SRI RANGAM

The Temple of peace.  Sri Rangam

The sudden plan to visit Srirangam in Trichi was decided quickly. Four of us started to Trichi by train on a rainy day from Kerala. We reached there by 10 pm and straightaway checked into the hotel. The next day we were to visit the famous Sri ranganatha swamy temple. Before i start narrating the temple, i must add a note.

 There was a couple next to our seats and they were just minding their own business. The husband looked like an active person and the wife slept most of the time. Probably because of boredom, he suddenly started conversing with all of us. They were Tamil speaking people and he said he was also going to Trichi since its his native place. He added that he had come to Kerala for a wedding in the family since his wife's people lived here in kerala. He politely asked what we were doing in Trichi. We informed him that we wanted to visit the Ranganatha swamy temple and the Brihadeeswara temple at Tanjore.  We could see the interest in his eyes as he explained about the Sri rangam temple in detail.

 The Cholas were the most powerful dynasty of rulers in India(If not in the world). The Cholas ruled the greater India for more than four centuries which no other dynasty could do. There were a succession of many prominent and capable rulers among the Cholas who had even conquered the lands of malaysia, Thailand, Combodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Srilanka. And the Cholas were true pioneers of architectural marvels and they constucted a dam across the Cauvery river which has stood the test of time and stands tall even today.  It is the first dam ever built in the world across.!

 The Cholas were very interested in art and crafts. The temples and their featured architectural wonders will blow your mind! One such marvel is the Sri Ranganatha swamy temple at Trichi.

Our co traveller explained many stories related to this temple which aroused our curiosity to the maximum. And before leaving he offered his services to us and very politely said he would personally come and show us around. Though we were surprised, reluctant and apprehensive we agreed. he asked us to wait at the main entrance at sharp 7 am the next day and lo! he was there on the dot. parking his bike on the side he took us through the main gate. here starts the lessons he gave us.!!

The temple initially was built by the Chola king  Dharmavarma. Then later there was flood in the river Cauvery which destroyed the temple partially. Then slowly the rebuilding started and completed much later. There are four main gopurams or entrances to the large temple. The entire temple complex sprawled across an area of about 153 acres of land. The construction is in the dravidian way of architecture. It is considered as one of the most prominent of Vishnu temples across India. There are 108 vishnu temples of prominence and this one is the most important of all such temples. It has many names like the biggest temple, the abode of the lord on earth etc.

There are 81 shrines within the temple for various  other deities and other saintly people called alwars who initiated the bhakthi or devotion movements. From the third centuary BC onwards the temple attracts a lot of devotees, tourists and others in large numbers.

Lord Vishu of Srirangam is  a beautifully carved idol and this deity is about 18 feet long and is in the sleeping posture. He sleeps on the Adi shesha, the huge serpant and his consort sitting near by. Since the deity and the temple is mentioned in the epic Ramayana, its time dates back to 800 to 400 BCE. Archiologists say that its about 3000 years old.

We, along with our courteous guide entered the temple and was smoothly guided to all the different shrines in and around the temple compound. We were really bowled over by its magnificent structures, carvings and stone statues standing still for centuries. The construction of such a structure at a time when no mechanized help was available, was just too amazing for us to comprehend.

There was this mummified body of a saint, Sri. Ramanujacharya, at one of the shrines. The history says that he was a true devotee of the lord and revered by everybody. When he gave up his body, his lifeless body was kept there and still preserved perfectly in the sitting posture. We offered our salutations in front of this mummified saint and was so surprised to see his body in absolutely perfect shape. Since 1137 AD his body is kept there and is worshipped by all devotees. It is said that his body is preserved with natural herbs unlike Egyptian mummies which are treated and covered in many substances in sleeping position. Once or twice a year some herbs are applied to his body and for centuries it is kept with great care. he was a saint well versed in vedic texts, and was a social reformer and philosopher. he lived for about 120 years and was an elevated master.

It took us and our sincere guide, almost a day to complete the temple tour. We came out so happy and thrilled that we could see all the glory of this ancient piece of Indian history and profusely thanked our guide for his help.  It was a day well spent and we had a lot of contentment and returned to the hotel with gratitude and love.