Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple | Bhoologa Vaikundam

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is one of the most illustrious Vaishnavite temples in the country, dedicated to lord Ranganatha, a reclining form of Hindu deity lord Vishnu. Srirangam is an island located in the middle of the rivers ‘Kaveri’ and ‘Kollidam’ and also a part of Tiruchirappalli district. Srirangam is touted as ‘Bhoologa Vaikundam’ (Heaven on Earth) by the Hindus because of its rich culture, heritage and history. As the foremost of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu, it is also considered the lord Vishnu’s primary abode on the Earth. It was widely glorified in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, written by the Alwars between the 6th and 9th centuries AD. This picturesque temple is built in the Dravidian style and has many architectural wonders to cherish. It holds the distinction of being the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world. With a complex history, an air of mystery surrounds the origins of Srirangam. There is no approved version of the origins but most scholars agree that the main deity was brought to this spot and bonded itself. One version of the story proclaims that the deity rose from the Ocean (Paarkadal), as a result of Brahma’s penance. Then, Ikshvaku, a descendant king of the Sun God (Surya), brought the idol to his capital in Ayodhya. His descendant lord Rama is said to have received the idol by way of inheritance and worshipped it with great reverence. Upon request, he gave it to Vibheeshana, the brother of the Sri Lanka demon king Ravana, to install in Lanka with clear instructions to not rest the idol elsewhere. Vibheeshana, being a devout Brahmin, performed daily rituals at dusk and dawn every day. It so happened that he could not return to Lanka before sunset and set the deity down before commencing his evening ritual. It is said that the idol bonded to the earth and could not be budged by anyone. However, he promised to forever cast his benevolent gaze upon Lanka. Hence, he faces the South. Ever since, Ranganathaswamy has remained in Srirangam. Another version of the origin story indicates that the river Ganga and river Cauvery had an argument about which was mightier. Ganga claimed that since she originated from the feet of Vishnu, she was mightier than Cauvery. However, Cauvery refused to accept this and meditated on the lord till he granted her his presence. Vishnu then pacified Cauvery by saying he would lay on the banks of the Cauvery, making her mightier for she would be his garland and Ganga would still only emanate from his feet. Some believe that this is why the idol bonded itself to the Earth when Vibhishana placed it on the banks of the river Cauvery. Historically, the temple dates back to the 1st Century during what is known as the Sangam period. However, the completed structure, as it stands today, has the influences of many dynasties such as the Cholas of Uraiyur, Cholas of Pazhayarai and Thanjavur, Kongu rulers of the West, Pandyas of the South, the Hoysalas and even Vijayanagara Empire. It is believed that there was an active participation of the local populace in the construction of the temple complex throughout the ages. There are 21 gopurams in all. The main gopuram is the highest, standing at a cool 72m, and is composed of 13 successively smaller tiers, with the base occupying an area of 5720 feet, and weighing over 24,000 tonnes. This gopuram is also known as the rajagopuram and dates back to the 17th century, though it was only completed in 1987. The striking architecture of the temple consumes more time to spend there, than scheduled.