TIRUCHIRAPPALI

TAMILNADU
Abstract:

Srirangam was called Vellithirumutha Gramam, in ancient times. At present,

it is called Srirangam and Thiruvarangam in Tamil. Srirangam is located in
Srirangam Taluk and Tiruchirapalli District, in Tamil Nadu. It is an island, bounded
by Cauvery River on one side, and Kollidam (Coleroon) on the other side. This Island is
called Thirunavelantheevu, also called Antharangam, meaning the last part of the heaven.
The Government Epigraphist describes the temple as, “architecturally, the Srirangam
Temple offers many interesting points to the students of Indian Art. It belongs to the
uttamottama class of temples, as it has full complement of seven prakaras, running
around the garbhagraha and in additions, has separate subsidiary shrines, for all the minor
parivaradevatas, as prescribed in the agamas”.The temple was looted and destroyed by
the Delhi Sultanate armies in a broad plunder raid on various cities of the Pandyan
kingdom in early 14th century. The temple was rebuilt in late 14th century, the site
fortified and expanded with many more gopurams in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was
one of the hubs of early Bhakti movement with a devotional singing and dance tradition,
but this tradition stopped during the 14th century and was revived in a limited way much
later. The continuous control of the Tamil country, by the Vijayanagara rulers, not only
gave it political stability but also guaranteed a steady growth and expansion of the
Temple, at Srirangam, in all aspects.

Introduction:
ஆயயிரம வயிரித்ததெழ தெலலையுலட அருந்தெதிறற

பபாயற பள்ளளிப பலைர்ததெபாழ ததெத்தெ வயிரிதெதிலரக கபாவயிரி வயியன்தபருந்

துருத்தெதித் தெதிருவமர் மபார்பன் கதிடந்தெ வண்ணமும

āyiram viritteḻu talaiyuṭai aruntiṟaṟ pāyaṟ paḷḷip palartoḻu tētta viritiraik kāviri viyaṉperu
turuttit tiruvamar mārpaṉ kiṭanta vaṇṇamum
On a magnificent cot having a thousand heads spread out, worshipped and praised by
many, in an islet surrounded by Kaveri with billowing waves, is the lying posture of the
one who has Lakshmi sitting in his chest
(Silapadikaram book 11, lines 35–40)

Description:
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, also known as Thiruvaranga Tirupati, is one of the most
illustrious Vaishnav temples in the country, dedicated to Ranganatha, a reclining form of
Hindu deity, Bhagwan (God or Lord) Vishnu. Situated in an ethereal setting on the island
of Srirangam that is bounded by the two rivers of Cauvery and Kollidam (a tributary of
Cauvery), this living temple and sacred centre of pilgrimage is counted as the first and
foremost among the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Bhagwan Vishnu.
Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the Temple Complex is massive in
scale and spread over 156 acres (63.131 hectares). According to some scholars, this
makes Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple the largest Functioning Temple in the World and is
often found ranked amongst the largest religious complexes of the world, including the
Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Borobodur in Indonesia, Machu
Picchu in Peru and the Vatican City. The temple is an active Hindu house of worship and
follows Thenkalai tradition of Sri Vaishnavism. The annual 21-day festival conducted
during the Tamil month of Margazhi (December–January) attracts 1 million visitors. The
temple complex has been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is in
UNESCO's tentative list.

More importantly, it is not just a temple but a temple-town, unique in its Sapta_Prakaram
formation, a temple centred settlement pattern that comprises of Sapta (seven)
concentric rectangular enclosures or prakarams formed by thick and huge rampart walls
that run round the sanctum sanctorum in which the deity presides. While the inner five
enclosures of the complex constitute the temple, the outer two enclosures function as the
settlement. Thus, the distinction between the temple and the settlement gets blurred and
the temple is also referred to as Srirangam many a times. This Temple-Town typology is
unique to this part of the world and Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is an exceptional
example of the same.
Apart from the 7 prakarams with massive walls, the Temple Complex has 21 very
colourful sculpted gopurams (consecrated gateways with towers), 50 sub shrines, 9
sacred pools, gilded Vimana (dome) over the sanctum sanctorum of the presiding deity,
and other interesting features such as fresco paintings. Active interchange of human
values was happening between the public and rulers in planning, designing, executing
and using the Temple complex.
Part of the temple is dedicated to the temple with its regular sevas, festivals and activities
of Vaishnav Cult. The other part is vibrant with regular human settlement with all its
daily routines and events. The temple is the nucleus and the life of people is centred
around it.
Another unique feature of the Srirangam Temple-cum-Township lay-out is that starting
with the eastern outer wall of the Sanctuary, there are consecrated mini_Mandapams
housing the blessed feet of the Lord in collinear formation through the Seven Enclosures.
The inner three enclosures taken together, with the Arya-bhata and the Parama-pada gates
defining the south-north axis, constitute the Inner Court and the entire outer area
occupied by the rest of the enclosures is known as the Outer Court.
Evidences prove the origin of the temple in 1st century CE during the Sangam period
(3rd Century BCE – 45th Century CE). However, as it stands today, the temple represents
an accretion of building activity over centuries, the architectural idioms coming from the
several royal dynasties who were captivated by and adored the Temple. Some of these
were the early Cholas (1st Century CE) ruling from Uraiyoor situated to the south of
Srirangam across the river, later Cholas (13 th Century CE) of Pazhaiyaarai and
Thanjavur, the Kongu rulers from Tamil west, the Pandyas from south (6th – 10th
Centuries CE and 13th– 14th Centuries CE), the Hoysalas (10th– 14th Centuries CE), and
the later rulers and viceroys of the celebrated Vijayanagara Empire of Karnataka (16Th
Century CE). The expansion schemes included addition of functional structures and
pavilions of grand temple protocol (like the Mallikarjuna Mandapam) and its growth is a
pointer to an antiquity since the time this unique centre of religious devotion had been
known to and extolled by a diversity of religious and linguistic groups across the nation
periodically surging towards this centre of pilgrimage par excellence.

STUDY AREA
Tiruchirappalli is the fourth largest city of Tamilnadu state in India (Latitude10.7905° N,
Longitude 78.7047° E) and is situated on the banks of River cauvery. It acts as a nodal
point for communication from North through South and East through West within the
state. Trichirappalli City has a population of 8,46,732 as per 2011 census. Tiruchirappalli
Corporation consists of four zones namely srirangam,Ariyamangalam,Abishekapuram
and ponmalai zone (Golden Rock) with each zone having 15 wards.

SRIRANGAM CITY
The Srirangam town is located at the geographical coordinates of 10° 52' 0" N, 78° 41' 0"
E in between rivers Cauvery and Kollidam. The average climate of Srirangam is humid
and the temperature range in summer is maximum of 36.9 degree centigrade and
minimum of 26.3 degree centigrade. In winter maximum of 30.3 degree centigrade and
minimum of 20.6 degree centigrade. The study was carried on the 24th of April 2013 and
the weather was with the following attributes: Average temperature 37 degree centigrade,
Wind :4.83 km/h, N 0°,Humidity :44 %,Visibility :6 km, Pressure :982.05 mb.(Weather
station , Tiruchirappalli).

SRIRANGAM CITY PLANNING

The town has originated and developed only on account of the great Sri Ranganathar
Swami temple that covers an enormous area on the island and is the foremost center of all
the religious activities in the town. This temple town has a concentric street layout where
the streets are located around the temple complex. There are overall seven streets around
the temple, of which four are inside the temple (the temple praharams/processional
pathways) complex and three of them are located outside the temple they are , Uthara
Street, Chitra Street and Adayavalanjaan Street. The streets are predominantly occupied
by people who have their employment in the temple. All these seven streets are visually
enclosed by the huge wall of the traditional town. Due to the increase in population and
to accommodate more people the temple town grew organically on the southern direction
due to its connectivity to the Tiruchirappalli City. The northern part of Srirangam is still
undeveloped because of poor infrastructure services like roads and other basic facilities.
For the purpose of this study the two distinctly varying street typologies are chosen. (1)
TYPE A streets: Streets inside the temple wall. (2) Type B streets: Streets that were
developed outside the temple wall.

TYPE A STREETS - Traditional Town character: The streets that belong to

TYPE A are the Uthara Street, Chitra Street and Adayavalanjaan Street. They are located
outside the temple but within the traditional town wall. These threes streets have the
following characteristics: - The streets are low density residential. - The widths of the
streets are more (12m to 15m) basically to accommodate the movement of the temple car
and the huge population who gather to view the festivals. - The buildings are low rise
even after some alterations. - The streets have the common Aspect Ratio (Height of the
building/Width of the street) – 0.3, 0.5. - Though the streets of the traditional town are
wide enough to have greenery, only few of the spots have vegetation and the rest lack
Figure shows the wide traditional streets to accommodate the crowd during
temple car festival

TYPE B STREETS – New development outside the Traditional Town.

The streets that belong to TYPE A are the Uthara Street, Chitra Street and
Adayavalanjaan Street. They are located outside the temple but within the traditional
town wall. These threes streets have the following characteristics: - The streets are high
density residential and low density commercial and mixed use. - The width of the streets
are less (3m to 7m) and the streets are enclosed by tall buildings. - The buildings are high
rise. - The streets have the following Aspect Ratio (Height of the building/Width of the
street) – 1.3,2, 3, 4, 5.For the purpose of study I have considered the maximum and
minimum value i.e 1.3 and 5. - Since the width of the streets in new developed are of
Srirangam are less, seldom greenery is observed.
Figure shows the narrow streets on the southern part of Srirangam City

ASPECTS OF CITY

PATHS : Paths were often the predominant elements in people’s image with the other
elements being arranged and related along paths. as the temples rectangular pathways
defines a imageability to the city .

• EDGES: The two main temples in the srirangam shows a focal point of development
and there is no edges can been seen rather a continuous development is prevailing .as it is
an island all sides are isolated by water bodies .

• DISTRICTS: The city shows a unique charters of religious spirituality and a

physical character of temples all around the city.

• NODES: The nodal point of the city is the center point of the two major temples .and
the magnificent towers become the hallway for entering into the temple

• LANDMARKS: The rajagopuram was the major landmark- highest tower in asia
and the 7 concentric walled sections and 21 magnificent towers or gopuram forms a
unique design of its kind next to madurai .

CLIMATE ANALYSIS
Urban Climate
Tiruchirappalli experiences a dry-summer tropical savanna climate
(Köppen climate classification: As), with no major change in temperature between
summer and winter. The climate is generally characterised by high temperature and low
humidity. With an annual mean temperature of 28.9 °C (84.0 °F) and monthly average
temperatures ranging between 25 °C (77 °F) and 32 °C (90 °F), the city is the hottest in
the state. The warmest months are from April to June, when the city experiences frequent
dust storms. As of November 2013, the highest temperature ever recorded in
Tiruchirappalli was 43.9 °C (111.0 °F), which occurred on 2 May 1896; the lowest was
observed on 6 February 1884 at 13.9 °C (57.0 °F). The high temperatures in the city have
been attributed to the presence of two rivers—Kaveri and Kollidam—and the absence of
greenery around the city. As Tiruchirappalli is on the Deccan Plateau the days are
extremely warm and dry; evenings are cooler because of cold winds that blow from the
south-east. From June to September, the city experiences a moderate climate tempered by
heavy rain and thundershowers. Rainfall is heaviest between October and December
because of the north-east monsoon winds, and from December to February the climate is
cool and moist. The average annual rainfall is 841.9 mm (33.15 in), slightly lower than
the state's average of 945 mm (37.2 in). Fog and dew are rare and occur only during the
winter season.
The climate is tropical in Srirangam. The summers are much rainier than the winters in
Srirangam. The Köppen-Geiger climate classification is Aw. The average temperature in
Srirangam is 28.9 °C. Precipitation here averages 842 mm.
SRIRANGAM CLIMATE GRAPH // WEATHER BY MONTH

The driest month is March. There is 9 mm of precipitation in March. The greatest amount
of precipitation occurs in October, with an average of 194 mm.
SRIRANGAM AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
With an average of 31.8 °C, May is the warmest month. The lowest average temperatures
in the year occur in January, when it is around 25.4 °C.

SRIRANGAM WEATHER BY MONTH // WEATHER AVERAGES

The precipitation varies 185 mm between the driest month and the wettest month. The
variation in temperatures throughout the year is 6.4 °C.

SITE PLANNING

FORTIFICATION

 The eight enclosures were open space till the 15th Century and were used
to temporarily rehabilitate people affected by the floods.

 The pattern in which the ramparts are built with roads leading through the
gopuram emphasize the centrality of the temple .

 Congregations ,festivals, etc .thus the streets and their layout reflects often
the function and the mood of an community at a particular period.
 

STREET PATTERN
Srirangam ,as typical of many ancient towns in India ,These sacred monuments were
constructed in such a position that providing a focal point for the city . • Initially these
were only two temples ,with individual settlements around them in a particular order the
temple with the brahmin, Vaishya, & shudra community residence laid out in concentric
pattern around the temple . • The status and power was reflected in the height of the
building . • The settlement patterns were community or occupation based . • The volume
and character of the streets network change when we move from periphery to the centre
of the temple.
SETTLEMENT PATTERN
The intension of the each ruler is to build the walls and Gopurams higher than the
previous ones. • The temple was also used as a military fort by the Nayaks for some time.
On the southern face of the rock are several beautifully carved cave temples of the
Pallava period. • In the 20th Century, Srirangam became a municipality and the town
started to grow outside the fortified enclosure walls. Today it is spread all across the
island. • The quaint riverbanks are buzzing with building activity. Old buildings are being
demolished rapidly. The ecology of the island and the life within the town needs to be
protected and sensitively planned for

SOCIAL CULTURAL BEHAVIOUR OF THE CITY • There were festivals round the
year and pilgrims flocked to this place to worship. • A temple as an institution ,influences
all the aspects of life of the people in ancient India and it’s the major source of
employment . • In addition along the banks of Kaveri in areas near Srirangam and
Tiruchirappalli there are other famous temples of Lord Vishnu most of which house the
reclining form of him, namely the Sri Vadivazhagiya Nambi Perumal Temple (Thiru
Anbil) and housing the deity Appala Ranganathar, also called the Appukudaththan
Temple at Koviladi. • The tower and temples were the highest building in the town giving
importance to GOD, The houses were build with low lintel ways for “bow cultural Impact
“

ECONOMIC BASE OF THE CITY

• DUE TO THE FAMOUS TEMPLE, SRIRANGAM HAS A THRIVING ECONOMY
BASED ON TOURISM. • DEVOTEES COME FROM ALL PARTS OF INDIA AND
ABROAD ( 7 MILLION DOMESTIC AND 87 THOUSAND FOREIGN TOURISTS ) •
THIRUVARANGAM IS ONE OF THE FEW TEMPLES WHICH IS ALWAYS BEING
CROWDED BY DEVOTEES. • ANOTHER TEMPLE OF LORD VISHNU IS AT
TIRUCHIRAPPALLI ITSELF, THE AZHAGIYA NAMBI TEMPLE AT WORAIYUR
WHICH IS PART OF THE SRI RANGANATHASWAMY TEMPLE AT SRIRANGAM
LAND USE MAP
According to TCC -city corporate plan -it has a open spaces of 79% includes agricultural
and water bodies area . • Butterfly Park -. It is a tropical butterfly conservatory located in
the Upper anaicut reserve forests in Srirangam with an extent of 25 acres. • This park has
27 plant varieties corresponding to 27 stars (Nakshatras). • The public building and
commercial Land use are placed between two major temples for better proximity.
Architecture
The temple is enclosed by 7 concentric enclosures with courtyards
(termed prakarams or mathil suvar). Each layer has walls and gopurams, which were built
or fortified in and after the 16th century. These walls total 32,592 feet (9,934 m) or over
six miles. The temple has 17 major gopurams (towers, 21
total),https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranganathaswamy_Temple,_Srirangam - cite_note-
49 39 pavilions, 50 shrines, 9 sacred water pools, Ayiram kaal mandapam (a hall of 1000
pillars) and several small water bodies inside.
The temple is aligned to the north-south and east-west axis, on an island surrounded by
the Kaveri River. The river has long been considered sacred, and called the Daksina
Ganga or the "Ganges of the
South".https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranganathaswamy_Temple,_Srirangam - cite_note-
51 The outer two prakarams (outer courtyard) are residential and markets with shops,
restaurants and flower stalls. The five inner courtyards have shrines to Vishnu and his
various avatars such as Rama and Krishna. Major shrines are additionally dedicated to
goddess Lakshmi and many saints of Vaishnavism. In particular, these shrines celebrate
and commemorate the Bhakti movement poet-saints called the Alvars, as well Hindu
philosophers such as Ramanuja and Vedantadesika of Sri Vaishnavism tradition.
Despite the construction of various mandapas and gopuras over a span of many centuries,
the architecture of the Ranganathaswamy temple is one of the better illustrations of
Hindu temple planometric geometry per agama design texts in the Tamil tradition.
According to George Michell, a professor and art historian on Indian architecture, the
regulating geometry and plan of Srirangam site takes on "a ritual dimension since all the
architectural components, especially the focal gopuras and the most important colonnades
and mandapas, are arranged along the axes dictated by the cardinal directions". This
alignment integrates the routes that devotees follow as they journey into the innermost
sanctum.
The garbhagraha measures 240 feet in length and 180 feet in breadth. It is circular in
shape and it is surmounted by the “Sriranga Vimana’, with the representation of Para-
vasudeva, which is gold plated. It has been recently renovated.
The presiding deity, Sri Ranganatha Perumal, reclines on Adisesha (the coiled serpent),
facing towards south, in pujanga sayana posture. Images of Vibhishana, Brahma,
Hanuman, Garuda,
the symbols of Vishnu–conch and discuss, are seen inside the garbhagraha. The
garbhagraha is followed by mukhamandapa and it is preceded by mahamandapa. There is
a circumambulatory passage, around the
garbhagraha.
The image of Chakrathalwar is sculpted with Narasimha on the rear side and can be
viewed from the passage around the garbhagraha. The Vimana (shrine over the
garbhagraha) called the Ranga vimana, is shaped like omkara (om symbol) and it is
plated with gold. The outer portion of the vimana and attached mandapa (hall), have
finely worked pilasters, with fluted shafts, double capitals and pendant lotus brackets.
Sculptures are placed in the niches of three sides of the sanctuary walls and maidens
embellish the walls in between. The elevation is punctuated with secondary set of
pilasters that support shallow eaves, at different levels, to cap larger and smaller recesses.
The garbhagraha is crowned in the traditional fashion, with a hemispherical roof. The
double-curved eaves of the entrance porch on the east side, are concealed in a later
columned hall. The Temple in the present form and structure, belongs to the reign of
Kulottunga – I.
There is a separate shrine dedicated to Ranganayaki Amman is in the second precinct of
the Temple.
The common reference to the goddess is padi thaanda pathni, meaning lady who did not
cross the boundaries of ethics. Literally, the festival deity of Ranganayaki also never
comes out of the Shrine and it is Ranganthar who visits Ranganayaki. There are three
images of Ranganayaki, within the garbhagraha.
Shrines of Srirangam Temple:
Apart from the presiding deity, Lord Ranganathar, the Temple complex comprises of
many other shrines and sub-shrines, embellished with different incarnations of Vishnu,
including Chakkarathalwar, Narashima, Rama, Haygriva and Golapa Krishna. The
Chakrathazhwar Shrine is in the East, facing on the south side of Akalanka precinct.
Dhanvantri, a great physician of Ancient India, is considered to be an avatar of Vishnu
and there is a separate Shrine of Dhanvantari, within the Temple. The Venugopala Shrine,
in the south_west corner of the Fourth Prakara of the Temple, is the work of Chokkanatha
Nayak.
Mandapas:
Thousand Pillared Mandapa:
There are many mandapams in Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. One of the finest is
Thousand Pillared Mandapa and it is a fine example of a planned theatre-like structure. In
front of the Thousand Pillared Mandapa is a smaller hall called “Seshagiri Mandapa” in
which there are some fine carvings in stone. The 1000 Pillared Hall is made of granite
and constructed in the Vijayanagar period (1336–1565), on the site of the old temple.
Actually, there are only 953 pillars. The pillars are of different shapes like cylindrical
shape pillar, with pushpa pothigai which belongs to the Vijayanagara Period. The pillars
consist of sculptures of wildly rearing horses, bearing riders on their backs and trampling
with their hoofs the heads of rampant tigers, seem only natural and congruous among
such weird surroundings. The great hall is traversed by one wide aisle in the centre for the
whole of its great length, and intersected by transepts of like dimension, running across at
right angles. There are seven ide aisles on each side, in which all the pillars are equally
spaced out. It is the Darbar Hall of the Deity during the annual Vaikunda Ekadasi
Festival, which takes place in December or January. Some pillars of the Thousand
Pillared Mandapa contain Tamil inscriptions. Namperumal Thirumani Mandapam is the
special miniature mandapa, located in the majestic hall (thousand pillared mandapa)
carved with chariots drawn by riding horse on either side. The Hall is supported by many
pillars of different styles.
In the year 2014-15, Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeological have excavated the
north western corner of the Thousand Pillared Mandapa that exposes the adhisthana
portion (basement) of the mandapa. Adistana portion consists of kapota, padma, kanta,
virutha, kumuda and upana. The adistana portion is embellished with sculptures in
dancing posture, musicians and war scenes. The northwestern corner of the thousand
pillared mandapa has an entrance, decorated with elephants on either side. Elephants are
carved with beautiful ornamentation. Two human sculptures are seen at front and back of
elephants, riding the horses. The man at front holds the tusk of the elephant while the
man at the back, pushes the elephant with ankusha.

Sesharayar or Seshagiri Mandapam (Horse Court):

The “horse–court” of the Ranganatha Temple, at Srirangam, belongs to the Late
Vijayanagara Period, representing the culmination of this extravagant style in the
Sixteenth Century. It is a case of prefect specimen of the rearing horse motif. The steeds,
nearly nine feet high, are ferocious beasts, rearing aggressively and beneath their raised
hoofs is a composite statutory of soldiers, with swords and extended shields. Pillars
exhibit the skill of the Dravidian craftsman, turning fantastic and bizarre statuary. The
technique of chiseling employed on the pillars of the horse-court is remarkable, for the
metallic finish it has given them. The Hall is celebrated for the 40 leaping animals,
carved on to the piers, at its northern end. The Sesharayar mandapa consists of monolithic
pillars, with sculptures of wild horses, bearing riders on their backs, trampling with their
hoofs, heads of rampant tigers.

Garuda Mandapa:
The Garuda Mandapam (hall of the legendary bird deity of Vishnu, Garuda) located on
the south side of the third enclosure is another Nayak addition. Courtly portrait
sculptures, reused from an earlier structure, are fixed to the piers lining the central aisle.
A free-standing shrine inside the hall contains a large seated figure of Garuda; the eagle-
headed God faces north towards the principal sanctum.
RECOMMENDATION The suggested recommendation for the TYPE A streets in order
to have better outdoor thermal comfort condition of its pedestrian users is that the
possibility of enhancing shading. The shading can be either through landscape as well
through projections from the building surfaces (balconies, galleries, simple slab
projection). 10.0 CONCLUSION  The PET (Physiological Equivalent Temperature)
value that is calculated with the help of RAYMAN software enables in identifying the
factors that contribute to the urban microclimate modification in specific to the pedestrian
users. When the PET (Physiological Equivalent Temperature) values for different
Orientation, Landscape and Aspect Ratio within the typologies (TYPE A and Type B
streets) following aspects were observed: 1. The PET (Physiological Equivalent
Temperature) values of N-S orientation was less compared to the E-W orientation. 2. The
streets with landscape on both sides had less PET (Physiological Equivalent Temperature)
value compared to the canyons with one sided landscape followed by canyons with no
landscape. 3. The canyons with more aspect ratio had less PET (Physiological Equivalent
Temperature) value.