Srirangam

Srirangam (Tamil: !"#$%) is a

neighbourhood in the city of
Tiruchirappalli in the Indian state of
Tamil Nadu. A river island,
Srirangam is bounded by the Kaveri
River on one side and its
distributary Kollidam on the other
side. Considered as the first among
:
 the 108 Divya Desams, a group of
Vishnu temples, it is famous for the
Sri Ranganathaswamy 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 Sri Vaishnavas
(followers of Vishnu).

Srirangam
Tiruvarangam

Neighbourhood
:
 Aerial view of the Sri
Ranganathaswamy Temple in
Srirangam

Nickname: City of Antya Ranga

Srirangam

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Coordinates: 10.87°N 78.68°E (http
s://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.p
:
 hp?pagename=Srirangam&params
=10.87_N_78.68_E_type:city(1815
56)_region:IN-TN)
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 91–431
code
Vehicle TN-48
registration

Lok Sabha Tiruchirapalli

constituency
Legislative Srirangam
Assembly
constituency
Website http://srirangam.org/
http://trichycorporation.gov.in

Etymology
Old Tamil literature refers to the
:
 place as Tiruvarangam. The name
owes itself to the legend that once
the holy vimana (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 called
arangam in Tamil. Thus, the spot
came to be known as Srirangam in
Sanskrit and Tiruvarangam in
Tamil.[1]

Sri Ranganathaswamy
Temple
:
 One of the gopurams out of the 21
present in the Sri
Ranganathaswamy Temple,
Srirangam

Srirangam is famous for its Sri

Ranganathaswamy Temple, a major
pilgrimage destination for Hindus
(especially Sri Vaishnavas) and the
largest temple complex in India.

According to the UNESCO,

:
 Srirangam is considered the
biggest functioning Hindu 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 to Vishnu is
even bigger but services do not
take place anymore in the temple.

Srirangam is one of a few self-

manifested shrines (Svayam
Vyakta Kshetras) of Vishnu. The
temple complex spans 156 acres
:
 (0.63 km2). It has seven prakaras
(enclosures). These enclosures are
formed by tall, thick rampart walls
running around the sanctum. There
are 21 towers, gopurams, in all
prakaras decreasing in height
inwards. The temple town lies on an
islet formed by the rivers Kaveri and
Kollidam.[4]

The southern gopuram of the

temple, called the Rajagopuram, 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 Sri Ahobila 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 Hindu
religious utopia.

The Srirangam temple is one of the

three temples of the deity
Ranganatha (Antya Ranga) that are
situated in the natural islands
formed in the Kaveri river. They are:
:
 Adi Ranga: the Sri
Ranganathaswamy Temple at
Srirangapatna, Srirangapatna
taluk, Mandya district, Karnataka,
India
Madhya Ranga: the Sri
Ranganathaswamy Temple at
Shivanasamudra, Kollegala taluk,
Chamarajanagara district,
Karnataka, India
Antya Ranga: the Sri
Ranganathaswamy Temple at
Srirangam, Srirangam taluk,
Tiruchirappalli district, Tamil
:
 Nadu, India

There is a gopuram 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 the Brahma
:
 Sutra, which expressed a qualified
non-dualism of the Vedanta, his
Vishishtadvaita.[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 from
Sriperumbudur and a pivotal point
in his lifetime, receiving the
Ashtakshara mantram, happened in
Thirukoshtiyur, 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
goddess Andal. Additionally, there
is a museum, a library and a
bookshop.

Legend
According to the regional legend,
the deity Rama is regarded to have
performed aradhanam (puja) to
Vishnu's idol (deity in a reclining
posture). He is regarded to have
granted the idol to Vibhishana (the
:
 brother of Ravana of the Hindu epic
Ramayana) to take back with him to
Lanka. 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 an utsavam 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 kings
Dharmavarcholan and Killivalavan
developed the shrine into the
present size of the temple, with the
contributions of Tirumangai Alvar.
They built the basic foundations
:
 and main buildings.

After the rise of the Vijayanagara

Empire, the emperor
Krishnadevaraya 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.
:
 Geography
The Kaveri River diverges at the
Upper Anaicut, a dam at the
island's westernmost point. The
Kollidam River, the first and largest
distributary of the Kaveri, flows to
the north of the Srirangam Island,
while the continuation of the Kaveri
flows to the island's south. While
the Kollidam continues flowing east
past the island unimpeded, the
Grand 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 prominent Hindu
Vaishnavite pilgrimage centre, is
located at the centre of this island.
Most of the island forms part of the
Srirangam zone of the
Tiruchirappalli Municipal
Corporation and includes the
:
 suburbs of Srirangam,
Thiruvanaikaval, Srinivasa Nagar
and Gitapuram.[7]

Economy
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 like Vaikunta Ekadashi
which falls on the Tamil month of
:
 Marghazi (Margashirsha).

There are many other famous

temples near Srirangam. They
include Pillaiyar Rockfort temple,
Samayapuram Mariamman 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 and
Tiruchirappalli 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
Appala Ranganathar, also called
the Appukudaththan Temple at
Koviladi.

Another temple of Vishnu is at

Tiruchirappalli itself, the Alagiya
Nambi Temple at Woraiyur which is
part of the Sri Ranganathaswamy
Temple at Srirangam.

Srirangam town is also home to

:
 several hundred people who work
in offices and industries located in
Tiruchirappalli. The public transport
linking Srirangam to Tiruchirappalli
(route #1) is very frequent.

Education
There are numerous schools, both
private and public, in the town. The
Higher 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.

Transport

Air

Srirangam as seen from the air

:
 The nearest airport is
Tiruchirappalli International Airport.
Tiruchirappalli Airport has
connections to Chennai, Singapore,
Dubai, Sharjah, Colombo, Kuala
Lumpur, Bengaluru and Mumbai.

Rail

Srirangam Railway Station Name

Board

Srirangam has a railway station that

:
 can be reached from Chennai
through any of the major trains
travelling in the Chennai-
Kanyakumari railway track and the
approximate journey time from
Chennai 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.
:
 The Tiruchirappalli 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 as Thanjavur,
Thiruvananthapuram,
Chidambaram, Madurai, Tirupati,
Tuticorin, Tenkasi, Rameswaram,
Kollam, Bengaluru, Coimbatore,
Mysuru, Kochi, Kanyakumari and
Mangalore. It also connects cities in
the western part of India, such as
Pune, Surat, Jodhpur, Bikaner and
:
 Ahmedabad, and some North
Indian cities like New Delhi and
Jammu.

Bus

Bridge Connecting Tiruchirappalli and

Srirangam across Kaveri River

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]

Climate
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)

Politics
:
 Srirangam Assembly constituency
is a part of the Tiruchirappalli Lok
Sabha constituency. The former
chief minister of the state
Jayalalithaa had represented this
constituency.[12] Konar (Yadava)
and Brahmins play a major role in
Srirangam Assembly constituency,
as a majority of voters are from this
communities.[13]

References
1. Jagannathan, Sarojini (1994).
Impact of Śri Rāmānujāçarya on
:
 temple worship (1st ed.). Delhi:
Nag Publishers. p. 89.
ISBN 8170812887.
2. https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentat
ivelists/5894/
3. "Welcome to Sri Ranganathar
Swamy Temple" (http://www.srira
ngam.org) . srirangam.org.
4. India By Sarina Singh, Joe
Bindloss, Paul Clammer, Janine
Eberle
5. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Indian
Philosophy, volume 2 (London:
George Allen Unwin 1923, rev'd
1929, 1940, reprint Oxford
University 1989, 2006), pp.
:
 University 1989, 2006), pp.
659-662, 665-667.
6. "Ramanujar body preserved
inside Srirangam Temple" (https:/
/dheivegam.com/ramanujars-bod
y-was-preserved/) . Ramanujar's
preserved body info. 17
September 2017.
7. https://censusindia.gov.in/2011c
ensus/dchb/DCHB_A/33/3313_
PART_A_DCHB_TIRUCHIRAPPA
LLI.pdf
8. Kattu Azhagiya Singa Perumal
Temple, Sri Rangam, Trichy –
Find My Temple – Temples of
Tamil Nadu – Thanjavur, Madurai,
Thiruvannamalai, Palani,
:
 Thiruvannamalai, Palani,
Kumbakonam (http://www.findmy
temple.com/en/trichy/t244-kattu
-azhagiya-singa-perumal,-sriran
gam)
9. "Srirangam Info Exclusively" (http
://srirangaminfo.com/) .
Srirangam's Complete
Information.
10. "List of new routes added by
SETC – Part II" (https://tnstc.wor
dpress.com/2012/10/16/list-of-n
ew-routes-added-by-setc-part-ii
/) . tnstc.wordpress.com. 17
October 2012.
11. "TNSTC Bus Timings from
:
 Srirangam" (https://tnstc.wordpr
ess.com/2015/06/24/tnstc-bus-
timings-from-srirangam/) .
tnstc.wordpress.com. 24 May
2015.
12. "List of Parliamentary and
Assembly Constituencies" (https:
//web.archive.org/web/2006050
4185928/http://archive.eci.gov.i
n/se2001/background/S22/TN_
ACPC.pdf) (PDF). Tamil Nadu.
Election Commission of India.
Archived from the original (http://
archive.eci.gov.in/se2001/backgr
ound/S22/TN_ACPC.pdf) (PDF)
on 4 May 2006. Retrieved
:
 11 October 2008.
13. MADALA, JAYAKUMAR (3 March
2021). "Why both AIADMK and
BJP want Srirangam" (https://ne
windianexpress.com/states/tamil
-nadu/2021/mar/03/why-both-ai
admk-and-bjp-want-srirangam-
) . The New Indian Express.

External links

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related to Srirangam.

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 title=Srirangam&oldid=1175520133"

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