Indelible impressions about Sri ranga Sri

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Indelible impressions

 

The temple of Srirangam is steeped in history and

culture. Its walls, towering gopurams and intricate

architecture tell a story of astounding genius... of

an era long gone.

 

 

 

The temple town of Srirangam brings to mind the

bedtime story our grandmother would tell us. When

Malik Kafur invaded South India (1310-1311 A.D), the

town of Srirangam was ransacked and the treasures of

the temple, including the idol of Lord Ranganatha

(Azhagiyamanavalar Perumal), looted and transported to

Delhi. The minute she caught sight of the idol, the

daughter of the sultan, fell in love with it and

started worshipping it.

 

Later, a determined group of the deity's devotees

disguised as singers and dancers, went to the palace

of the sultan in Delhi, deceived him and brought the

idol back to Srirangam. The princess tried desperately

to retrieve it, but in vain, and, soon, she died of

despair. To honour her devotion, the temple

authorities, named her Tulukka Nachiyaar and provided

a place of worship for her within the temple's

premises.

 

And so the story goes. Only, it's more real and

fascinating as you behold the brilliant engineering

and craftsmanship of an era gone by. A good 13-km from

the city of Tiruchirapalli, Srirangam is encompassed

by two arms of the river Cauvery, possibly created to

protect the temple town from the annual river floods.

(It's another story, though, that the river is dry at

the moment).

 

The town and the temple are inseparable, comprising

seven concentric rectangular enclosures, covering a

vast area of 156 acres. Monumental gates (gopurams)

cut into the giant, walls (prakarams), which enclose

the area giving it the aura and appearance of a

fortress. In fact, the chronicle of the temple states

that it was used as a fortress several times. For

instance, Chanda Sahib (1751 A.D) and the French

Troops fought against the Nawab of Arcot and the

English by shutting themselves up inside the temple.

Though, later, in 1752 A.D, he was forced to abandon

his positions and the French had to surrender. The

chronicle says that notwithstanding these events the

temple continued to prosper.

 

The moment you enter the temple town, the skilled

workmanship and sheer brilliance of its architecture

captures your imagination. Everything, from the famous

Sesharayar Mandapam ? the eight pillars of its facade

decorated with a cohort of raring horses, at whose

feet fearless hunters struggle with wild beasts ? to

the Aayirankal Mandapam or the Hall of Thousand

Pillars (953 actually), stand mute testimony to the

unrestrained genius of their creators.

 

Legend has it that the Srirangam temple was founded by

Vibishana (the brother of Rama's chief enemy Ravana,

but devoted to Rama). In fact, it is the only place in

India where you can find a temple for Vibishna. Up to

the 10th century, literary sources (Silapadikaram,

probably dating back to the third century and

Nalayiradivyapirabandam) alone testify to the temple's

existence. With the rise of the late Cholas (Parantaka

907 - 953 AD) in the 10th century inscriptions began

to appear, some of which are dated.

 

The reign of the late Cholas and the Pandyas seem to

have benefited the temple a great deal, with the kings

and royals of that era endowing it with costly

embellishments and princely gifts. One such generous

gift-giver was the famous Jatavarma Sundara Pandya I

(1251-1268 A.D). The temple also enjoyed the patronage

of the Hoysalas, the Vijayanagar Empire and the

Nayaks. The kings presented the temple with land,

villages, gold and diamond ornaments and other such

munificent endowments. The British were not far behind

in the embellishing spree. For instance, in 1875, the

Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) donated a

large gold crown to the temple of Srirangam, which is

still part of its treasure.

 

Whenever we talk about Srirangam,we cannot ignore the

contributions made by Sri Ramanuja (1017-1137 A.D).

One of the greatest teachers of Vedanta philosophy, he

taught theology and was also the head of temple's

school. His doctrine, Vishishtatdvaita, which deeply

influenced the whole of India and produced countless

schools of thought, is till today the basis of

Vaishanava theology. The chronicle of the temple also

attributes to Ramanuja, the complete recasting of the

temple's administration. He not only changed the way

things were administered but was also the one to break

narrow, traditional shackles by appointing

non-brahmans to perform the temple's work.

 

For the residents of Srirangam, Lord Ranganatha is

more than just a God. He is their `Raja', their reason

for existence and their lifeline. For quite a few

residents of the town, a life sans Srirangam cannot be

imagined. Theirs is almost a belief based on blind

faith and implicit trust. And it is this attitude of

unquestioning fervour combined with timeless artistry

that has left an indelible impression on us.

 

 

Sri Sri Rangan perumai

 

Ramkrishnan

 

 

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