Srirangam திருவரங்கம் Tiruvarangam | |
|---|---|
Neighbourhood | |
| Tiruvarangam | |
 Aerial view of theRanganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam in Srirangam | |
  Srirangam  Srirangam | |
| Coordinates:10°52′N78°41′E / 10.87°N 78.68°E /10.87; 78.68 | |
| Country | India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| City | Tiruchirappalli |
| Government | |
| • Type | City Municipal Corporation |
| • Body | Tiruchirappalli City Municipal Corporation- Srirangam Zone |
| Elevation | 70 m (230 ft) |
| Population (2001) | |
• Total | 181,556 |
| Language | |
| • Official | Tamil |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 620006 |
| Telephone code | 91–431 |
| Vehicle registration | TN-48 |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Tiruchirapalli |
| Legislative Assembly constituency | Srirangam |
| Website | http://srirangam.org/http://trichycorporation.gov.in |
Srirangam is a neighbourhood in the city ofTiruchirappalli in the Indian state ofTamil Nadu. A river island, Srirangam is bounded by theKaveri River on one side and itsdistributaryKollidam on the other side. Considered as the first among the 108Divya Desams, a group ofVishnu temples, it is famous for theRanganathaswamy Temple, the largest temple complex in India and the biggest functioning Hindu temple in the world. Srirangam is also home to a significant population of adherents of theSri Vaishnava tradition.
Old Tamil literature refers to the place as Tiruvarangam. The name owes itself to the legend that once the holyvimana (Sriranga Vimana) of Vishnu, which is believed to have become stranded at this place. An isle lying in the midst of the winding branches of a river is calledarangam in Tamil. Thus, the spot came to be known as Srirangam inSanskrit ("Shri-Rangam") and Tiruvarangam (Thiru + Arangam = Thiruvarangam) in Tamil. "Shri" in Sanskrit and "Thiru" in Tamil are prefixes indicating respect and reverence, i.e. "Holy Rangam".[1]
Srirangam is famous for itsSri Ranganathaswamy Temple, a major pilgrimage destination forHindus (especiallySri Vaishnavas) and the largest temple complex in India.
According to the UNESCO, Srirangam is the biggest functioningHindu temple in the world,[2] as it covers an area of about 631,000 square metres (6,790,000 sq ft) with a perimeter of 4 km (10,710 ft),[3]Angkor Wat which is also dedicated toVishnu is even bigger but services do not take place any more in the temple.
Srirangam is one of a fewself-manifested shrines (Svayam Vyakta Kshetras) of Vishnu. The temple complex spans 156 acres (0.63 km2). It has sevenprakaras (enclosures). These enclosures are formed by tall, thick rampart walls running around the sanctum. There are 21 towers,gopurams, in allprakaras decreasing in height inwards. The temple town lies on an islet formed by the rivers Kaveri and Kollidam.[4]
The southerngopuram of the temple, called theRajagopuram, is 239.5 feet tall and, as of 2016, is the tallest in Asia. The construction of the Rajagopuram began during the reign of Achyuta Deva Raya of the Vijayanagara empire. However, construction was halted after his death and the structure of the Rajagopuram remained incomplete for over 400 years. The completion of the Rajagopuram was undertaken and completed successfully by Sri Vedanta Desika Yatheendra Mahadesikan, the 44th jeeyar of SriAhobila Matha. The construction spanned 8 years before it was consecrated on 25 March 1987.
In historic times, just after the construction of this temple, the city of Srirangam lived completely within the walls of this temple, and is often described as a Hindureligious utopia.
The Srirangam temple is one of the three temples of the deityRanganatha (Antya Ranga) that are situated in the natural islands formed in the Kaveri river. They are:
There is agopuram fully made of gold, which is protected by an electrical fence. Clothes such as silk sarees, dhoti and towels, which are used for religious purposes are auctioned here.
Ramanuja (11th century), one of the most celebrated theologians of Hinduism, made his monastic home by the temple at Srirangam. Here he wrote his famous commentaries on theBrahma Sutra, which expressed a qualified non-dualism of the Vedanta, hisVishishtadvaita.[5] Ramanuja's body is said to come out of the Earth after he was buried and was preserved at this temple.[6] Although, Ramanujar hailed fromSriperumbudur and a pivotal point in his lifetime, receiving theAshtakshara mantram, happened inThirukoshtiyur, he made Srirangam his home after the demise of his Acharya in spirit, Alavanthar or Yamunacharya.
Inside the temple complex, there is a separate temple dedicated to the goddessAndal. Additionally, there is a museum, a library and a bookshop.
According to theregional legend, the deityRama is regarded to have performedaradhanam (puja) to Vishnu'sidol (deity in a reclining posture). He is regarded to have granted the idol toVibhishana (the brother ofRavana of the Hindu epicRamayana) to take back with him toLanka. Rama informed him that he could not set the idol upon the earth; if he did so, the idol would become bound upon the site. While travelling towards Lanka, he came upon the banks of the river Kaveri. He placed the idol on the banks while anutsavam was in progress. When the utsavam got over, the idol refused to move, according to some accounts because Vishnu grew fond of Srirangam. When Vibhishana requested the deity to come along with him, Vishnu refused, but promised to bless Vibhishana by always facing the south (the direction of Lanka, home to Vibhishana). It is due this reason the idol of the deity (in a reclining posture) is believed to face the south. The Chola kingsDharmavarcholan andKillivalavan developed the shrine into the present size of the temple, with the contributions ofTirumangai Alvar. They built the basic foundations and main buildings.
After the rise of theVijayanagara Empire, the emperorKrishnadevaraya offered his patronage to the city, treating it on par with Tirupati and bequeathing plenty of treasures, jewels and lands to the Srirangam temple. During his period the Srirangam temple was restructured, and many plans were executed for its growth and welfare of the people.
The Kaveri River diverges at theUpper Anaicut, a dam at the island's westernmost point. The Kollidam River, the first and largestdistributary of the Kaveri, flows to the north of theSrirangam Island, while the continuation of the Kaveri flows to the island's south. While the Kollidam continues flowing east past the island unimpeded, theGrand Anaicut dams the Kaveri at the island's eastern end, splitting the river into four streams. One stream flows northeast for a short distance, joining the Kollidam and cutting off Srirangam Island on its eastern end. The island is 19 miles (31 km) in length and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide. The town of Srirangam, a prominentHinduVaishnavite pilgrimage centre, is located at the centre of this island. Most of the island forms part of the Srirangam zone of theTiruchirappalli Municipal Corporation and includes the suburbs of Srirangam,Thiruvanaikaval,Srinivasa Nagar andGitapuram.[7]
Due to the famous temple, Srirangam has a thriving economy based on tourism. Devotees come from all parts of India and abroad. The number of devotees to the town increases greatly during the festivals likeVaikunta Ekadashi which falls on theTamil month ofMarghazi (Margashirsha).
There are many other famous temples near Srirangam. They includePillaiyar Rockfort temple,SamayapuramMariamman temple,Tiruvaanaikovil temple,Vayalur Murugan temple,Uraiyur Vekkali Amman temple, Kattu Alagiya Singar temple etc.[8]
In addition along the banks of Kaveri in areas near Srirangam andTiruchirappalli there are other famous temples of Vishnu most of which house the reclining form of him, namely the Sri Vadivalagiya Nambi Perumal Temple (Thiru Anbil) and housing the deity AppalaRanganathar, also called theAppukudaththan Temple atKoviladi.
Another temple of Vishnu is atTiruchirappalli itself, the Alagiya Nambi Temple atWoraiyur which is part of theSri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam.
Srirangam town is also home to several hundred people who work in offices and industries located inTiruchirappalli. The public transport linking Srirangam to Tiruchirappalli (route #1) is very frequent.
There are numerous schools, both private and public, in the town. TheHigher Secondary School for Boys was founded in 1896 and is the oldest one in the town. There is also a Higher Secondary School for girls which is almost as old as that of the boys. Sri Vageesha Vidhyashram Senior Secondary School, Srimad Andavan College, Chinmaya Vidyalaya Matric. School, Sri Akilandeswari Vidyalaya, Vignesh Sri Ranga Matriculation School, Sri Vaijayanthi Vidhyalaya etc., are other institutions in Srirangam. Most of the schools have English as a medium of instruction. Some have Tamil as a medium of instruction, and some have both. There are many school children who travel to nearby Tiruchirappalli also. Many schools in Srirangam, offer Sanskrit and Hindi as second languages.
The nearest airport isTiruchirappalli International Airport. Tiruchirappalli Airport has connections toChennai,Singapore,Dubai,Sharjah,Colombo,Jaffna,Abu Dhabi,Kuala Lumpur,Dammam,Muscat,Bengaluru,Hyderabad,Cochin.
Srirangam has a railway station that can be reached fromChennai through any of the major trains travelling in theChennai-Kanyakumari railway track and the approximate journey time fromChennai is about 5 hours and 10 minutes (320 km). Only selected trains stop at Srirangam and rest at Tiruchirappalli junction. There is bus service from Tiruchirapalli Junction to Srirangam Temple every 5 minutes throughout the day. At night bus frequency is half an hour.
TheTiruchirappalli fort and Tiruchirapalli Junction which are at a distance of 2 km and 7 km respectively, serve as a connection point to many destinations in southern India, such asThanjavur,Thiruvananthapuram,Chidambaram,Madurai,Tirupati,Tuticorin,Tenkasi,Rameswaram,Kollam,Bengaluru,Coimbatore,Mysuru,Kochi,Kanyakumari andMangalore. It also connects cities in the western part of India, such asPune,Surat,Jodhpur,Bikaner andAhmedabad, and some North Indian cities likeNew Delhi andJammu.
Tiruchirappalli Central bus stand has direct services to most parts of Tamil Nadu. From the bus stand, tourists can avail of local buses, taxis and autorickshaws to reach Srirangam.
City Bus service to all places of tourist interest from Central Bus Stand and Chinthamani - Main Guard Gate Bus Stand (Both in Tiruchirappalli). Tourist taxis and autorickshaws are also available at reasonable rates.
Route No. 1 of the City bus service runs between Srirangam and Central Bus stand. This route starts from Tiruchirappalli Central Bus Stand and goes via Tiruchirappalli Junction Railway Station, Palakkarai Rettai pillaiyar Kovil street, Main Guard Gate, Chatram Bus Stand, Cauvery River Bridge, Mambazha salai, Thiruvanaikoil and ends at Srirangam Bus Stand near the Srirangam Therkku vaasal (South entrance to the temple).
There is a bus every 5 minutes and the bus service is round the clock.
Buses TNSTC originating from Srirangam to various places like Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Madurai,Kodaikanal, etc.[9][10][11]
The climate of Tiruchirappalli (and Srirangam) is Tropical. Average Temperature Range (°C): Summer- Max. 37.1 °C (98.8 °F) Min. 26.4 °C (79.5 °F); Winter- Max. 31.3 °C (88.3 °F) Min. 20.6 °C (69.1 °F); Rainfall: 835 millimetres (32.9 in)
Srirangam Assembly constituency is a part of theTiruchirappalli Lok Sabha constituency. The former chief minister of the stateJayalalithaa had represented this constituency.[12]Mutharayar and Brahmins play a major role in Srirangam Assembly constituency, as a majority of voters are from this communities.[13]
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