Srirangnathswamy
SriRangnathSwamy temple located in Srirangam of Tamil Nadu is one of the foremost Swayam-vyakt Vishnu kshetrams. The main deity worshipped here is reclining Lord Vishnu.
Swayam Vakt Vishnu Kshetra
The Alwar saints mention 108 divine places or divya deshams related to Lord Vishnu. Out of these, there are 8 self-manifest or swayam vyakt temples which are foremost among the 108 divya deshams. These 8 places with high spiritual resonance, frequented by great sages, saints, sadhakas and pilgrims are- Srirangam, Tirumala, Badrinath, Muktinath, Srimushnam, Nanguneri, Naimisharanya, Pushkar. For those belonging to any Vaishnava tradition, visiting these 8 divine places is a must.
Story
Lord Ram’s ancestor Ikshvaku had obtained this idol of Lord Vishnu from Lord Brahma as a blessing. Since then, it was worshipped by the royal family of Ayodhya. When Lord Ram had returned to Ayodhya after destroying Ravan, Vibhishan had accompanied Him from Lanka. After Ram’s coronation as the King of Ayodya, when it was time for the guests to return home, Vibhishan grieved at the thought of separation from Lord Ram. Lord Ram, benevolent as always, gave the Rangnath idol to him, saying that Rangnath and Ram are the same.
On his way back from Ayodhya to Lanka, Vibhishan made a mistake- he made a stop and put the idol down. Later, no matter how hard he tried, the idol could not be moved. Wise Vibhishan understood the Lord’s play, and only asked that the idol be south-facing, so that the Lord is looking towards his devotee Vibhishan in Lanka.
Temple
Entire RangnathSwamy temple property is held in the name of Ram-lala Ayodhya as the owner. The temple is built like a fort in sprawling 156 acres of land. It has seven huge protective walls, some security arrangements were made after attacks by Muslim Sultanate rulers. Successive dynasties as Cholas, Nayakas, Hoysalas etc made additions in the temple complex. It has many mandapams, shrines, gopurams, granaries, etc. all intricately carved. The temple also has centuries old paintings made from vegetable dyes depicting stories of various avatars. The Yanai vahan depicts a four-tusked elephant like Mastodontoidea that became extinct around 15 million years ago.
Several important shrines include that of Garuda, Shankh, Chakra, Krishna, Sridevi, etc. the great Shri Ramanujacharya stayed at this divine place. It is this place where the saint Andal achieved the Ultimate union.
To Reach
The nearest airport is Tiruchirappally at around 10 kms. Srirangam is at 14 kms from Mysore. Srirangam railway station is well connected.
This place is especially sacred for followers of the Vaishnava traditions. Practitioners should try to spend some time to sit and meditate in the temple complex, to imbibe the oozing serenity of this divya kshetra.
