India : Art , History , Culture , Architecture , Vedic India
Art , Architecture , Culture
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple
Located in Srirangam , Thiruchirapally District , Tamil Nadu
Legend : Built by a lady called Hampi , in 817 – 894 AD : Historically , the first main structure was built by Chola King Dharma Varman in 8th Century AD ! But floods in Kavery destroyed that and was rebuilt by Choka King Killivalavan .
The Temple was under Cholas till 13 th century , then Pandians and finally Vijayanagara Empire by the 13th century . The present Temple Complex was built under the Vijayanagara Empire .Temple site is an island in River Kavery , with Kolli Dam on one side.
A most sacred Vaishnavite temple with Lord Maha Vishnu as the Presiding Deity. There are some 50 shrines inside for different deities in the Hindu Pantheon , 7 holy Theerthas (pools) , 21 Gopurams and consecrated gateways ! The Raja Temple is the tallest gopuram in Asia : 237 ft.
Ranganathaswamy Temple is the largest functional Hindu Temple in the world : Angkor Wat Temple , Combodia is much larger , but is now only a monument , not a functional temple) : Srirangam Temple : area is 155 acres , perimeter wall is 4 km long !
The Ranganathaswamy Temple , Srirangam , Thiruchirapalli , Tamil Nadu is now UNESCO world heritage centre and attracts over a million tourists , global as well as domestic .In addition thousands of Devotees from all over the country.
Pictures : Clock wise , from top left :1. Main Temple entrance , 2. Panoramic View of the island and temple complex , 3. Ariel View Srirangam , 4. Temple Complex , 5. Colourful Gopuram Remaining pictures : Temple art : carvings on black granite :
( Source : Text and Pictures. : Google / Wikipedia)
