Information of Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu

This temple is also known as Thiruvarangam and is dedicated to the Hindu God Ranganatha who is a diety form of lord Vishnu the creator. The temple is located at Srirangam of Tiruchirapalli of Tamil Nadu. This temple belongs to the Vaishnava sect of Hinduism and is known to be one of the most celebrated temples in all of India. The temple is an ancient one and the archaeological inscriptions found in temple date back to the 10th century which was a period that the Cholas, Pandyas, Hoysalas and Vijaynagar dynasties were in constant struggle among themselves.

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple Religious Importance

This temple is particularly important as it is known to be the first among 108 Divya Desams or temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu. This temple is highly visited by devotees mostly due to the idol that is present here. Legend has it that the idol was given to Vibishana by Lord Ram but he was tricked by Lord Ganesh so that the idol would not leave India. This idol is held in high reverence as it was worshipped by Lord Ram, an avatar of Vishnu himself. It is revered temples, visited by thousands of pilgrims and devotees every day from all over India.

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple Mythology & History

Legends speak of Brahma the creator was in deep meditation when he received an idol of Vishnu known as "Ranga Vimana". In his deep trance like state of meditation he was told that there would be seven other idols that would take form on earth. These idols would take form in seven different places namely Srimushnam, Tirumala, Badrinath, Totadri, Pushkara, Saligram, Namisaranya and Srirangam. The idol that Brahma received was given to Viraja then to Vaiswatha, Manu and Lord Rama. When Lord Rama came back from war in Lanka he presented this idol to King Vibishana for his help in defeating Ravana the king of Lanka. When king Vibishana was taking the diety back to Lanka via Trichy, it is said that the diety wanted to stay in Srirangam. It was here that the diety was pleased by King Dharma Varma who was doing penance to have him stay in Srirangam. Thus as a result of the dedication and devotion shown by the king the diety stayed behind promising to look upon Lanka eternally. This is why the diety which is in a reclining position faces south.

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple Architectural Importance

The temple has been constructed in the traditional Dravidian style of architecture. It is surrounded by 7 walls that are concentric and its total length covers nearly six miles. The temple is a large complex and comprises of 50 shrines, 21 gopurams, 39 pavillions, a large hall with 1000 pillars known as Ayiram Kaal Mandapam and several small water bodies. There are two court yards which have restaurants, shops that sell flowers etc.

Shrine- the main shrine or the Ranga Vimana as they call it is in the shape of an "omkara" which is plated in gold. Here the main diety can be seen reclining on a coiled serpent known as Adisesha. Other than the main diety there are images of Vibishana, Hanuman, Brahma, Garuda and sybols represting Vishnu such as the Chakra and the conch. Other than this main shrine there are many others which are dedicated to the different forms of Vishnu and major saints of the Vaishnava tradition.

Hall- this hall is truly a work of art. It has a thousand pillars which have been sculpted beautifully with riding horses that have riders on their back. These horses can be seen trampling over the heads of tigers. Other than these the hall also houses the legendary bird of Lord Vishnu called Garuda.

Gopuram- there are 21 of these in total and all are intricately carved and decorated with figurines of different sorts. Among these Gopuram's stands the second largest temple tower of Asia which is called the Rajagopuram. This tower stands a massive 236 feet tall and is one of the grandest architectural marvels of this period. It is truly a architectural brilliance and more of all the massive structure is well planned that makes it more convenient and easier for the pilgrims to visit and offer prayers.