Lesser Known Temples of Sri Rangam

By -
Site Name: Sri Rangam  
Site Type: Hindu Temples
Location:  Sri Rangam, near Trichy city, Tamil Nadu state, India
Highlights: Lesser known temples in the well known holy city of Sri Rangam
Nearest Railway Station: Trichy
Nearest Airport: Trichy
How to reach: Well connected by road
Hotel: A lot of options in Trichy city 
Restaurants: Few small but traditional restaurants can be found near the temple; for more options, go to Trichy

Koorathalwan's Home
Sri Rangam is a well known town located in South India. Sri Ranganath temple located in this town is one of the most popular shrines of Lord Vishnu and it is considered as the first and foremost Divya Desam temple. Everyone knows about this popular temple; however there are few important temples in the same town which are lesser known. The objective of this blog post is to introduce those temples.

Sri Rangam is a unique place where a lot of Vaishnaivite seers and Gurus lived. Tirumangai Alwar stayed in a house in North Chitrai Street. The devotees are allowed to visit this holy place. Similarly the houses where the other Vaishnaivite Gurus such as Koorathalwan, Mudaliyandan and others are located in the streets around the Ranganath temple.

Mudaliyandan's Residence
There is a small lesser known temple located in North Chitra Street - Dasavatar temple. There can be temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu and even to his incarnations such as Rama, Krishna or Narasimha. However, it is very rare to find a temple where all the ten main incarnations of Lord Vishnu are found as the main deities. 

The Dasavatar temple which is believed to be 1000 years old (the current structure is of modern day) is an east facing small temple with a tower. The main shrine has the idols of ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu - Matsya (fish), Koorma (tortoise), Varaha (swine), Narasimha (partially lion and partially human), Vamana (the dwarf man), Parasu Rama, Rama, Balarama, Krishna and Kalki. All the idols are small. The utsava idol of Narasimha is also located in the main shrine.

The sub-shrines of Tirumangai Alwar and Desikan are also located in this small temple. As per the legend, Tirumangai Alwar personally monitored the construction of Ranganath temple. Lord Ranganath was happy with him and he presented himself as ten incarnations to his devotee. This temple relates that story.

Tirumangai Alwar's Residence

Dasavatar Temple
When you visit Ranganath temple in Sri Rangam, ensure that you visit these lesser known shrines too.

Happy travelling.


View Larger Map
Location: Srirangam, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tallest Murugan of Chennai

By -
Image
Consecrated in March 2021, the 40 feet high Bala Murugan icon at Saveetha Medical College campus is the tallest image of Murugan in Chennai. Malaysia has 140 feet tall Murugan. In April 2022, the 146 feet tall image of Murugan was consecrated near Salem in Tamil Nadu. However, they are all stucco images. But, the one that we find on the college campus is a monolithic granite icon. Thus, it is the tallest stone icon of Murugan in the entire world. A stone weighing 320 tonnes was brought from Siruvambur near Wallajah, and it was carved to 140 tonnes to get this beautiful and gigantic sculpture. The entire temple complex is designed in the shape of the Devanagiri letter "Om", which can be appreciated in the aerial view.  The west-facing gigantic sculpture is located atop the star-shaped pedestal. It dominates the entire landscape. A large meditation hall is situated below the pedestal. On the open corridor in front of the presiding deity, smaller shrines are found. They enshrine...
Read more

Little known Nimishamba Temple of Chennai

By -
Image
Site Name:  Nimishamba Temple Site Type:  Hindu Temple Location:   Kasi Chetty Street, Sowcarpet, Chennai city, Tamil Nadu state, India Highlights:   A rare temple of Nimishamba in Chennai city Nearest Railway Station:   Chennai - well connected from the cities/towns all over India Nearest Airport:   Chennai has both national and international airports How to reach:   Easily reachable by road as this is centrally located in the city Hotel:  Many star hotels, luxury hotels/resorts, and budget hotels are available in Chennai Restaurants:  All options - vegetarian, non-vegetarian, Chinese, South Indian, Gujarati, North Indian, Punjabi,....- you can find everything in Chennai city Chennai is considered as the gateway to South India. The capital city of Tamil Nadu state of India has hundreds of tourist sites which include museum, British period monuments, temples, beach, etc. Let us explore a little known temple called Nimisham...
Read more

Hastinapuram Navapashanam Murugan Temple

By -
Image
Navapashanam is an amalgam of nine poisonous herbs. It is said to act as a remedy for all types of diseases. It is believed that the Siddhas knew the secret formula to prepare this medicinal potion.  The sculpture of Murugan from the famous Palani is claimed to be made of Navapashanam. Similarly, there is a lesser-known temple near Chennai, which has a Navapashanam Murugan. In Hastinapuram near Chrompet in the southern outskirts of Chennai, in a congested lane called Masjid Street, this tiny temple of Bala Murugan is situated. Murugan, made of Navapashanam, is the presiding deity.  Jalakandeeswara Linga, Meenakshi, and the Siddha who found this temple are the other Murtis found in the temple. Happy travelling.
Read more