Srirangam (Sri Rangam) is located 2 km north of Tiruchirappalli. The main deity is Lord Ranganatha, or Lord Vishnu, reclining on Sesa Naga. This temple is the foremost of the eight self-manifested shrines of Lord Vishnu (Swayam Vyakta Ksetras). It is also considered the most important of the 108 main Vishnu temples (Divya Desams). This temple is a highly recommended place to visit. It was sung about by all the Alwars (the Tamil Vaishnava saints), except Madhurakavi.

The main deity is Lord Ranganatha, or Lord Vishnu, reclining on Sesa Naga. He is 6.4 m (21 ft) long. Lord Ranganatha is in a recumbent pose with his right shoulder facing south. He is on a couch provided by the coils of the celestial serpent Adi Sesa, who has five raised and wide-open hoods. Near his feet are seated his two consorts, Sri Bhu and Sri Neela.

In front of Lord Ranganatha is the utsava-murti of Lord Vishnu, called Sri Manavala Perumal. This deity is taken out of the temple for processions. Along side Lord Ranganatha is Tiruvaranga, who was worshiped as a substitute during the Muslim period, when the original could not be found. At the feet of the Lord is Vibhi-shana, the brother of Ravana.

The deity of Sri Ranganatha was first worshiped by Lord Brahma. The deity was later given to King Ikshvaku to worship, and he brought the deity to his capital, Ayodhya. Eventually Lord Rama worshiped Sri Ranganatha. When Vibhishana, the brother of Ravana, came to Ayodhya, he requested permission to take Sri Ranganatha to his capital in Lanka to worship. He was allowed to do so on the condition that if he placed the deity on the ground, he would not be able to move the deity from that spot. Vibhishana agreed and proceeded to carry the deity south to Sri Lanka. On his way he placed the deity on the ground at Srirangam, on the bank of the Chandra Pushkarani tank.

Since that time Sri Ranganatha has stayed at Srirangam. It is said that the deity faces south, instead of the traditional east, so as to face Vibhishana in Sri Lanka, to grace him and his kingdom. The sanctum (altar) faces south and the main entrance is also from the south (normally it is from the east). It is believed that Vibhishana goes to Srirangam every 12 years to worship the Lord.

Above the main altar is the Sriranga-vimana (golden tower). On the four sides of the Ranga vimana are carvings of four forms of Lord Vishnu. On the south side is Para-Vasudeva, on the west is Acyuta, on the north Ananda, and on the east Govinda.

The innermost enclosure is the sanctum of Sri Ranganatha. It is square inside, but circular outside. The steps of the sanctum are named after Kulasekhara Alwar. On the upper parts of the walls are paintings that are about three centuries old. They depict the 108 important Vaishnava Divya Desam temples.

Sri Chaitanya, Sri Vallabha-carya, and from personalities of today the Dalai Lama visited this temple.

In the southwest corner is the storeroom of the temple's treasures. Amongst the large amount of golden items owned by the temple is a gold vessel given by King Edward VII of England in 1875.

The Srirangam Temple is the largest temple in India. The temple complex covers 21 sq km or 155 acres. It is on a 600 acre island surrounded by the rivers Kaveri and Kolladam (Coleroon). After Tirupati, this is the second most visited Vaishnava temple in South India.

Temple Design:
There are seven walls (prakaras) around the temple.

The Shehsaraya Mandapa (Horsecourt Hall) is on the east side of the temple.

On the same side of the temple (northeast side) 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 puja (worship) of the temple is done according to the regulations of the Ramanuja-sampradaya. It is a traditional belief that Adi Sankara installed the Janakarsana Yatra at Srirangam and Dhanakarsana Yatra at Tirupati to attract pilgrims.

Before you enter the fifth enclosure (some say fourth enclosure) you have to remove your shoes. The Rangavilas Mandapa hall is directly in front of the southern gate. 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).

There is also a temple dedicated to Lord Narasimha.

The temple entrance.

You then exit out the north gate and reach the goddess Sri Ranga Nachiyar Lakshmi Temple, on your left, in the northeast area of the temple. Lakshmi is the consort of Ranganatha.

Ramanuja's samadhi
Sri Ramanujacarya made the Srirangam Temple his headquarters. His samadhi (tomb) is within the premises of the Srirangam Temple
....When Ramanuja finished speaking, his disciples asked him that they would not be deprived of the sight of his transcendental form. Ramanuja accepted their request and ordered that expert sculptors be brought there to carve deity in his likeness. After three days the work was finished. Then the deity was bathed with water from the Kaveri river and installed upon newly constructed altar. Yatiraja then came slowly up to the deity and filled it with his potency by breathing into the crown of the head...

Jagannath Math
is a beautiful little temple which marks the place where Sri Chaitanya spent the four months of the rainy season in 1510. The house of Vyenkata Bhatta used to be here.

The temple has many paintings depicting Sri Chaitanya's pastimes at Srirangam.

In the center hall of the temple there is a diorama of Sri Chaitanya and a deity of Lord Jagannath carved by Lord Chaitanya Himself.

The family descendants of Vyenkata Bhatta still live in Srirangam.

The house of Venkata Bhatta
Sri Gopal Bhatta Goswami was the son of Venkata Bhatta, a resident of Srirangam. Gopal Bhatta formerly belonged to the disciplic succession of the Ramanuja-sampradaya but later became part of the Gaudiya-sampradaya...

...When Lord Caitanya was later informed that Gopala Bhatta had gone to Vrindavana and met Sri Rupa and Sanatana, He was very pleased, and advised them to accept Gopala Bhatta as their younger brother and take care about him. Sri Sanatana Goswami, out of his great affection for Gopala Bhatta Goswami, compiled the Vaisnava smrti named Hari-bhakti-vilasa and published it under his name. Under the instruction of Srila Rupa and Sanatana, Gopala Bhatta Goswami installed one of the seven principal Deities of Vrindavana, the Radharamana Deity. The sevitas (priests) of the Radharamana temple belong to the Gaudiya-sampradaya.

Interior of the house of Venkata Bhatta and the room where Sri Caitanya stayed during his visit.

Inside of this wooden box there is TV...

Small altar of disciple of Prabhupada's disciple.

Ratha-yatra.

Rock Fort
Nearby Rock Fort Temple is on a huge 83 m high rock, said to be one of the oldest rocks in the world, over 3,8 billion years old.

...One time Vayu challenged Adi Sesa to a show of strength. So Adi Sesa coiled around Mount Meru and Vayu tried to loosen the grip...

You walk up about 430 steps cut into a tunnel through the rock to get to the Ganesh Temple (known as Ucchipillayar Koil in Tamil) at the top of the hill. It is not a hard climb. There are also some cave temples with beautiful sculptures of the Pallava era (7th century). Halfway up, there is the Shri Thayumana Swami Temple dedicated to Lord Siva. The linga is a projection of the rock.

There is a hall with the bell weighting about 2,5 tons, which has diameter o 4 feet at the base. The thousand pillar hall, which one can see as one walks up the stairs, was mainly destroyed by an explosion in 1772.

From the top of the hill one has a great view of the city, Kaveri river and Srirangam Temple