You are here: SriPedia - SriRangaSri - Archives - Dec 2003

SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00072 Dec 2003

 
Dec 2003 Indexes ( Date | Thread | Author )
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]


Indelible impressions 

The temple of Srirangam is steeped in history and
culture. Its walls, towering gopurams and intricate
architecture tell a story of astounding genius... of
an era long gone. 

 

The temple town of Srirangam brings to mind the
bedtime story our grandmother would tell us. When
Malik Kafur invaded South India (1310-1311 A.D), the
town of Srirangam was ransacked and the treasures of
the temple, including the idol of Lord Ranganatha
(Azhagiyamanavalar Perumal), looted and transported to
Delhi. The minute she caught sight of the idol, the
daughter of the sultan, fell in love with it and
started worshipping it. 

Later, a determined group of the deity's devotees
disguised as singers and dancers, went to the palace
of the sultan in Delhi, deceived him and brought the
idol back to Srirangam. The princess tried desperately
to retrieve it, but in vain, and, soon, she died of
despair. To honour her devotion, the temple
authorities, named her Tulukka Nachiyaar and provided
a place of worship for her within the temple's
premises. 

And so the story goes. Only, it's more real and
fascinating as you behold the brilliant engineering
and craftsmanship of an era gone by. A good 13-km from
the city of Tiruchirapalli, Srirangam is encompassed
by two arms of the river Cauvery, possibly created to
protect the temple town from the annual river floods.
(It's another story, though, that the river is dry at
the moment). 

The town and the temple are inseparable, comprising
seven concentric rectangular enclosures, covering a
vast area of 156 acres. Monumental gates (gopurams)
cut into the giant, walls (prakarams), which enclose
the area giving it the aura and appearance of a
fortress. In fact, the chronicle of the temple states
that it was used as a fortress several times. For
instance, Chanda Sahib (1751 A.D) and the French
Troops fought against the Nawab of Arcot and the
English by shutting themselves up inside the temple.
Though, later, in 1752 A.D, he was forced to abandon
his positions and the French had to surrender. The
chronicle says that notwithstanding these events the
temple continued to prosper. 

The moment you enter the temple town, the skilled
workmanship and sheer brilliance of its architecture
captures your imagination. Everything, from the famous
Sesharayar Mandapam ? the eight pillars of its facade
decorated with a cohort of raring horses, at whose
feet fearless hunters struggle with wild beasts ? to
the Aayirankal Mandapam or the Hall of Thousand
Pillars (953 actually), stand mute testimony to the
unrestrained genius of their creators. 

Legend has it that the Srirangam temple was founded by
Vibishana (the brother of Rama's chief enemy Ravana,
but devoted to Rama). In fact, it is the only place in
India where you can find a temple for Vibishna. Up to
the 10th century, literary sources (Silapadikaram,
probably dating back to the third century and
Nalayiradivyapirabandam) alone testify to the temple's
existence. With the rise of the late Cholas (Parantaka
907 - 953 AD) in the 10th century inscriptions began
to appear, some of which are dated. 

The reign of the late Cholas and the Pandyas seem to
have benefited the temple a great deal, with the kings
and royals of that era endowing it with costly
embellishments and princely gifts. One such generous
gift-giver was the famous Jatavarma Sundara Pandya I
(1251-1268 A.D). The temple also enjoyed the patronage
of the Hoysalas, the Vijayanagar Empire and the
Nayaks. The kings presented the temple with land,
villages, gold and diamond ornaments and other such
munificent endowments. The British were not far behind
in the embellishing spree. For instance, in 1875, the
Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) donated a
large gold crown to the temple of Srirangam, which is
still part of its treasure. 

Whenever we talk about Srirangam,we cannot ignore the
contributions made by Sri Ramanuja (1017-1137 A.D).
One of the greatest teachers of Vedanta philosophy, he
taught theology and was also the head of temple's
school. His doctrine, Vishishtatdvaita, which deeply
influenced the whole of India and produced countless
schools of thought, is till today the basis of
Vaishanava theology. The chronicle of the temple also
attributes to Ramanuja, the complete recasting of the
temple's administration. He not only changed the way
things were administered but was also the one to break
narrow, traditional shackles by appointing
non-brahmans to perform the temple's work. 

For the residents of Srirangam, Lord Ranganatha is
more than just a God. He is their `Raja', their reason
for existence and their lifeline. For quite a few
residents of the town, a life sans Srirangam cannot be
imagined. Theirs is almost a belief based on blind
faith and implicit trust. And it is this attitude of
unquestioning fervour combined with timeless artistry
that has left an indelible impression on us. 


  Sri Sri Rangan perumai

  Ramkrishnan


________________________________________________________________________
Yahoo! Messenger - Communicate instantly..."Ping" 
your friends today! Download Messenger Now 
http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com/download/index.html


To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
Srirangasri-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxx

 

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark
Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada.
http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511
http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/VkWolB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Yahoo! Groups Links

To visit your group on the web, go to:
 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SriRangaSri/

To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
 SriRangaSri-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
 http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 



[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index ] [Thread Index ] [Author Index ]
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia
srirangasri-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to the list