Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam (#127)
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அரங்கநாதர் திருக்கோயில், ஸ்ரீரங்கம் அல்லது திருவரங்கம்
Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam
The Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam is an ancient and massive temple that is perhaps the most important shrine to Lord Vishnu in Tamil Nadu. It is a very large complex and likely the largest functioning Hindu temple anywhere in the world. The temple is situated on the island of Srirangam, sandwiched between the Kaveri and the Kollidam downstream of their bifurcation. It is close to Thiruchirapalli. Its lofty gopurams are visible for miles around. It is one of the foremost Divya Desam temples. An entire town with permanent dwellings and businesses is enclosed within its premises.
The great Alvar woman saint Andal disappeared into the sanctum here according to legend. There is a shrine for her in one of the prakarams. The 11th-century philosopher and saint Ramanujar died here, and his body is preserved in a sitting posture and venerated in a special shrine in the fourth prakaram. The temple is one of the eight Suyambu Shetrams of Lord Vishnu where the idol is self-manifested. Just as the term Koil, meaning "temple," signifies Chidambaram in the Saivite tradition, in the Vaishnavite tradition it stands for Srirangam, emphasizing the great importance of the temple in Tamil Vaishnavism. It is one of the five pancharanga sthalams where Lord Vishnu blesses his devotees in a reclining form.
The origins of this great temple are obscure. Legends say that the idol of Ranganathar was given to Vibishanan at the coronation of Lord Rama at Ayodhya. Despite the decree that it should not be put down before reaching its final destination on the island of Lanka, it was accidentally placed on the ground when Vibishanan was resting on the island of Srirangam. It could not be moved thereafter, and there it has remained for millennia. It was eventually lost, only to be found again by chance by a Chola king during his evening hunt. A temple was then built over the idol. The connection with Lanka is further reinforced by the intriguing fact that the deity and the temple face south, with the reclining Lord Ranganatha casting his benevolent gaze towards that island nation. There is a legend that great misfortune would befall that island country if the main rajagopuram was completed. It was completed in 1987.
The Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas, Hoysalas, Vijayanagara and Nayakkan kings built and rebuilt this temple over the centuries. The earliest inscriptional evidence comes from the late 9th and early 10th centuries. There are around 800 inscriptions spanning several hundred years. Paranthakan I (907-955) was an early benefactor. The Anbil plates of Paranthakan II or Sundara Cholan (958-973) mention the temple. Rajarajan I and Rajendran I have left their imprint. After the fall of the Cholas, Pandyan and Hoysala kings contributed to the renovation of the temple. Jatavarman Sundara Pandiyan (1251–1278) was a major benefactor.
The temple was repeatedly attacked and looted by the forces of the Delhi Sultanate in the 14th century, beginning with the raid in 1311 by the infamous Malik Kafur. Situated on the strategic island of Srirangam, the temple was in the direct path of the marauders. For the next half-century, the temple and its devotees, like many others, suffered untold misery under a foreign yoke. The temple was extensively destroyed. It rose like a phoenix in the late 14th century after the region was liberated by Vijayanagar forces. The Vijayanagar emperors cleaned up the rubble and laid the foundation for the new temple, and what we see today is the end result of decades of rebuilding by Nayakkan kings in the 16th century. The massive rajagopuram was only completed in the 1980s as stated above.
There is an interesting story around the temple's desecration in the early 14th century. When it was ransacked, the conquerors took the Utsavar or processional idol of Ranganathar back to Delhi as a trophy. It languished there in a corner of the imperial palace of Alauddin Khilji. One of the emperor's daughters fell in love with the deity and became an ardent devotee of the Lord. The Muslim princess visited Him daily. Then a delegation of devotees from Srirangam went to the court in Delhi and entreated Khilji to return the idol. After much effort, the emperor relented, and the successful delegation quietly brought the idol back to Srirangam and reinstalled it without much fanfare. When the princess found out in the morning that her Lord had been smuggled out, she was inconsolably distraught. She escaped from the palace in disguise and with a small band of confidantes set off for Srirangam in hot pursuit. When they reached the great temple, she refused to leave and died there. Today there is a shrine in the temple called the Thulukka Naachiyar (Thulukka means Muslim and Naachiyar is a respectful term for a lady) shrine where people pay homage to the devotion of the princess from Delhi. It is close to the main sanctum in the second prakaram. There are also stories of how, later during that period, people took the deity for safekeeping to the Kallalagar temple in Azhagarkoil near Madurai and it was brought back only after the Vijayanagar empire had taken control of the region.
The temple has an extensive layout with numerous shrines. Lord Vishnu presides at the sanctum sanctorum in a reclining posture. The complex has eight concentric enclosures, seven of which are regarded as prakarams. They house many subsidiary shrines. Covering 156 acres, it is a huge complex. The southern rajagopuram is 73 m or 237 feet high and is one of the tallest gopurams in India. It has 13 tiers. There are 21 gopurams in total, and there is a vantage point accessible to the public for a small fee that gives you panoramic views of the many gopurams. The vimanam is shaped like OM, the holy symbol. There are many mandapams with exquisite granite carvings from the Nayakkan era.
It is a temple much celebrated in literature. The first mention of the temple appears in the ancient Tamil work, Silappadikaram, from around the second century CE. It is praised in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, the 4000-verse Tamil Vaishnavite canon created by the Alvar saints in the 6th to 9th centuries. Its virtues are sung by at least 11 of the 12 Alvars in 247 pasurams. Thirumangai Alvar contributed the most. Thondaradipodi Alvar lived his entire life here and composed the Thirupalliyelucchi. The 12th-century Tamil epic, the Kamba Ramayanam, composed by the poet Kambar, had its Arangetram or debut recital here at this temple.
Thirumangai Alvar sings thus:
முத்து இலங்கு கார் ஆர் திண் கடல் ஏழும் மலை ஏழ் இவ் உலகு ஏழ் உண்டு
ஆராது என்று இருந்தானைக் கண்டது தென் அரங்கத்தே
Naalayira Divya Prabandham. Periya Thirumozhi (5.6.2)
(He who swallowed the seven mighty dark oceans filled with pearls, the seven mountains and the seven worlds at the time of the great dissolution or Pralayam remains restless. I saw him here at the southern Arangam.)
The temple has unique opening and closing times posted. They differ slightly on Saturdays. The times are 6–7 a.m., 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., 2:30–5:30 p.m. and 7–9 p.m. Generally, 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. are the open times. The midday closure is short, which is unusual for most temples. Numerous festivals are celebrated throughout the year. The Brahmotsavam is in Panguni (March/April). The Vaikunda Ekadasi in Margazhi (December/January) is an important festival, as are many others celebrated here. The thalavirutcham is the Punnai. The main theertham is the Chandrapushkarani inside the temple premises. The temple is under the direct control of the HR and CE Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
The temple is massive. Its outer prakarams are motorable streets. Thousands of people throng to it from all over the country. The crowds at times can be overwhelming. You have to have a strategy to visit the temple in its entirety without missing the major highlights and yet obtain a meaningful dharshan. Hiring a professional guide is not a bad idea. If you are keen on doing it yourself without the help of someone who knows the temple, you may find it daunting. At least half a day can easily be dedicated to visiting this temple. Picking a weekday that is not a festival or special occasion might be wise to avoid large crowds. Know the layout to orient yourself and keep a list of the most important shrines and features you want to visit.
The temple is located on the island of Srirangam just outside Thiruchirapalli. It is 320 km or 6 hours southwest of Chennai on the highway. We visited in July 2026. We were based in Thiruchirapalli.
Sources:
Dinamalar Temples - Sri Aranganathar Temple, Srirangam
P.K. Nambiyar and K.C. Narayana Kurup, Census of India 1961. Volume IX. Part XI-D. Temples of Madras State. Thiruchirapalli and South Arcot, pp. 196–197.
Temple Towns of Tamil Nadu. George Michell, Marg Publications, pp. 78–79.
Courtesy Google Maps
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