The Temple of Sri Ranganatha is situated on an Island formed by two arms of the river Kaveri in its lowest reaches. the northern arm called Colroon was created artificially to protect the temple from annual river floods. The temple consists of seven concentric rectangular enclosures round the sanctuary of the Lord. The enclosing walls (prakaras) are breached by monumental gates (gopuras) placed in theory in the center of each wall, In the axis of the sanctuary and facing one of the cardinal points. The main entry faces south. this is exceptional the normal is facing east. The temple covers a vast area of about 631,000 sq. m or 156 acres in a perimeter of 8 Kms.
This is the only temple in India with seven enclosures, a sacred symbolical number which for present day Vaishnava believers represents either the concrete expression of the seven centres of yoga, or a reference to the seven elements dhatu making up the human body, in the centre of which dwells the soul atma. the whole corresponding to the cosmic body and the universal self. The enclosures or courts are counted outwards from the central sanctuary (vimana) which is surmounted by a low golden dome crowned with four golden vases (Kalasa).
Outside the temple, a road running along the southern, western and northern sides gives access to a large square lotus covered tank, built near the western gopura and near the coconut plantations and fields cultivated for the temple.
The three outer courts are filled with shops, booths and dwelling houses forming a town inside the territory. The gopuram of the seventh enclosure the height of which is 236 ft. The highest temple gopura in the world. It is called Raja Gopuram. The devotee advancing from one prakara to the next towards the sanctuary (garbhagriha) must be increasingly absorbed in the expectation of contemplation of the God leaving behind deceptive human appearances until he reaches the area where the God dwells in his retreat of peace and mystery.
The sixth enclosure (Chittirai) has four gopuras the processional carts are kept in this enclosure.
This is the only temple in India with seven enclosures, a sacred symbolical number which for present day Vaishnava believers represents either the concrete expression of the seven centres of yoga, or a reference to the seven elements dhatu making up the human body, in the centre of which dwells the soul atma. the whole corresponding to the cosmic body and the universal self. The enclosures or courts are counted outwards from the central sanctuary (vimana) which is surmounted by a low golden dome crowned with four golden vases (Kalasa).
Outside the temple, a road running along the southern, western and northern sides gives access to a large square lotus covered tank, built near the western gopura and near the coconut plantations and fields cultivated for the temple.
The three outer courts are filled with shops, booths and dwelling houses forming a town inside the territory. The gopuram of the seventh enclosure the height of which is 236 ft. The highest temple gopura in the world. It is called Raja Gopuram. The devotee advancing from one prakara to the next towards the sanctuary (garbhagriha) must be increasingly absorbed in the expectation of contemplation of the God leaving behind deceptive human appearances until he reaches the area where the God dwells in his retreat of peace and mystery.
The sixth enclosure (Chittirai) has four gopuras the processional carts are kept in this enclosure.
The fifth Court Uttara is also inhabited it also contains a shrine
for Manavala Mamuni.
Beyond this enclosure begins the sacred part of the temple foot
wear is not allowed beyond this point. The south entry or Rangavasal. it has in
its southern wing a most beautiful Venugopala Krishna temple. The outside walls
are decorated with beautiful scluptures. this enclosure also contains a museum
which has a fine collection of ivory scluptures, bronzes and copper plates engraved
on them the endowments and coins. the hall of a thousand pillars whose 953
granite columns form long cloisters leading to a shrine in the north east
corner of the enclosure. in the centre of this gigantic mandapa there is a
resting place in the form of a processional car on which the statues of God
Goddesses, alvars and acharyas are set out during the 21 days 10 preceding and 10 following the Vaikunta ekadasi. In this courtyard further on from facade of the
hall of thousand pillars a huge pandal is set up for the festival with 47
coconut tree trunks. In the western wing is the sanctuary of Chakrattalvar, the Vasantha mandapam where the teppom is held. In the north west corner the temple
of the goddesses Nachiyar, the consort of Ranganatha is situated.
One enters the third enclosure by the Karttikai gopuram. In the
center of the southern wall aligned with its gate stretches a huge Garuda
mandapam leading to the sanctuary dedicated to the sacred mount of Vishnu
(vahana) entered from the north. This Garuda mantapam consists of 14 rows of
sixteen pillars except for the two central rows which have only ten pillars,
making a total of 212 pillars this is the most beautiful mantapam in the
temple. the western wing is taken up by the kitchen and store houses. the
western part of the northern wing contain several sanctuaries dedicated to
Vasudeva Vishnu, Mudalavar dhanavantri. In the centre of the southern prakara
can be seen the paramapada vasal gopuram. In the eastern part of this wing is
the sacred tank Chandra puskarini, in the form of the circle, this tank is
surrounded by small shrines dedicated to Krishna, Tondaradipadi alwar, Vishnu
reclining on the serpant anantha. To the south east corner is the surya
puskarini.
To reach the second enclosure (kulashekaran) one has to go through
the southern Aryabattal gopura the dwajasthambha or flag pole is seen. It is
here that the devotee begins by presenting himself at the service of the god
before proceeding to the sanctuary.
The whole of the second enclosure is rather narrow and strikes the
visitor by half light due to the almost unbroken series of mantapas dedicated
to the Vishnu Dasamurthis goddesses Saraswathi, Hayagrivar.
The western wing of the second enclosure is divided lengthwise into halves. The part abutting on the inner side of the wall of the second prakara is taken up by a high platform supporting a series of rooms opening on a common varenda. below the platform is the free space in the form of a narrow corridor with two rows of pillars. The corridor leads to a larger mandapa standing on a square raised platform containing two pavilions, one inside the other. This grop of buildings is called Dorai mantapa, and adjoins another mandapa Ul Kodai to the north west corner of the enclosure. Towards the north east corner are the kitchen premises of the God. The distribution of milk and food to pilgrims was done from here, in the past. The eastern wing also has edifices of the similar nature on a raised platform.
The devotee or visitor at last reaches the first enclosure (Rajamahendra Prakara) to which like the second there is only one entry by a gate in its southern part, the Nazhikettan gopura, standing slightly to the east of the axis of the sanctuary. The outer face of the gate has nitches on either side containing the guardians (Dwarapalakas) Bhadra and Subhadra, while the inner face turned towards the sanctuary has on either sides images called Sankhanidhi and Padmanidhi, the conch and the lotus respectively. Here the darkness is even more pronounced, as the first court is almost entirely covered over, the ceiling comes half way down and one has to climb up to the roof to see the super structure of the gopura. To the south and west of this enclosure are platforms raised on which store rooms have been fitted up, Large mirrors are placed at the corners to reflect the statue of the God when it issues from the sanctuary. The western platform has glass showcases containing life size painted ivory statues portraying the donor Vijayaranga chokkanatha Nayaka, his wife, son and daughter in law. The south west corner contains the strongroom in which are placed jewels, flags and procession items. In the north west corner are the yagasala and the Tondaiman mandapa. In the north east corner a small courtyard opens to the sky containing the sanctuary of Vishvaksena. In the chronicles this sanctuary is attributed to Jatavarman sundarapandian.
The western wing of the second enclosure is divided lengthwise into halves. The part abutting on the inner side of the wall of the second prakara is taken up by a high platform supporting a series of rooms opening on a common varenda. below the platform is the free space in the form of a narrow corridor with two rows of pillars. The corridor leads to a larger mandapa standing on a square raised platform containing two pavilions, one inside the other. This grop of buildings is called Dorai mantapa, and adjoins another mandapa Ul Kodai to the north west corner of the enclosure. Towards the north east corner are the kitchen premises of the God. The distribution of milk and food to pilgrims was done from here, in the past. The eastern wing also has edifices of the similar nature on a raised platform.
The devotee or visitor at last reaches the first enclosure (Rajamahendra Prakara) to which like the second there is only one entry by a gate in its southern part, the Nazhikettan gopura, standing slightly to the east of the axis of the sanctuary. The outer face of the gate has nitches on either side containing the guardians (Dwarapalakas) Bhadra and Subhadra, while the inner face turned towards the sanctuary has on either sides images called Sankhanidhi and Padmanidhi, the conch and the lotus respectively. Here the darkness is even more pronounced, as the first court is almost entirely covered over, the ceiling comes half way down and one has to climb up to the roof to see the super structure of the gopura. To the south and west of this enclosure are platforms raised on which store rooms have been fitted up, Large mirrors are placed at the corners to reflect the statue of the God when it issues from the sanctuary. The western platform has glass showcases containing life size painted ivory statues portraying the donor Vijayaranga chokkanatha Nayaka, his wife, son and daughter in law. The south west corner contains the strongroom in which are placed jewels, flags and procession items. In the north west corner are the yagasala and the Tondaiman mandapa. In the north east corner a small courtyard opens to the sky containing the sanctuary of Vishvaksena. In the chronicles this sanctuary is attributed to Jatavarman sundarapandian.
The eastern part of the same enclosure contains
two mantapa, the northern the higher one is Arjun mandapa the southern part of
the mandapa has in it a sheet of glided copper let into paving. Where one may
perceive the Vimana and thus have the darshan of the God. To the south is the
kili mandapa.
Now the heart of the temple is reached. The
round sanctuary the Mulasthanam is surrounded on the west north and east by
circumambulation a square ambulatory (Tiruvunnali) in which the pradakshina or
ritual circumambulation may be made.
The most sacred statues the Mulavar or
archalamurti, Sri Ranganathaswami, reclining on his right side on the serpent
of Eternity Adisesha. This is a huge 21 ft long blackened and polished by
annual anointings with a special ointment which is the cause of the good state
of preservation of the idol. At the feet of the God which rests on the pink
lotus blossom are Vibhishana. And near him is the statue of Tirruvaranga, the
replica statue of Sri Ranganatha which was used in worship throughout the muslim
period when the original could not be
found. In front near the threshold of the sanctuary is the golden statue of
Utsavamurthy or Alagiyamanavalar (The handsome groom) who the people call
Namperumal. On either side of the God are the goddesses Bhu Devi and Sri Devi
who accompany him in all the ceremonial processions.
Above the sanctuary rises the golden Vimana
which covers a circular cellar but is itself oval. Its dome roofed with tiles
like scalesis crowned by a row of four golden vases (kalasa) rising from the
corolla of the lotus. On each side of the vimana a blind dormer window framed
by a makara arch contains a form of the God Vishnu: To the south Paravasudeva,
to the west Achyuta, to the north Ananta and to the east Venugopala or Krishna,
Govinda.
The temple has got nine punya thirthams. The Chandra Puskarani is situated in the centre of all these sacred theerthams and the other eight are situated in the eight directions around. the Kadamba Theertham to the North, the ahamara Theertham to the North East,
Vilva theertham to the east, Jamba theertham to the south east, the Asvatha theertham to the south, the Palasa theertham to the south west, the Punnaga theertham to the west and Vakula theertham to the North west.
So Chudamu ra re Sri Rangasayini, Sriranga pati ni, choodamura re.
