View of mahadwara and gopura from inside the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple complex at Srirangapatna

The Ranganathaswamy temple or Sri Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangapatna, in the Mandya district of Karnataka state, India, is dedicated to the Hindu god Ranganatha (a manifestation of

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

). The temple is classified one among the ''108 Abhimana Kshethram'' of Vaishnavate tradition. It is one of the five important pilgrimage sites of Smarthas and

Sri Vaishnavism Sri Vaishnavism () is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism, predominantly practiced in South India. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi (also known as Sri), as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god Vi ...

along the river Kaveri for devotees of Ranganatha. These five sites are collectively known as '' Pancharanga Kshetrams'' in South India. Since Srirangapatna is the first temple starting from upstream, the deity is known as ''Adi Ranga''.Dalal (2011), p. 339 The town of Srirangapatna, which derives its name from the temple, is located on an island in the river Kaveri.

History

According to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the temple is one of considerable antiquity. An inscription at the temple reveals it was constructed in 984 CE by a local chief called Tirumalaiah, a

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

of the

Western Ganga dynasty Western Ganga was an important ruling dynasty of ancient Karnataka in India which lasted from about 350 to 999 CE. They are known as "Western Gangas" to distinguish them from the Eastern Ganga Dynasty, Eastern Gangas who in later centuries r ...

. Earlier mentions of the existence of the deity at Srirangapatna have been made, this indicates that a temple was likely built atop an already existing shrine of ''Raṅganāthaswāmi''. In the early 12th century, Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana (r. 1108-1152 CE) granted the village of Srirangapatna to the Vaishnava saint Ramanujacharya as an ''

agraharam An ''Agraharam'' (Sanskrit IAST: agrahāram) or ''Agrahara'' (Sanskrit IAST: agrahāra) was a grant of land and royal income from it, typically by a king or a noble family in India, for religious purposes, particularly to Brahmins to maint ...

'' (place of learning). An inscription of the great Hoysala King

Veera Ballala II Veera Ballala II (reigned 22 July 1173–1220) was the most notable king of the Hoysala Kingdom. His successes against the Yadavas of Devagiri, the Kalachuris of Kalyani, Southern Kalachuris, the Pandya Dynasty, Pandyas of Madurai and t ...

(1210 CE) confirms that additions and renovations were made to the temple at that time. The tower over the entrance bears features consistent with Vijayanagara architecture. According to historian George Michell, contributions were also made by the Wodeyar kings of the

Kingdom of Mysore The Kingdom of Mysore was a geopolitical realm in southern India founded in around 1399 in the vicinity of the modern-day city of Mysore and prevailed until 1950. The territorial boundaries and the form of government transmuted substantially ...

. The temple is just 400 metres away from Tipu palace.Michell (1995), p71 The temple is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India as a monument of national importance. According to historian K.V. Soundararajan, the Ranganatha temples in South India built during the 9th and 10th centuries have a systematic arrangement of subsidiary deities as seen in this temple along with the Appakkudathaan Perumal Temple at Koviladi, Sowmya Narayana Perumal temple at Thirukoshtiyur, Veeraraghava Perumal Temple at Thiruevvul and Rajagopalaswamy temple at Mannargudi.

Temple plan

The temple has an imposing tower over the entrance gate ('' gopura'') and two large concentric rectangular enclosures ('' prakara'') around its perimeter. The entrance to the inner sanctum ('' garbhagriha'') is through multiple columned halls ('' mantapa''). A vestibule (''sukhanasi''), hall (''navaranga'' or just ''mantapa'') and a front hall (''mukhamantapa'') are the other main structures in the temple. The roof of the ''mukhamantapa'' is decorated with a "garland" ("hara") of miniature decorative towers (called " kudu" and "sala" '' shikharas'') whose niches contain

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

images of the god Vishnu. In the sanctum, the image of Vishnu reclines on the coils of the snake Adisesha, under a canopy formed by the snake's seven hoods, with his consort Lakshmi at his feet. Flanking Vishnu are other deities from the Hindu pantheon; Sridevi, Bhudevi (goddess of earth) and

Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...

(the creator). There are other smaller shrines within the complex dedicated to

Narasimha Narasimha (, , or , ), is the fourth avatara of the Hindu god Vishnu in the Satya Yuga. He incarnated as a part-lion, part-man and killed Hiranyakashipu, ended religious persecution and calamity on earth, and restored dharma. Narasimha has th ...

(an '' avatar'' of Vishnu), Gopalakrishna, Srinivasa (manifestation of Vishnu), Hanuman, Garuda and the Alwar saints. The Three sacred sites for Smartha -BaboorKamme & Sri Vaishnava Sects of South India, Both Adi Shankara and Ramanujacharya has visited and glorified the deities in their Hymns. The following temples are considered the five sacred sites of worship of the god Ranganatha and are together called Pancharanga Kshetram (''Pancha''-"five", ''ranga''-"Ranganatha", ''Kshetram''-"sites").

Gallery

File:Gopura and prakara of Sri Ranganathaswamy temple on the island of Srirangapatna near Mysore in India.jpg, A profile of the '' gopuram'' (tower) over entrance in the Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangapatna File:Outer Wall SW Ranganatha Swamy Temple Srirangapatna Jan24 A7C 08954.jpg, Prakaram (outer wall) viewed from south-west File:Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangapatna Karnataka India including Rama and Krishna.jpg, A view of the entrance into the main temple hall (''mukhamantapa'') with Vishnu avatars such as Narasimha, Vamana, Rama and Krishna on top File:Inner courtyard with lathe turned pillars in Sri Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangapatna.jpg, Lathe turned pillars, a Hoysala addition to the temple, in the inner open ''mantapa'' (hall) in the Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangapatna File:Srirangaswamy Temple, Srirangapatana 15.jpg, A view of the ''prakara'' (bounding wall) in the Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangapatna File:Decorative stone pot for pradakshina (circumambulation) in Sri Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangapatna.jpg, A relief sculpture on a minor shrine on a pedastal in the Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangapatna File:Srirangapatnam14.JPG, A relief sculpture on a minor shrine on a pedestal in the Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangapatna File:Minor mantapa facing a small kalyani (temple tank) in Sri Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangapatna.jpg, An open ''mantapa'' (hall) inside the complex in the Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangapatna File:Chariot at Srirangapatna.jpg, Chariot at Sri Ranganathaswamy temple

Notes

References

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External links