There are a few places in the world that delight and enchant beyond description. You just have to be there and the magic happens, all by itself. Srirangam is one such place. Situated in the South Indian State of Tamil Nadu, the ancient town is known for the magnificent Srirangam Temple.
It is believed that there are eight self-manifested shrines of Lord Vishnu. Also called as the Swayam Vyakta Kshetras, these are divine regions where the Lord manifests Himself in His natural form, all by Himself. Srirangam Temple has had the distinction of being one amongst these eight Kshetras and is also the most important of the 108 Divyadesams, the Vishnu temples.
The temple spans an enormous area of 156 acres, which makes it one of the largest temples in India that still function. The temple comprises of seven concentric enclosures, the Prakaras, made of solid rampart walls around the garba-griha, the Sanctum Sanctorum. It is believed that this is the only temple in India with such an arrangement. The numeral seven is a sacred number in Hinduism. It is believed that the soul resides at the divine center of the seven elements, which make our bodies.
The temple was renovated from time to time by several ruling dynasties- the Cholas, the Pandiyas, the Hoyasalas, and the Nayaks. The ‘Hall of Thousand Pillars’ is a huge structure built in the manner of a theater. The hall has exquisite sculptures of animals that enchant devotees!
The temple comprises of 21 gopurams, the temple gateway towers, the tallest amongst which is the Rajagopuram, which stands a whopping 236 feet tall! In addition, there are 13 beautiful Kalashams at the top of the tower, which weight 135 kg each!
The temple’s vimanam, which stands above the sanctum sanctorum resembles the shape of ‘Om’- the sacred symbol and is known as the Ranga Vimana. The main deity, Lord Sri Ranganathar, rests on the divine serpent, Adisesha. The temple’s Mukhamandapa is believed to have been built by the Cholas and its Mahamandapa by the Vijayanagara dynasty kings. The temple also has a shrine to Dhanvantari considered ancient India’s great physician.
The greatness of the temple is described in the ancient text Sriranga Mahathmiyam. It is said that Vibhishana, an important figure in the great Indian epic, the Ramayana, obtained from Lord Rama, a gift- the idol of Lord Sri Ranganatha. The Srirangam temple even finds mention in the Sangam era’s Tamil literature.
The Ranganathaswamy temple is one of the 108 temples revered by the Tamil Bhakti movement’s saints, the Azhwars, as they sing the praise of the temple with the largest number of hymns dedicated to the temple!
The Srirangam temple is one of the most beautiful and enchanting temples in South India. One of the most important centers of Vaishnavism in South India, the temple is constructed in the Tamil architectural style the most distinctive elements of which are the pyramidal Gopurams, which are beautifully ornamented with sculptural art.
The temple also plays host to a number of festivals and fairs held at different times of the year. During the 21-day festival during Margazhi, the Tamil month that corresponds to December-January, the temple is thronged by a million devotees! During this period, the Pagal Pathu and the Ra Pathu festivals are celebrated with pomp and splendor. The Jyestabhisheka is another festival celebrated during the Tamil month of aani. The festival sees the cleaning of gold ornaments. Rathothsavam is the temple chariot festival held every year.
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