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 SAPTHAGIRI - December 2002 
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SRIRANGAM
N. Ramakrishna
The sacrcd shrines sung of by the Alwars (Vaishnavite Saints) are 108 in 
number. These Vishnu Temples are called' Divya Desams. The foremost among them 
is Sri Rangam. It is a famous shrine of all-India importance. North Indians who 
go to Rameswaram do not fail to visit this place. It is in Tiruchirapalli 
District of Tamil Nadu. There is a railway station of the same name on the 
Tiruchirapalli - Villupuram Chord Line of the Southern Railway. The temple is 
situate half-a-mile from the Railway Station. Buses ply from Tiruchirapalli 
town and Railway Junction. 

"Srirangam " is composed of two words, Sri' and 'Arangam '. ' Sri' means 
beautiful. The land lying between two rivers which is in the form of an island 
is called "Arangam". This Kshetram lies between the rivers Cauvery and 
Coleroon. 

The traditional account of how the temple at, Srirangam came to be established 
is interesting. Sri Ratna, king of Ayodhya, gave permission to Vibhishana to 
remove Sri Ranga Vimana with Sri Ranganatha to Lanka with the express condition 
that it should not be put down anywhere on the way. But when Vibhishana reached 
the island of Srirangam he was forced by circumstances to entrust it to a 
Brahmin lad for a few moments. As Vibhishana exceeded his allotted time of 
absence the Brahmin boy put it on the ground. On return Vibhishana tried to 
lift it but as it had already got firmly rooted to the ground he could not do 
so. He got angry with the youth and chased him. The youth was no other than 
Vigneswara who came in disguise. This is the Vinayaka for whom a shrine had 
been built on the top of Tiruchirapalli Rock-Fort. Malik Kafur invaded South 
India in the 14th Century and captured Tiruchirapalli. Fearing destruction at 
their hands the priests of Srirangam Temple removed the deity to Tirupati via 
Thirunarayanapuram in Karnataka and kept it at Tirupati for some time. After 
the Mahomedans left Tiruchirapalli, it was thought safe to bring the deity back 
to Srirangam. This was done by Gopanna, the chief of Gingee, a vassal of the 
Vijayanagar King Kampanna II. Gopanna took the image from Tirupati and kept it 
in the Hill Temple of Singavaram near Gingee for some days and then brought it 
to Srirangam and re-installed it in the temple after performing the 
consecration ceremony. This was done in A.D. 1371-72. So says Guruparampara 
Prabhava, a Vaishnavite work of great renown. An inscription in the temple also 
testifies to this fact. 

The temple lies in the middle of the island town of Srirangam. All the 
essentials necessary for the construction of temples according to Silpa Sastras 
have been observed in the building up of Srirangam Temple. There are seven 
prakaras (inner circles) in the temple apparently representing the seven 
worlds. The Vimana over the sanctum sanctorum is called the Pranava Vimana 
representing the Ashtakshara. 

There are as many as 21 gopuras (towers) in the temple of which the Villai 
Gopuram in the east is the tallest being 165 feet high. The seven prakaras in 
the temple have been named after the persons who constructed them. There are 
many inner shrines in the temple. Those for the Garuda, Hanuman, Sriranga 
Nachiar (Goddess) and Alwars are important. The image of Sri Ramanuja, the 
great Vaishnavite philosopher who spent his last days here, is also worth 
seeing. 

Architecturally the temple of Srirangam is unique among the great temples of 
South India. The Sculptures found in the temple are some of the finest. The 
1000 pillared mantapa, Horse Court, Garuda Mantapa, Ranga Vilasam, Vasantha 
Mantapa, the mirror room are worth seeing. Sri Ranganatha in the Sanctum - 
Sanctorum in the lying posture is a charming idol of great beauty and grace. 

Except Madhurakavi Alwar, all the other eleven Alwars (the Vaishnavite Saints) 
have sung about this holy shrine and God Sri Ranganatha. No other temple has 
got this unique honour. References to the greatness of this place abound in 
Tamil Literature starting from the Sangam works of the early Christian era down 
to the present day. Silappathikaram, a great Tamil epic beautifully describes 
the Sayana (lying posture) of Sri Ranganatha. Kambar, the great Tamil poet, had 
the rehearsal of his Ramayana done in this temple. The incidents connected with 
the lives of two Vaishnavite Saints, Sri Andal and Tiruppan Alwar, reveal the 
glory of this temple. Sri Andal of Srivilliputhur, daughter of Perialwar, made 
a vow that she would marry only Lord Ranganatha and none else. Her desire was 
fulfilled. Tiruppan Alwar was a Harijan. As a Harijan he could not, in those 
days, enter the temple. He used to worship Lord Ranganatha standing at a 
distance and sing devotional songs. Sri Ranganatha in order to bless this 
devotee appeared in the dream of a priest and asked him to carry the Harijan 
Saint on his shoulders to His very presence in the temple. It was done and that 
Saint attained bliss. 

There are a large number of inscriptions in the temple which range from the 9th 
century to 16th century. They belong to the periods of Chola, Pandya, Chera, 
Hoysala and Vijayanagar dynasties. They relate to large endowments made for the 
maintenance of daily worship, performance of festivals, upkeep of flower 
gardens, singing of devotional songs etc. 

The Vaikunta Ekadasi Festival in the Tamil month of Margali (December-January) 
attracts large crowds.


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