India has perfectly demonstrated the architectural beauty in the shape of countless temples. People visit here to know about the historical and architectural importance of these shrines. Today, we will embark our tour to Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, situated in Trichirapalli, Tamil Nadu. This temple is well renowned in the world for architecture and magnitude.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu’s reclining form, Ranganatha on Adisesha. This Vaishnava Temple is quite affluent in history and legend. It is considered as the largest Indian temple spread in more than 156 acres.
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple History
According to the famous mythology, Lord Vishnu after getting impressed by Brahma’s penance displayed Sriranga Vimanam subsuming deity positioned in Adisesha. Then by following the instruction of Lord Vishnu, Brahma worshipped in Satyaloka, the Vimana on River Viraja’s banks.
Ayodhya’s king Ikshvaku did penance for a number of years to attain Vimana from Satyaloka that was installed in Ayodhya. He continually worshipped it along with his descendants. After that, Lord Vishnu’s incarnation, Lord Rama inherited that idol and gifted to Vibhishana.
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple history revolves around ancient archeological pieces of evidence of 10th century AD. The temple has various inscriptions of several dynasties including Chola, Hoysala, Pandya, and Vijayanagara dating 9th to 16th centuries. Ranganathaswamy Temple remained encased by the forests for a long time. Once Chola king discovered the idol accidentally in the forest, he then constructed the largest temple, Srirangam Temple.
Majestic Architecture of Temple
The whole construction of temple complex has been completed in Dravidian architectural style. The temple houses seven thick walls or concentric Prakaras. Seven number is already treated as a holy number as Vaishnava believers believe it either as seven elements that compose human body or Yoga’s seven centers.
The temple’s Gopuram is gold plated and particularly secured by an electric fence. The top of the holy place, sanctum sanctorum is gold plated and this area along with the second Prakaram is restricted for non-Hindus. The gold plated Ranga Vimana has been shaped in ‘Om’ symbol. It has a hall made up of granite. This hall houses 953 pillars and most attractive intricate sculptures within it.
Sri Ranganathyaswamy Temple has 39 pavilions, 21 gopurams and it’s the tallest tower (Raja gopuram) has been titled as Asia’s second tallest temple tower.
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple Timings
6:00AM – 9:00PM
These are routine timings; however, in the festive season, Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple timings can be altered.
How to reach Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple?
One can reach the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple by these routes:
- By Air
With regular flights, the major cities are not well connected to Srirangam Temple. However, one can reach there by resorting to the nearest airport is 9km away from it situated in Tiruchirappally.
- By Train
The nearest railway station is 54kms at Pudukkottai. However, no regular trains are connected from major cities to Srirangam Temple.
- By Road
The temple can be reached by road easily. One can hire a cab, or can opt for auto & bus to reach it.
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple online bookings are also available. One can book five tickets at one time by using one login id at the online website. So, plan your visit to witness the splendor of Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple and get immersed in the spiritual aura.
