Srirangam

This article is about a neighbourhood ofTiruchirappalli,Tamil Nadu.For Hindu temple situated here, seeSri Ranganathaswamy Temple (Srirangam).

Srirangam திருவரங்கம் Tiruvarangam
Neighbourhood
Tiruvarangam
Aerial view of theRanganathaswamy Temple, Srirangamin Srirangam
Srirangam Srirangam
Coordinates: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 Sabhaconstituency	Tiruchirapalli
Legislative Assemblyconstituency	Srirangam
Website	http://srirangam.org/http://trichycorporation.gov.in

Srirangamis a neighbourhood in the city ofTiruchirappalliin the Indian state ofTamil Nadu.A river island, Srirangam is bounded by theKaveri Riveron one side and itsdistributaryKollidamon the other side. Considered as the first among the 108Divya Desams,a group of Vishnu temples, it is famous for theRanganathaswamy Temple,the largest temple complex in India and the biggest functioningHindutemple in the world. Srirangam is also home to a significant population ofSri Vaishnavas(followers ofVishnu).

Etymology

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 calledarangamin Tamil. Thus, the spot came to be known as Srirangam inSanskritand Tiruvarangam in Tamil.

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple

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

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 considered the biggest functioningHindu templein the world,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),Angkor Watwhich is also dedicated toVishnuis even bigger but services do not take place any more in the temple.

Srirangam is one of a fewself-manifestedshrines (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 allprakarasdecreasing in height inwards. The temple town lies on an islet formed by the rivers Kaveri and Kollidam.

The southerngopuramof 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:

• Adi Ranga: theSri Ranganathaswamy TempleatSrirangapatna,Srirangapatna taluk,Mandya district,Karnataka,India
• Madhya Ranga: theSri Ranganathaswamy TempleatShivanasamudra,Kollegala taluk,Chamarajanagara district,Karnataka,India
• Antya Ranga: theSri Ranganathaswamy Templeat Srirangam,Srirangam taluk,Tiruchirappalli district,Tamil Nadu,India

There is agopuramfully 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.Ramanuja's body is said to come out of the Earth after he was buried and was preserved at this temple.Although, Ramanujar hailed fromSriperumbudurand a pivotal point in his lifetime, receiving theAshtaksharamantram, 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.

Legend

According to theregional legend,the deityRamais regarded to have performedaradhanam(puja) to Vishnu'sidol(deity in a reclining posture). He is regarded to have granted the idol toVibhishana(the brother ofRavanaof 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 anutsavamwas 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 kingsDharmavarcholanandKillivalavandeveloped 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 emperorKrishnadevarayaoffered 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 theUpper Anaicut,a dam at the island's westernmost point. The Kollidam River, the first and largestdistributaryof 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 Anaicutdams 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 prominentHinduVaishnavitepilgrimage centre, is located at the centre of this island. Most of the island forms part of the Srirangam zone of theTiruchirappalli Municipal Corporationand includes the suburbs of Srirangam,Thiruvanaikaval,Srinivasa NagarandGitapuram.

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 likeVaikunta Ekadashiwhich falls on theTamilmonth ofMarghazi(Margashirsha).

There are many other famous temples near Srirangam. They includePillaiyar Rockforttemple,SamayapuramMariammantemple,Tiruvaanaikoviltemple,VayalurMurugan temple,UraiyurVekkali Amman temple, Kattu Alagiya Singar temple etc.

In addition along the banks of Kaveri in areas near Srirangam andTiruchirappallithere 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 theAppukudaththanTemple atKoviladi.

Another temple of Vishnu is atTiruchirappalliitself, the Alagiya Nambi Temple atWoraiyurwhich is part of theSri Ranganathaswamy Templeat 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.

Education

There are numerous schools, both private and public, in the town. TheHigher Secondary School for Boyswas 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 isTiruchirappalli International Airport.Tiruchirappalli Airport has connections toChennai,Singapore,Dubai,Sharjah,Colombo,Kuala Lumpur,BengaluruandMumbai.

Rail

Srirangam Railway Station Name Board

Srirangam has a railway station that can be reached fromChennaithrough any of the major trains travelling in theChennai-Kanyakumarirailway track and the approximate journey time fromChennaiis 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.

TheTiruchirappallifort 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,KanyakumariandMangalore.It also connects cities in the western part of India, such asPune,Surat,Jodhpur,BikanerandAhmedabad,and some North Indian cities likeNew DelhiandJammu.

Bus

Bridge Connecting Tiruchirappalli and Srirangam acrossKaveri 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.

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 constituencyis a part of theTiruchirappalli Lok Sabha constituency.The former chief minister of the stateJayalalithaahad represented this constituency. Mutharayar and Brahmins play a major role in Srirangam Assembly constituency, as a majority of voters are from this communities.