Pankaja_Dasa Posted August 7, 2008 Report Share Posted August 7, 2008 From the Ground up, not including Mountain Temples, what's the 'Empire State Building' of Temples? And the Cost?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Warrior Posted August 7, 2008 Report Share Posted August 7, 2008 Srirangam, I guess. It is the largest functioning temple. Only Angkor Wat is bigger than this one. Its a mind boggling temple. You could completely get lost in there. There are a hundred shrines dedicated to many mahatmas. And when you reach Lord Ranganatha, you will be requested to hold two pillars nearby while getting His darshan. The reason is that, He is an ocean of mercy, and by holding onto the pillars, you make sure that you don't get washed away by His mercy!! Lord Ranganatha is believed to be the family deity of the Ikshvaku clan and was worshipped by Lord Rama Himself. Rama then gave the deity to Vibhishana, who installed Him here. Lord Ranganatha is seen to be facing Sri Lanka, as He had promised Vibhishana that He would always be looking towards his bhagavata's land. His consort is Sri Renganayaki. A close second would be Tirumala (Tirupati), the abode of Lord Venkateswara. The 7 hills are considered to be the avatar of Adi Sesha, and the Lord resides at the top of the hill. Ambience is fantastic on top of the mountain. I have received His darshan many times in the company of the Jeeyar Sevai (Pointiff of Mutt). Before you get a darshan of Venky though, first, you have to visit His consort, Lakshmi. Her temple is not on top of the mountain, but in the town below. She is called 'Alarmelmangai Devi' there by the local people, meaning, 'Lady sitting on the Lotus Flower'. There is also a famous temple of Lord Govindaraja in this town. Yeah, Srirangam and Tirupati, two of the best Vaishnavite shrines. Hailed by Rishis, Alvars and every Acharya, whatever school he belongs to. And two of my favorite pilgrimage sites. EDIT: Oh, didn't see the part where you wanted to exclude mountain temples. In that case, Srirangam and Srivilliputhur would qualify. The latter is the birthplace of Sri Andal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pankaja_Dasa Posted August 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2008 Any pictures? Thankyou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srikanthdk71 Posted August 8, 2008 Report Share Posted August 8, 2008 http://www.tamilnation.org/culture/architecture/srirangam.htm In the link above, you have a top view of the vastness of the Srirangam Temple. It is certainly the biggest of temples in the World. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pankaja_Dasa Posted August 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 Thats BIG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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