Ranganatha Swamy Temple is located in the island of Srirangam. The largest and the first among 108 Divya Desams (sacred kshetras) of Vishnu. It is one of the important pilgrimage place in Tamil Nadu. Its one of the biggest temple in world. It has 7 prakarams. It has 21 gopurams, 39 mandapams and 50 shrines. The length of the seven praharams is roughly six miles. In fact, many visitors drive through the prakarams, until they reach the second one, where the main sanctums are located.
Temple Deity – Ranganatha Swamy
Ranganatha is seen in the reclining pose of Vishnu (anantha sayanam), resting on Adisesha. From head to foot, the deity is 21 feet long and is draped in a white veshti with gold-lace borders.
Ranganatha wears a silver crown and draped with sparkling necklaces. On special occasions the silver crown is replaced with a gold and gem-studded one and the necklaces are grand and magnificent. It is said that long before the Sultanate invasions, the idol had eyes studded with solitaire diamonds. At least one of these diamonds, the Orlov diamond (weighing more than 189 carats) is now in a museum in Moscow. The story goes that a French soldier removed the diamonds from the idol’s eye cavities during the Carnatic Wars and they eventually taken away to Europe.
Ranganatha Swamy Temple Timings
- Morning : 5.30 AM -1 PM
- Evening : 2 PM – 9 PM
Rangantha swamy temple is closed for darshan between 8 AM – 9 AM and 6 PM – 7 PM for rituals.
Things To Watch in Temple
- The sanctum of Ranganatha is a crowded one. Apart from Vishnu, there are idols of Vibheeshana, Brahma and Hanuman. At Rangantha’s feet sits his consort, Ranganayaki.
- Directly facing the main sanctum is the shrine of a 25 ft-tall Garudazhvar, Vishnu’s mount.
- Goddess Ranganayaki has a separate shrine in the second prakaram and is adorned with silks, gems and flowers at all times.
Important Events At Ranganatha Swamy Temple
Vaikunta Ekadasi celebration during December month attracts large crowd who follow the idol of Ranganatha through Sorga Vaasal, the doorway in the second praharam, that is a symbol of the entrance to heaven.
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