Famous Temples in India

Architecture

Ranganathaswamy Temple has 21 towers, The main entrance known as the Rajagopuram (the royal temple tower), rises from the base area of around 13 cents (around 5720 sq. ft.) and goes up to 237 feet (72 m), moving up in eleven progressively smaller tiers. Towards the South direction of the Srirangam temple stands the Rajagopuram (literal: royal tower) which had been started to get constructed by the Nayakar Kings 400 years ago and it was completed in part. The Ahobila Mutt (cult of Vaishnavas) concerned of Rajagopuram and they built with 236 feet height, 13 tired and 13 Copper buds (Kalasam). Each pillar on four doors of the temple has Tamil inscriptions that contain labels and stories of Kaliyuga Rama. The Hoysala Kings had the emblem of two facing away from each other. This emblem is surmounted on the human body like structure on Kaliyugaraman pillar. The ceiling of this pillar has anchor like instrument flanking the fishes which is unique style show casing friendliness between Pandyas and Hoysala. This temple has Kambar Arangettram mandapam, Aayiram Kaal Mandapam (a hall of 1000 pillars), Sesharayar Mantapa, Garuda Mantapa, Tondaiman Mandapam , Arjuna Mandapam and Kili Mandapam. There are 8 holy springs including Chandrapushkarani and Suryapushkarani.

TEMPLE WALLS - The 21 inner rounds, the 4th being very popular and important. Its Sapta-Prakaram formation, a temple centered settlement pattern that comprises of Sapta (seven) concentric rectangular enclosures or prakarams formed by thick and huge rampart walls that run round the sanctum sanctorum in which the deity presides. While the inner five enclosures of the complex constitute the temple, the outer two enclosures function as the settlement. The temple consists of seven concentric rectangular enclosures around the sanctum sanctorum. There are 7 big walls found around this temple covering next to next each other. The 7 walls are referred to as the 7 worlds. The 7th wall is the outer wall which can be seen and it is 3072 feet in length and 2521 feet in breadth. For 7 prakarams, 7 Thiruveedhi (streets) are found. 7th Thiruveedhi is called "Chithirai Thiruveedhi" where big houses and bungalows are found. Sixth Veedhi, which is found in Sixth prakaram is called "Thiruvikraman Thiruveedhi", fifth Veedhi on 5th prakaram is Agalangan Thiru Veedhi", Fourth Veedhi in 4th prakaram is "Aalinadan Thiruveedhi", Third Veedhi in 3rd prakaram is "Kulasekharan Thiruveedhi", Second Veedhi in 2nd prakaram is "Raja Mahendran", and in the first prakaram, Emperumaan Sri Ranganathan in Kidantha Kolam gives Seva and this is called "Dharma Varman Thiru chutru (circle).

SEVENTH ENCLOSURE - The gopurams of the seventh enclosure have been left incomplete and are called Rayagopuram. The impressive dimensions of their bases seem to suggest, that when finished, the towers would have risen to a height of at least 50 m. It is considered as Bhuloka.

SIXTH ENCLOSURE - Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple’s sixth enclosure has four towers; the eastern gopura is the most impressive in size and the inscriptions in 13th century Tamil letters. The processional chariots are kept in this enclosure.

FIFTH ENCLOSURE - The fifth enclosure contains the Shrine of Manavala Maamunigal in the Chola Style. It is also called as Agalangan Thiruveedhi. It is considered as Swargaloka. Through the Ranga Ranga Gopuram one enters this 5th prakara. In this enclosure there is Ranga Vilasa mantapa on the southern side, temple of Andal, temple of Lord Venugopalan, the temple of Sri Chakkarathalwar on the south-west, temple of Sri Ramanujar on the south-east, the temple of Srimathi Ranganayaki Naachiyar on the north-western side, and the Kamban Mantapa on the northern side. In the eastern side is the Sesharayar Mantapa, 1000 pillared mantapa where the Vaikuntha Ekadashi festivities and the recital of Naalaayira Divya Prabandam as well as the Araiyar Sevai takes place. This enclosure has the only white gopuram known as Vellai gopura at the eastern entrance to the temple. In Tamil Vellai means white, however this gopura is named in the memory of a devadasi and devotee of the Lord, named Vellai Ammal.

FOURTH ENCLOSURE - The walls of this 4th prakara were built by Thirumangai Alwar and hence this prakara is named after him. Through the Karthikai gopuram one can enter this 4th enclosure. This enclosure houses one of the biggest mandapas for Garuda among the 108 Divya deshams. The mantapa has over 200 pillars and is the most beautiful mantapa in the temple. One can also have darshan of the sacred Surya pushkarani near the Garuda Mantapa. It is also called as Aalinadan Thiruveedhi. It is considered as Maharloka. In the fourth court, non-Hindus may admire in its southern wing the Temple of Venugopala Krishnan, whose outside walls are decorated with very beautiful sculptures in high relief like young women playing the Zither (Veena) or with a parrot or putting the finishing touches (Tilaka) to their appearance before a looking glass.

THIRD ENCLOSURE - This 3 rd prakara was built by Kulasekhara Alwar, a great devotee of the Lord. One can enter this 3 rd enclosure only through the Arya Bhattal gopuram. This enclosure is also called as Kulasekharan Thiruveedhi. It is considered as Janaloka. The third enclosure of the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple has the Karthikai gopura. It leads to the Garuda Mandapam that has 14 rows and is the most beautiful Mandapam in the Temple. In the western wing kitchens and rice storehouses are found. In the eastern part of this wing is the sacred tank (Chandrapushkarani), which has been hollowed out in the form of a circle with flights of steps in the east and west. The eastern wing contains several isolated sanctuaries and mandapas. This houses several mandapas. Inside this prakara one should first have darshan of Dhwaja Sthamba and Bali Pitha.

SECOND ENCLOSURE - The second prakaram is called as Rajamahendran Thiruveedhi in memory of the Chola king who built it. It is considered as Tapaloka. The whole of this second enclosure, which is comparatively narrow, strikes the visitor by its pervading full light, since there is an almost broken series of mandapas.

FIRST ENCLOSURE - This 1st prakara was constructed by the Chola King Dharma Varma. There are 24 pillars inside this enclosure where Lord Ranganatha is in his reclining pose, facing South (Lanka). These 24 pillars denote the 24 letters of the Gayathri mantra. It is considered as Sathyaloka. First Enclosure is also called Thirunazhi Enclosure or Dharmavarman Thiruveedhi. Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple’s first enclosure, like the second, has only one entrance - a gate to the south. On either side of the Nazhikettan Gopura are figures of Sankhanidhi and Padmanidhi, the conch and the lotus respectively, which are the attributes of Vishnu. To the southwest, storerooms have been fitted up. To the southwest, more storerooms have been added. Large mirrors are placed in the corners help to reflect the statue of the Lord when the processional deity is brought out from the sanctum sanctorum. The northwest corner contains the Yagasala (fire-ritual enclosures).

THOUSAND PILLARED HALL - On the northeast side of the temple is the impressive "Hall of a Thousand Pillars." Each of the 5.5m (18 ft.) granite pillars is intricately carved.This hall actually has only 953 pillars. In the center of the hall is a pedestal shaped like a processional car. During Vaikuntha Ekadasi, the processional deity is brought to this pedestal before going on procession. The Hall of 1000 pillars (actually 953) is a fine example of a planned theatre-like structure and opposite to it is the "Sesha Mandap". The 1000-pillared hall made of granite was constructed in the Vijayanagara period (1336–1565) on the site of the old temple. The pillars consists of sculptures of wildly rearing horses bearing riders on their backs and trampling with their hoofs upon the heads of rampant tigers, seem only natural and congruous among such weird surroundings. The great hall is traversed by one wide aisle in the center for the whole of its greater length, and intersected by transepts of like dimension running across at right angles. There still remain seven side aisles on each side, in which all the pillars are equally spaced out. 

RANGAVILAS MANDAPAM - The Rangavilas Mandapam hall is located directly in front of the southern gate of the fifth Enclosure. Next to this (to your left as you enter the southern gate) is the small, intricately carved Venugopala Temple. Inside the porch of the Venugopala Temple there are paintings which show Krishna having pastimes with the gopis (cowherd-girls).  

GARUDA MANDAPAM - The Karthikai gopura in the third enclosure of the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple leads to the Garuda Mandapam that has 14 rows and is the most beautiful Mandapam in the Temple. The  Garuda Mandapa (hall of the legendary bird deity of Vishnu,  garuda) located on the south side of the third enclosure is another Nayak addition. Courtly portrait sculptures, reused from an earlier structure, are fixed to the piers lining the central aisle. A free-standing shrine inside the hall contains a large seated figure of  garuda; the eagle-headed god faces north towards the principal sanctum. The light and airy mandapa (17th century) fronts the south entrance to Enclosure 3, its aisles defined by piers with attached  colonettes. The roof is supported by corbeled bracketing.

KILI MANDAPAM - The Kili Mandapam (Hall of parrot) is located next to the Ranganatha shrine, in the first enclosure of the temple. Elephant balustrades skirt the access steps that ascend to a spacious open area. This is bounded by decorated piers with rearing animals and attached colonettes in the finest 17th-century manner. Four columns in the middle define a raised dais; their shafts are embellished with undulating stalks.  The embellished shafts, stalks and balustrades depict the decorations in Kili Mandapa, a hall named after parrots. A long frieze running the basement of the Kili mandapam from its northern and right up to the side steps leading on to it contains a number of panels depicting figures in high relief in different dance poses. The panels are intercepted at regular intervals by projecting niches containing stone figures in the round.  Most of these are now missing and the only sculpture now existing seems to depict Vishnu with four arms, in standing posture.  The dance-poses of these panels are worth detailed study. 

TONDAIMAN MANDAPAM - The Tondaiman Mandapam is located in the first enclosure and the ceiling is decorated with paintings. Kambar Mandapam: While staging the Kamba Ramayana in the temple, some objected to the mention of Lord Sri Narasimha in the Ramavatara story. Kambar said that he would withdraw this part of the epic, if Lord Himself so demanded.  Lord Sri Narasimha emerged from a pillar and approved Kambar’s writing as true. Lord Narasimha in the temple graces from a separate shrine in the name of Mettazhagia Singar near the Mother’s shrine.  The Mandapam where Ramayana Arangettram took place is opposite the Mother’s shrine.

ARJUNA MANDAPAM - The eastern part of the first enclosure contains two Mandapams - Arjuna Mandapam and Kili Mandapam.

SHESHA MANDAPAM - The Shehsaraya Mandapa (Horse court Hall) is on the east side of the temple. It has 8 intricately carved monolithic pillars of men on rearing horses. The most artistically interesting  of the halls that the Nayaks added to the complex is the Sesha Mandapam on the east side of the fourth enclosure. The hall is celebrated for the leaping animals carved on to the piers at its northern end. The walls of this hall is inscribed with pictures of war horses with soldiers on the back that raise their hoofs to kill a wild animal, which give a weird feeling in such serene temple premises. The leaping animals like Leopard find their place in the Sesha mandapa, an exclusive and unique add-on to the piers of 4th enclosure to the temple donated by Nayak Dynasty. The aisles in the hall are equally spaced out and the court related sculptures are religiously preserved. Exotic figures beneath the rampant horses include a fanciful  elephant-lion, and a  Portuguese soldier wearing a European hat and tunic can be found in this mandapam. The interior of the mandapa contains images of all ten of Vishnu's major incarnations. A sculpture showing Matsya, the fish that saves mankind during a great flood can be found in this Mandapam. The recently made colored marks indicate that the statue is currently a subject of devotion. Sculpture showing Hanuman was swallowed by a crocodile. He defeated the crocodile by growing to giant size and using his supernatural strength to escape.

FRESCO & MURALl PAINTINGS - The walls of the Temple complex are painted with exquisite paintings using herbal and vegetable dyes. They speak volumes about the culture and tradition followed at those times. The figures of gods and Goddesses tell us stories and teach us morals. The high end technologies used in these paintings ensured a long life for these paintings and poses a tough challenge to reproduce them in these modern day. The idol of the main deity is unique that it is not made of granite as in many temples, but Stucco (a unique combination of lime, mortar and stones bound together by a special paste (Thailam), made of musk, camphor, honey, Jaggery and sandal). Paintings of Nayak and Marathas are found in the temple of Srirangam.  The innermost circumambulatory passage in the Srirangam temple consists of paintings depicting scenes from the epic. Paintings found in the ceiling and front mandapam which date back to the 17th century depict scenes of Bhagavat Purana.  The features of the paintings are very sharp; figures are geometric and perfectly symmetric painted on walls, floors and ceilings. The inner-most enclosure is the sanctum sanctorum of Sri Ranganatha.  It is square inside, but circular outside.  On the upper parts of the walls are paintings that are about 300 years old.

TEMPLE TANKS - There are a total of 12 sacred Temple Tanks within the complex. Of these, the two largest tanks are the Surya Pushkarani and the Chandra Pushkarani. The whole island of Srirangam was built with rain water harvesting facilities that led to the collection of all water into these two tanks. Each Pushkarani is able to contain up to 2 million litres of water. The task of cleansing all this harvested water is left to the fishes in the Pushkarani. Apart from these there are 10 more Temple Tanks around Srirangam that come under the control and management of the Temple. The other 10 Temple Tanks also act as rainwater management entities and are cared for by the temple management. Aside from the tanks, open sand beds and Nandavanams (Flower gardens) also serve as catchment areas. Some of the Pushkaranis associated with this Temple are Chandira Pushkarani, Surya Pushkarani, Cauvery, Kollidam, Vedacchurangam.