Famous Temples in India

Architecture

The name “Talpagiri” comes from the legend, which says that Adisesha took the form of a hill here, when Lord Sri Maha Vishnu came down to Earth and rested here. “Talpa” refers to the bed of the Adisesha serpent in which Lord Maha Vishnu stands out. So, temple name as Talpagiri Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple or Uttara Srirangam. Temple faces East direction and was built in Dravidian style of architecture.

The main entrance of the Gopuram is Seven tired and is 70 feet high, covered with hundreds of forms of Lord Vishnu and has seven gold plated kalasas on top of it. The Galigopuram was constructed by a Brahmin Sirastadar of a local court in the British regime by name Late Sri Yeragudipati Venkatachalam Pantulu. A Dhwajastambham stands in the temple courtyard.

Old inscriptions in Tamil refer to the temple as Tirupparkadal (sea of milk). Addalamandapam (mirror hall) presents the most picturesque sight with its high-definition of mirrors. The hall is decorated with costly Belgian mirrors. Hundreds of images of the deity are reflected in them when the idols are placed on an elevated seat in the middle of the hall on special days. It is an exquisite and breathtaking view. Devotees also love the painting of Lord Krishna on the ceiling of the mandapam. If eight people stand at the eight corners of the mandapam and look at the painting, each one can feel the Lord’s eyes on him or her. There are marvellous Tanjore style paintings of the 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu in the hall. The gold border to the paintings shine when light falls on them. The mandapam was built by a staunch devotee of the Lord, Muppirala Chinna Narasimha Charyulu, during the beginning of this century.