Srirangam
Abode Of: Sri Ranganatha (Lord Vishnu)
Important Festivals Celebrated: Aadi Bhramotsavam In March-April, The Grand Adhyayanotsavam In December-January, Vaikunta Ekadasi In December, Chitrai Car Festival In April, Thai Car Festival In January, Theppam Festival In February And Goratham Festival In March.
Srirangam, the abode of the Supreme Lord, Sri Ranganatha,
the reclining form of Lord Vishnu, is situated in a picturesque island in
the hallowed South Indian River Cauvery, near
Trichy. The temple of
Ranganatha, the largest in India, is of particular reverence to all
Hindus.
Srirangam
is also listed as one of the Navagraha Sthalas (places), or temples
representing the planets. The
South Indian
temples in this group are Suryanarcoil - the Sun, Tirupati -the Moon,
Palani- Mars, Madurai-Mercury, Tiruchendur-Jupiter, Srirangam-Venus,
Tirunallaru-Saturn.
Srirangam is an eloquent symbol of age-old Indian culture, tradition and
civilization, preserved and patronized by the great rulers of Tamil Nadu.
It has a long history and the temple was built in stages at various
periods by the ancient kings of Chola, Pandya, Hoysala, Vijayanagar
dynasties and the Nayaks.
Legend Connected With The Temple
No one really knows when the Srirangam temple came into being. The actual
shrine is supposed to have risen out of the "Paarkadal" (Ocean)
itself as a result of Brahma's penance. According to legend, "Ikshvaku",
a descendant of Surya, the Sun God, who was appointed to take care of the
daily worship, is supposed to have kept it in his capital,
Ayodhya
. His descendant, Sri Rama presented the shrine to Vibhishana when he
attended his coronation.
When Vibhishana, who was carrying it back on his head to Sri Lanka,
rested briefly at Srirangam, the shrine got rooted there. Sri
Ranganathaswami, the legend goes, then appeared before him and said he
wished to stay on the banks of the Cauvery. He however promised the
disconsolate Vibhishana that he would always lie facing Sri Lanka.
Vibhishana, it is believed comes even today to pray at the temple.
About The Temple
The temple is surrounded by seven concentric walls (the outermost wall
having a perimeter of over 3-km) and covers a vast area of 63 hectares.
Most of the temple complex standing today was constructed between the 14th
and 17th centuries.
The temple enshrines Ranganatha (also spelt as Rangathar) in the central
sanctum, crowned with a gold plated Pranava Vimanam (also spelt as Vimana)
or Paravasudeva Vimanam(also spelt as Vimana). A total of 7 concentric
Prakarams (also spelt as Prakaras) surround this shrine, housing several
Mandapams (also spelt as Mandapas), tanks and shrines. Gopurams (also
spelt as Gopuras) on the south and east of the 4th Prakaram are the most
impressive. A total of 21 towers adorn the temple.
The shrine of the Goddess, "Sriranga Nachiar" (also called "Thayar")
is located in the 5th Prakaram. The image of the Goddess is never taken
out of the shrine. There are two processional images.
The pillars here go back to the Chola period (13th century CE). The
1,000-pillared hall is also the product of the late Chola period, and is
also in the 4th Prakaram; its entrance is in the south. It is here where
the Adhyayanotsavam (involving the recitation of the Tamil Prabandam
hymns) is held.
At the southern edge of the huge open courtyard, the Vijayanagara rulers
added the hall with 8 pillars with huge horses. The Krishna Venugopala
shrine on the southern side is also of great beauty. The Garuda Mandapam
is located in the third Prakaram. Its pillars go back to the Nayaks of
17th century Madurai. The Chandra and Surya Pushkarini tanks are located
in the 3rd Prakaram.
History Of The Temple
The
temple does have a traceable history, which is quite awesome. It is
mentioned in the "Silappadikaram" as well as in the
Nalayiradivyaprabandham, which dates back to the third century. Koil
Olugu, a chronicle of the temple, written around the 11th century
attributes the construction of one of the enclosures to Tirumangaialvar,
who is supposed to have lived there during the seventh century.
Periyalvar, whose adopted daughter Andal was an ardent devotee of
Ranganathaswami, has also described the temple in his verses. Outside the
main temple there is a small shrine supposed to have been built on the
spot where Andal became one with the Lord.
The Great Reformer Ramanujacharya
Of course the most famous resident of the area, whose life and work have
been well chronicled is Ramanujacharya. He was born in Sriperumbudur
around the year 1137 and spent the early part of his life in
Kanchipuram. He came to
Srirangam as a young 'Sanyasi' and was responsible for completely
revamping the administration of the temple.
Religious persecution compelled him to flee from Srirangam at the age of
80. With his band of devoted followers, he wandered all over the South
before settling finally in Melkote in Karnataka.
Jatavarman Sundara Pandya 1, a Chola king who reigned during the 13th
century was responsible for enlarging the temple and for covering the Lord
with sumptuous gold and jewellery. According to temple chronicles, he once
had two boats built on the Kaveri. In one boat he sat on the back of an
elephant and in the other he poured jewels and gold till it sank to the
same water line as the first. He donated all this treasure to the temple.
This king, known as "Hemachatina Raja" or the king who covered
the temple with gold, is said to have built and covered many of the main
parts in gold and even built a jewelled arch to cover the Lord.
Malik Kafur who caused the collapse of the Pandya dynasty in the 14th
century, raided Srirangam and carried away most of its treasures. Ten
years later, Mohammed Bin Tughluq (also spelt as Tuglaq) turned the temple
of Srirangam into a fort. The priests of the temple took the Uthsavamurti
of Ranganathaswami and whatever vessels and jewels they could save and
fled. The idol of Thayar was buried in the temple courtyard itself.
For over 50 years, the Utsavamurti, lived in exile. The temple
functionaries managed to keep the "Mulavars" (main idols) safe
by building a wall over them. The Uthsavamurti is said to have traveled
all over India and was finally kept at Tirupati, apparently hidden in a
ravine. When peace returned, since the old idol could not be found, a new
one was installed. The wall protecting the Moolavar was removed.
However, a couple of years later, suddenly the old idol resurfaced and
there was a controversy as to which was the original one. A blind washer
man, it is said, identified the true idol by the fragrance of Kasturi,
which lingered on its vestments.
Apocryphal
Stories Often Told By The Residents Of Srirangam
In Srirangam, myths, legends and history are inextricably blended into
apocryphal stories, which the residents tell you as you walk down the
corridors of the enormous temple. At one spot, for instance, there are
five strange holes drilled into the solid stone floor, in front of a pair
of elegantly carved feet.
Once, the story goes, Ranganatha decided to dress himself as Thayar and
appear before his devotees because he wanted to understand why people only
appealed to him through his wife. As he came down the corridor, dressed
like a woman, Thayar is said to have stood in that corner of the passage
hidden by the wall. As he neared, she inserted her fingers into those
holes for grip and bent to peer around the wall to watch him coming.
The Lord of Srirangam has been endowed with some very human traits, which
make it easier for the devotees to identify with him. During festive
celebrations, for example a unique quarrel is enacted between the Lord and
Thayar at the Woraiyur temple close by.
Legend
According to legend it is said that weeks before the day, which had been
fixed for their marriage, Sriranga (Ranganatha) was nowhere to be seen.
Thayar, heard stories of his wandering around, meeting other women and so,
when he finally appeared on their wedding day, she became very angry and
threw out all the fruit and butter and eatables prepared for the feast.
He, however, finally pacified her and convinced her that he had only gone
hunting and that the scratches on his back were made by a wild animal.
Services And Festivals
An elaborate protocol of worship services is offered here throughout the
day. On about 120 days, the Utsavamurti is taken out in procession out of
the inner sanctum. Aadi Bhramotsavam is celebrated in Panguni
(March-April). The grand Adhyayanotsavam is celebrated in the month of
Margazhi (December-January), involving the recitation of the Prabandham
hymns or Alwar Pasurams in the thousand pillared hall.
Vaikunta Ekadasi in December, Chitrai Car Festival in April, Thai Car
Festival in January, Theppam Festival in February and Goratham Festival in
March are the other important festivals celebrated in Srirangam.
HOW TO GET THERE
Air: The nearest airport is at
Trichy (10-km).
Rail: Srirangam is an important railway junction on the
metre-gauge of Southern Railway and is well connected with the towns and
cities of the state.
Road: Srirangam situated on the National Highway No.45 on
Tiruchirapalli-Madras route is well connected by road with the major towns
and cities within and beyond the state. For local transportation taxis,
auto rickshaws, cycle rickshaws and city buses are available.
WHERE TO STAY
Accommodation is available at the economy class hotels and Devasthanam choultries in Srirangam. All class of accommodation is available in Trichy.
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