined capacity
of two million litres of water.
The temple has wooden monuments that
is regularly maintained and used for
Festive processions. These have intricate
carvings of Hindu legends, and some are
plated with silver or gold foils. The most
significant of the temple chariots are the
Garuda vahana, the Simha vahana, the
Yanai vahana, the Kudirai vahana, the
Hanumantha vahana, the Yazhi vahana,
the Sesha vahana, the Annapakshi vahana,
the Otrai vahana and the Prabhai
Gahanna.
Significance
The hall, located in front of Thayar shrine, where Kambar is believed to have recited his works on the Kamba Ramayanam Bhakti movement
Ranganathaswamy temple is the only one
out of the 108 temples that were sung in
praise by all the Alvars (Poet-saints of the Bhakti movement), having a total of 247
params (divine hymns) against its name.
Acharyas (guru) of all schools of thought –
Advaita, Vishistadvaita and Dvaita
recognise the immense significance of the
temple, regardless of their affiliations.
Naalayira Divya Prabhandam is a
collection of 4000 hymns sung by twelve
Alvarez saints spread over 300 years (from
the late 6th to 9th century CE) and
collected by Nathamuni (910–990 CE).
Divya Desams refer to 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in Naalayira Divya
Prabandham. 105 of these are located in
India, 1 in Nepal, while 2 are located outside of the Earthly realms. Divya in
The Tamil language indicates premium and Desam indicates place or temple.
Periyalvar begins the decad on Srirangam with two puranic stories according to
which Krishna restored to life the son of
his guru Sandeepani and the children of a
brahmin. Thondaradippodi Alvar and
Thiruppana Alvar has sung exclusively on Ranganatha. Andal attained Sri
Ranganatha on completion of her
Thiruppavai (a composition of 30 verses) in Srirangam. In total there are 247 hymns
of the 4000 Pasurams dedicated to
Ranganathan deity of this temple. Except
Madhurakavi Alvar, all the other eleven
Alvars have created Mangalasasanam
(praise) about the Ranganathar in
Srirangam. Out of 247, 35 are by Periyalvar, 10 by Andal, 31 by Kulasekara Alvar, 14 by
Thirumalisai Alvar, 55 by Thondaradippodi
Alvar, 10 by Thiruppaan Alvar, 73 by
Thirumangai Alvar, one by Poigai Alvar,4 by
Bhoothathalvar, two by Peyalvar and
twelve by Nammalvar. Kulasekarar (Cheraman II) gave up his kingdom to his
son during 798 CE and started visiting
temples and singing praises about them.
He visited the temple, praised the
presiding deity and his works are compiled
in the Naalayira Divya Prabandam.
Kambar is a 12th-century Tamil poet who
composed the Kamba Ramayanam, a work inspired by the epic, Valmiki Ramayana.
He is believed to have come to the temple
to get approval for his work from
scholars. The Jain scholar
Tirunarungundam honoured the work and
it resulted in Tamil and Sanskrit scholars
approving the work. The open hall
where he recited his verse lies close to the
Ranganayaki shrine within the temple.
The temple was a centre for music and dance learning, with many mandapam showing their sculptures.
Some of the religious works like Sri
Bhashyam by Ramanuja, Gadya Traya (which is a compilation of three texts
called the Saranagati Gadyam, Sriranga
Gadyam and the Vaikunta Gadyam) by
Ramanuja, CITEREFK.S.2002 Sri Renga
Natha was shaken by Adi Shankaracharya,
Renga raja Stavam and Guna ratna kosha
by Sri Parasar hart's, Renga raja
Sthothram by Kurathazhwar, are some of
the works that were exclusively composed
in praise of the presiding deities Lord
Ranganatha and Goddess Ranganayaki of
Srirangam temple.
Pilgrimage
Koil or loyal in Tamil means the house of
the Master and thus refers to the temples.
Srirangam is the most prominent among
such temples. For many Vaishnavas, the term Koyil exclusively refers to this temple,
indicating its extreme importance for them
(for Saivas and all other Tamil people the term loyal refers to Thillai Natarajar Golden
Shrine (Chidambaram Temple)). The presiding deity Ranganathar is praised in
many names by his devotees, including
Nam Perumal (our god in Tamil), Azhagiya
Manavaalan (beautiful groom in Tamil).
The deity is also known as Kasturi Ranga
and Alagiya Manavalan.
The temple is considered in the Alwar
traditions as one of the eight Sywayambu
Kshetras of Vishnu where the presiding deity is
believed to have manifested on its own.
Seven other temples in the line are Bhu
Venkateswara Temple, and Vanamamalai
Perumal Temple in South India and
Saligrama, Naimisaranya, Pushkar and
Badrinath Temple in North India.
Vaishnava scholarship
Many of the medieval Sri Vaishnava
scholars like Nathamuni, Ramanuja, Pillai
Lokacharya, Vedanta Desika and Manavala
Mamunigal is associated with the
Temple. Ramanuja was a theologian, philosopher, and scriptural exegete. He is
seen by Śrīvaiṣṇavas as the third and one of the most important teachers ( ācārya) of their tradition (after Nathamuni and Yamunacharya), and by Hindus in general as the leading expounder of Viśiṣṭādvaita, one of the classical interpretations of the dominant Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. Ramanuja renounced his family life and went to Srirangam to occupy the pontificate – Srirangam became the stronghold of him and his disciples.
The purportedly preserved mortal remains of Ramanuja in Upadesa Mudra inside the temple.
Sri Ramanuja Shrine at The Ranganathasamy Temple in Srirangam
The doctrine of Vishishtadvaita
philosophy, Sri Bhashyam was written and
later compiled by Ramanuja over a period
of time in this temple town. During his
stay in Srirangam, he is said to having
written "Gadhya Thrayam", which is recited
in the temple during the ninth day ( Panguni
Uttaram) of the festival of Adi
brahmotsavam. The temple is a centre for
the Vishishtadvaita school where Sanskrit
Vedas and Tamil works are preached and taught with great reverence. He attained
divinity in Srirangam. The disciples of
Ramanuja got his permission to install
three metallic images, one each at
Sriperumpudur, Melukote and the third, at Srirangam.
He is found seated in the Padmasana
(yogic sitting posture), depicting the
Guyana-Mudrai (symbol of knowledge)
with his right palm. "Kovil Ozhugu" is a
codification of all temple practices,
religious and administrative, shaped and
institutionalised by Sri Ramanuja after
receiving the due rights from Sri
Thiruvarangathamudanar. A stone
inscription to this effect is installed in the
Arya patal vasal (main gate before the first
precinct).
Pancharanga Kshetrams (also called Pancharangams, meaning the "five
Rangams or Ranganathas") is a group of
five sacred Hindu temples, dedicated to
Ranganatha, a form of the god Vishnu, on
the banks of the Kaveri River. The five Pancharanga Kshetrams in the order of
their successive locations, on the banks of
the Kaveri River are: The Srirangapatnam
called the Adi Ranga, the first temple on
the banks of the Kaveri River from the
upstream side; the Sri Ranganathaswamy
Temple at Srirangam known as Adya
Ranga (the last temple), Appalarangam or
Koviladi at Tiruppernagar in Tamil Nadu,
Parimala Ranganatha Perumal Temple or
Mayuram at Indalur, Mayiladuthurai and
Vatarangam at Sirkazhi. The Sarangapani
Temple at Kumbakonam is mentioned in
place of Vatarangam in some
references.
The temple is maintained and
administered by the Hindu Religious and
Charitable Endowments Department of the
An executive officer appointed by the Board
manages the temple along with Sri
Azhagiya Manavala Perumal Temple,
Pundarikakshan Perumal Temple at
Thiruvellarai, Sri Vadivazhagiya Nambi
Perumal Temple and Mariamman Temple
at Anbil. There are three trustees and a
chairman for the board of trustees.
Annadhanam scheme, which provides free
food to devotees is implemented in the
temple by the Board. Under the scheme,
free food is offered to two hundred
devotees every day in the temple and the
expenditure is fully funded by the
contributions from devotees.
Temple Timings
Type of
Ranganathan Ranganayaki
Darshan
Shrine
Shrine
Viswaroopa 6:00-7:15 6:30-8:00
seva
Pooja (closed 7:15-9:00 8:00-8:45
for devotees)
Darshan
9:00-12:00 8:45-13:00
Pooja (closed 12:00-13:15 13:00-15:00
for devotees)
Darshan
13:15-17:45 15:00-18:00
Pooja (closed 17:45-18:45 18:00-18:45
for devotees)
18:45-20:45 18:45-21:00
The temple celebrates numerous festivals
around the year including processions.
These are called utsavam
(celebrations).
Vaikunta Ekadashi
The Paramapada vassal opens only during the 10-day festival of Vaikuntha Ekadasi
Devotees during Vaikunta Ekadasi
Pagal Pathu (10 day time) and Ra Pathu
(10 night time) the festival is celebrated in the
the month of Margazhi (December–January)
for twenty days. The first ten days are
referred to as Pagal-Pathu (10-day time
festival) and the second half as Ra Pathu
(10-day night-time festival). On the first day of
Ra's path is Vaikunta Ekadashi. The
the eleventh day of each fortnight in the Hindu
calendar is called Ekadasi and is the holiest
of all Ekadashi as per Vaishnavite tradition is the Vaikuntha Ekadashi. During the
festival, through song and dance, this
the place is affirmed to be Bhuloka Vaikuntam
(Heaven on Earth). Araiyar Sevai is a
divine colloquium of arrears, who recite
and enact Nalayara Divya Prabanda, the
4000 verses of Alvars. Araiyars are born to Araiyar tradition most prevalent in
Sri Vaishnava families in Srirangam, Alwar
Thirunagari and Srivilliputhur.The
the tradition of Araiyar Sevai was started by
Nathamuni during the 10th century. It is
believed as per Hindu mythology that 33
crores of gods come down to witness the
event. The processional deity is
brought to the 1000-pillared hall on the
the morning of Vaikunta Ekadashi through the
Paramapada Vasal (gate to paradise).
Lakhs of pilgrims rush to enter it after the
the gate is opened and the deity passes
through it as it is believed that one who
enters here will reach Vaikuntham (the
abode of Vishnu) after death. The gate is
open only during the ten days of Ra Pathu
(10-day night-time festival). On the last day
of the festival, the poet Nammalvar is said to be given salvation. The performance is
enacted by priests and images in the
the temple depicts Nammalvar as reaching
heaven and getting liberation from the
the cycle of life and death. At that point, a
member from the crowd of devotees, who
are witnessing this passion play, goes up
to the centre stage and requests Vishnu to
return Nammalvar to humanity, so that his
words and form in the temple will continue
to inspire and save the devotees.
Following this performance of the
the salvation of Nammalvar, the cantors are
taken in procession around the temple.
Jyestabisheka
The annual gold ornament cleaning
the festival is called Jyestabisheka (the first of
anointing) and is celebrated during the
The Tamil month of aani (June–July). The icons of all deities are abluted with water
brought in large vessels of gold and silver.
Brahmotsavam
Brahmotsavam (Prime festival) is held
during the Tamil month of Panguni
(March–April). The preliminaries like
ankurarpanam, rakshabandhanam, here
thadanam, dhwajarohanam and the
sacrificial offerings in the yagasala are
gone through as usual. The processions
go round Chitrai street in the evenings.
On the second day, the deity is taken to a
the garden inside the temple. The deity is
taken in a palanquin through the river
Kaveri to a village on the opposite shore namely Jiyarpuram on the third day.
Other Festivals
The annual temple chariot festival, called
Rathothsavam is celebrated during the
The Tamil month of Thai (January–February)
and the processional deity, Utsav is taken
round the temple in the temple car. Chitra
Poornima is a festival based on the
the mythological incident of Gajendra Moksha
(elephant crocodile). The elephant
suffered in the jaws of crocodile and god
rescued the elephant. Vasanthothsavam is
celebrated during the Tamil month of
vaikasi (May–June) which according to
inscriptions are celebrated from 1444 CE.
See also
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