Divya Desam - SriRangam 1

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srishailEsha dhayApAthram DhibhaktyAdi guNArNavam |

yathIndhrapravaNam vandhE ramyajAmAtharam munim ||

 

Sri:

Srimathe Ramanujaya nama:

 

INTRODUCTION: SriRangam or TiruArangam is the foremost among the 108

dhivya dhEshas(PS:Some viDhvAns say that Thirumalai is first). It is

not paramapadha nAThan who is residing in SriRangam but it is the

Lord SriRanganATha who resides in SriVaikuNTam! Temple means,it only

refers to SriRangam temple first and all other temples only second.

It is called as bhUlOka vaikuNTam,periya kOil and bhOga maNdapam.

This is a "svayamvyaktha sThala". The Lord,on His own, manifests

Himself in the form of an icon and the Lord in this sThala exhibits

"sowhArDham",one of the kalyaNa guNas of the Lord,meaning protector

of the souls or thinking constantly about the welfare of the souls

[Cf AH 159 and TVM 7.2]. SriRangam is the only dhivya dhEsha which is

sung by all the 11 AzhvArs excluding maDhurakavi AzhvAr,thereby

receiving a maximum of 247 pAsurams/hymns. All the pUrvAcAryAs chose

SriRangam as the centre for learning and propagating SrivaiShNavism.

SriRAmAnuja established SrivishiShtAdvaitam from here only.

SriRanganATha is so handsome that no words can do justice in

describing His beauty,it can only be felt.

 

MUlavar/Presiding Deity: SriRanganAThan, Periya PerumAL, Nam PerumAL,

Azhagiya MaNavALan. He is reclining on AdhishEsha in bhujanga

shayanam facing the south.

 

Uthsavar/Processional Deity: Nam PerumAL

 

ThAyAr/Divine Consort: SriRanga nAcciyAr

 

ThIrThas/Holy tanks: There are 9 thIrThas viz.,

(1) candhrapuShkaraNi (2) vilva (3) nAval (4)arasu

(5) punnai (6) magizham (7) porasu (8) kadhambam (9) mA

 

and the most prominent and currently in use is candhrapuShkaraNi

 

VimAnam/Tower: praNavAkrthi

 

Prathyaksha dharshanam: vibhIShaNa,Dharmavarman,kiLLivaLavan,candhra

 

DIRECTION: SriRangam temple is a kilometre distance from SriRangam

railway station and approximately 10 kilometres from Trichy

(TiruccirAppaLLi)bus stand. SriRangam is 300 kilometres from

Chennai/Madras and it takes about 6 hours drive.

 

In the next post we will see the history behind the temple;"number"

of posts will be devoted exclusively for AzhvArs & Arangan and

similarly AcAryAs and Arangan.

 

AzhvAr EmperumAnAr Jeeyar TiruvadigaLE sharaNam

NC Nappinnai