An Alt-Reality called Srirangam
Everything about Srirangam Ranganathaswami Temple is MEGA . It reflects even in the word usages : everything is prefixed by "Periya" (= Big/Mega) : The temple is Periya Kovil, the God is Periya Perumal , the Devi is Periya Piratti , the music is Periya Melam, the cooking of neivedyam is Periya Avasaram, the sweets offered is Periya Paniyaram, the holy bath is Periya Tirumanjanam .......periya list .
The Island town formed by the bifurcation of River Kaveri into two streams ( Kaveri and Kollidam) is not merely a geographical feature , but , to people of Faith , a spiritual space that is not of this world , A Sacred Realm , the Rangam, ruled by that Enchanter Supreme : Ranganatha (Arangan, in Tamil)
The Vaishnavas of Southern India fiercely uphold that the Temple of Ranganathaswami at Srirangam is a phenomenon that exists between The Two Treasured Realms (UbhayaVibhutis) of the Primordial Purusha , namely the NityaVibhuthi which is Vaikuntam and the LeelaVibhuti that is the Earth. Srirangam is not of the Earth , nor yet of Vaikuntam , it is Bhooloka Vaikuntam , a peerless category by itself. Kovil ( Temple) to them , cannot be any shrine other than this . Em-Perumal (Our Lord) cannot be any other than the one enshrined in this temple . Sung by 11 of the 12 Alwars ,this Kovil is the first of the 108 Divyadesams.
The central Vimanam, with gold covered tower, housing the mega sized (15 ft long) dhruva bhera of Vishnu , reclining on the coiled Sesha , seems to have been here since time immemorial . So ancient that He is not accompanied even by Sridevi & Bhudevi , nor is there a Brahma-bearing lotus sprouting from his navel , as seen in later iconography. ( Sri , Bhu and Andal are present in the sanctum as metal processional images only. ). He is a Yoga Sayana Murti here. All ablutions are made to the bronze Utsavar name "Azhagiya Manavalan" = Handsome Bridegroom , who is placed in front of the moola virat.
There are no epigraphic records of who built the sanctum . The earliest dated Inscription found here is from mid-900CE and it only speaks of a grant to an already existing shrine. Traditionally its founding is attributed to two ( legendary) Cholas named Dharmavarman and Killivalavan . The murti is made of plaster and anointed with various resins and oils, resulting in the look of polished black stone .
The Sthala Purana is too well known to recount here.
The Southern Gopuram , which is visible even from Trichy's Rockfort, is a fitting gateway to a temple that abounds in superlatives. It was raised only in the 20th century to become the the tallest in Asia (240ft). But , most people prefer to enter through the "auspicious" eastern gateway , which is the Vellai Gopuram here.
Basic BIG Data :
Area covered : 631,000Sq Meters , the largest functioning religious complex in the world. Angkor Wat is a larger spread , yes, but dead .
7 precincts ( sapta-prakaram) with fortress-like walls totaling over 6 miles in length . 81 shrines, 39 Pavilions, 21 Gopurams, 8 sacred tanks, 5 silos, more than a dozen subsidiary shrines. It is very easy for a newbie to get lost here in the confusing ins and outs and to end up sleuthing for where the footwear was deposited before entry. Better to go in with someone who knows the place well .
The 7-walled Complex is not a Temple within a Town , but A Town within a Temple . The three outermost precincts are occupied by houses and commercial establishments , making it the Old Town. (Ofcourse , urbanisation has caused expansion in Srirangam too ). All the households in this region are involved in the activities of the temple in one way or the other and , amazingly, most are voluntary services.
The darshan Queues for the principal shrine are , expectedly, serpentine. There are paid lines too , which just cut down waiting time . The last leg , where all lines merge is , unavoidably , suffocating and chaotic . If you can catch a nano-second, fleeting glimpse of Arangan , in that dim oil-lamp illuminated "womb-chamber" , before the rude security staff (- bouncers and amazons, all !- ) swipe you out unceremoniously , count yourself lucky.
There are no lean seasons ! Arangan is The King , Rangrajan, who is treated to a festival every single day of the year - Nityotsavam- , save some 15 days i hear. A heady celebration will be on with elephants, horses, cows, pipers , drummers , palanquin bearers - and surging crowds- et al , whichever day you visit. Reaches crescendo on " Big Utsavam" days like the Brahmotsavams , Panguni Uttiram , Vaikunta Ekadasi etc.
Only The Best for The Best-est .
The King is fed the best Naivedyams , multiple times a day , each batch made afresh with the freshest and exclusively grown/ procured ingredients from which no other God may partake . Snacks are fried only in pure, custom made Ghee , oil is nishiddham . Exclusivity is taken to such extremes that Cashew-nuts and Raisins are not used in Arangan's Neivedyam itseems ! Why? The cashewfruit from which the nut came might be eaten by someone , the grapes of the same bunch from which the raisins came might be consumed by someone else ! Sacrilege for The King to be served "leftovers" !
.....while on the matter of food , a quirky detail : Arangan is served 2 Chappatis twice a month ! Because his beloved Bibi Nacchiar or Thulukka Nacchiar , named Surathani, the lovelorn daughter of The Invader ,who followed and merged with the Azhagiya Manavalan prefers "North Indian" Chappati to "South Indian"rice !
Bibi Nacchiyar's Sannidhi is in the pavilion very close to where Arangan is installed . Her icon is only a wall painting and she is attired like a typical southern Nacchiyar (Devi). Whenever a Naivedyam is offered to Arangan , she too gets a portion of it. Of all his Nacchiars , she seems to enjoy special status ! Even Andal is housed in a distant sanctum ! And Aranganayaki Thayar , the Principal Devi , with her own shrine , her own rituals etc , is never seen alongside Arangan except only once a year!
Some researchers have tried to work out which Dilli Sultan's daughter this Surathani was. With little success. Besides, as oral history goes, the girl followed her divine sweetheart to Melkote, attained salvation there and her memory was enshrined in that temple by Sri Ramanujar. When and how she arrived in Srirangam to become a Star Nachiyar to Arangan is unknown ( to me).
The temple complex was developed in stages , with contributions from Cholas, Pandyas , Hoysalas, Vijayanagara Rayas , Madurai Nayaks and modern day Vaishnava Mathas. Majorly , though , it was the re-invograting zeal of the Vijayanagara Rayas, that pumped life into the place , after it was badly mauled by The Invaders in 1311 and 1323 .
The Vijayanagara stamp in Aranganathar Temple
Most pavilions here , including the main sanctum, were reconstructed after the Vijayanagar Empire rose to power , After its heyday , the Madurai Nayakas , who followed in those footsteps , lavished their resources in reviving the ancient culture of Temple towns . In this temple, the most notable features of this period are :
The base of the Southern Gopuram ( the kalharam), a massive project initiated by Achyuta Raya , but abandoned probably because of inappropriate soil conditions or some strife. The record-holding brick-and-mortar gopuram seen now was built above the old Mottai Gopuram , with State and Public contributions, by the Ahobila Mattham in 1987.
Sesharayar Mantapam : the most attractive , photogenic pavilion in the whole campus . No data is available on who built it , when and why. The name Sesharayar too belonged to more than one worthy in more than one period. Stylistically it is of 16th Century vintage . The eight, 19ft tall monolithic pillars showing horse riders hunting tigers are of excellent workmanship , with great attention shown to even minor detailing, like pierced skin , for example , or the embroidered attire , or the carefully plaited pigtails . This Mantapam is not used for seating the Gods during any festival , but might have served as an extention to the much plainer 1000 Pillared Hall situated opposite it , across the courtyard. If nothing , it serves , to this day , as a cool, breezy shelter where tired pilgrims can take a refreshing nap.
Wall Paintings : Though many areas have been re-painted in more recent times , murals from Nayaka times can still be seen in places like the enclosures around Nachiyar Shrine, Tirukkottaram (Holy Store House), Tiruvanthikappu Mantapam , Ramanujar Mantapam etc. The oldest seems to be the ceilings around Devi's shrine . The picturebook type of paintings illustrating puranic episodes have captions in Telugu script . But seepage and chipping have taken heavy toll . A pity.
The Hoysala Presence
The Hoysalas of Dwarasamudram ( Halebeedu) established their ancillary Capital at Kannanur aka Vikramapuri (Samayapuram today) during the reign of Veera Someshwara and Ramanatha . "Koyil Olugu" , the authoritative text about Srirangam Temple history notes that the 1000Pillared Hall was built by a Perumal Devan , under authority of Kampaya Dandanayaka , the CM of Hoysala Ramanatha. Reportedly, the Minister's name is found on 10 pillars . Also , the Gandaberunda crest of the Hoysalas is featured on the Gopuram nearest to the Hall . The Dhanvantri shrine was originally built by Singanna Dandanayaka (under Vira Ramanatha) but was destroyed during The Invasions .It was rebuilt later by Nayakas. The Thayar shrine's mantapa was constructed by Kampaya Dandanayaka . Various minor porches to other subsidiary shrines are also contributions of Hoysalas. Queen Somaladevi (Someshwara's wife) made a grant for creation and maintenance of a Nandavana. A Saraswathi Bhandara (Library) and an arogyashala ( pharmacy) are listed to have been established during this time . Hoysalas are, in popular legends, credited to have built the Venugopala shrine - the second most beautiful structure in the campus , abounding in intricate , decorative elements on the outer walls. But learned opinions vary , with the vote favouring Nayakas.
SNIPPETS
1. One of the subshrines is dedicated to Dhanvantri , the Divine physician. To keep Arangan's system healthy ( after the continuous offerings of very rich foods), Dhanvantri sends him a digestive made of Ginger and Jaggery after some meals. Was surprised to learn that the "thing" Dhanvantri holds in one hand is a Leech ! Used in medieval therapy, in Europe too, to suck out bad blood !
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2. The Vellai Gopuram is painted plain white ( vellai) to honour Vellaiamma , a Devadasi who lured a General of the Invader's Army to climb up the Gopuram , ostensibly to grab hidden treasure . When up there , she pushed him to his death and herself plunged to her martyrdom . The incident bought time for the priests to secure the sanctum and spirit away the Utsavar.
Unfortunately , plunder of other treasures of the Temple did happen , with 12,000 staunch Vaishnavas sacrificing their lives in an attempt to safeguard the Kovil.
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3. To please Bibi Nacchiyar , Arangan wears a checked Lungi ( the Muslim sarong) on certain days .
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4. The Dwarapalakas guarding the entry leading to the sanctum are a very beautiful pair of Jaya and Vijaya, 6ft each, that look like they are cast in copper-bronze . Apparently , only clad in metal ! Lovely icons.
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5. In a corridor leading to the Madappalli, (Temple Kitchen) is an altar with a very attractive black stone image of a seated deity . The label reads "Anna Murthi" ( Lord of Food) This is the first such image I am seeing ; enchanted ! The deity is two armed , holding a ball of rice in one hand and a vessel of milk or payasam in the other. The Conch and Chakra are shown hovering on the prabhavali.
Hands itch to click the camera , but no , temple rules should not be broken.
Discussing this murti later, I discover that the original sculpture was damaged and this is a replacement. Anna Murti is a traditional Deity of The Kitchen, who oversees preparation of food ,blessing it to nourish body and soul. Reportedly , Anna Murti sculptures are rare and found in less than a handful of temples in Tamil Nadu. Trying to recollect images in Hoysala Temples in Karnataka that fit the description......
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6. The temple premises was used as a fortress during the Carnatic wars , Hyder Ali occupying it in 1781 , with no disturbance to the temple's rituals .
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7. The Ramanuja Mantapam : Dedicated to that great Reformer Ramanujacharya , respectfully referred to as Udayavar, who re-organised the administration of the Temple after return from exile. It has the image of the Saint called "Taan Aana Tirumeni" ( The Image that is Himself) . To the Faithful , this is the mummified body of the Saint himself , which miraculously emerged from his Samadhi. Scholarly verdict is that it is a true copy sculpture made of lime plaster and beewax ,installed by his disciple soon after his internment , coated periodically with a mixture of Camphor , Saffron etc ( giving it a skin tone). Today , only the head can be seen, in the dark sanctum, the rest of the seated body covered over by brocade cloth. The debate of whether the image is man-made or the real mummified body of the Acharya always causes a highly emotion charged , ugly war of words . To this day . A matter of Faith.
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8. There is a persistent Urban Myth that the Orloff Diamond , the fabled, egg sized gem that crowned the Imperial Scepter of Empress Catherine and now sits in the vault of The Kremlin, was stolen from the body of Arangan by a French Army deserter ( when the British had control of the Temple) and , eventually, sold to a Russian Count !
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9. In the Arjuna Mantapam hangs a huge bronze bell , without a clapper. It was cast by melting the cymbals used by the Arayars of the Temple , who once numbered in hundreds but now dwindled to a mere dozen or so. The Cymbals they had used in service of Arangan , could not be re-used for anything else , hence repurposed into that heavy bell . This Bell too shall not be rung by anyone in passing , lest it offends The Lord , hence remains without clapper.
While entering the Temple , had seen some Minstrels in typical dasa attire , going by , singing soulfully , with tambura and castanets , unmindful of noisy traffic, wandering cows and milling crowds. If they had a tall kulavi cap on head and displayed some hand and foot movements , they would have been Arayars !
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10, To the north-west of the Temple premises, close to the Kollidam, is the Dashavatara Temple with a rectangular garbhagriham , housing 3ft tall standing murtis of all 10 Avataras of Vishnu in a row . This commemorates the Lord appearing in all his avataras before Tirumangai Alwar, who built one of the enclosures of Ranganathar shrine. The Fish and Turtle are zoomorphic images. The murtis are of Later Chola vintage.
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11. Be informed that Arangan does not like to be disturbed by unpleasant sounds, hence coconuts cannot be broken in the premises !
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12. Arangan is very fond of garlands but will not accept any garland any pilgrim offers. Garlandmaking is the exclusive hereditary privilege of certain groups called Dasanambis or Ekangis. They are what Ramanujar termed Saathatha Vaishnavar (Vaishnavas not invested with Sacred Thread) who are entitled to serve in various capacities at the temple . The Ekangis tend the Temple's huge garden called Madhurakavi Nandanam , gather flowers and weave the garlands and other floral decorations for Arangan and Thayar exclusively. This Garden is off limits to Public. The Flowers have to be gathered at dawn , their fragrance never inhaled , always placed on peetams( benches) above the hip level of the florists and handwoven using natural fibers only . Any flower that falls to ground and those leftover have to be consigned to River Kaveri and never used elsewhere. Their grandest creation is the Pushpa Duppatti , a garland as huge as a shawl , used for a Spring Festival. Had a peek view of this garden , about 4 Hectares in area, the plants barely visible above its tall compound wall ! It is a short distance away from the temple.
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13. The Garudan and a mystery : Befittingly , the Garudan here is a giant too , 14 ft tall seated on a 5ft pedestal, filling up the sanctum completely . Sugreeva and Angada stand as his Dwarapalas. Famously , a 30 meter long Dhothi is woven specially for him.
Heard a curious fact about this Garuda Sannidhi (info needs checking ): The Sanctum cell is shallow and Garuda fills it up entirely, his back pressed to the rear wall. But seen from outside , the sanctum extends to another 15 or so feet . Obviously , the wall behind Garuda is only a divider, cutting off a sealed chamber behind. What could be in it ? Treasures safeguarded during The Invasions that devastated Srirangam in the 14th Century? It is well known that the Presiding Vishnu was walled up hurriedly before the Invaders entered and was opened only decades later. Did a similar thing happen here too ? Plans were mooted for using non-invasive sonar probes to determine what could lie hidden in that sealed chamber . But no action taken yet . Wonder why there are no conspiracy stories or Alien Secrets theories about this floating around !
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14. Quaint Tirukkottaram : Situated near the lineup of five giant Silos, this is a small hall with beautiful large wall paintings that are not very old. Paddy offered to the temple is ritualistically measured out here. By tradition , the first measure is always counted not as "One" but "Kovil" for auspiciousness. Number "Two" voiced as "Arangan or Namperumal", after which come the usual numerals three, four, etc. Reportedly, this custom was also followed , till modernity took over, in the town's general markets and in some very pious households while measuring out anything !
A curiosity in the Kottaram is a pillar hung with large ornamental leather slippers. These are offerings to Arangan , made by cobblers .
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15. Right behind the main sanctum is a small Early Chola shrine to Vishwakshena ( Senai Muthaliar in Tamil ) Curiously, Angadan stands as a dwarapalaka. Never found out why. During a recent renovation , the lower adhistanam of this shrine was exposed by clearing out the earth around the walls, but since the shrine is at a lower level than surrounding prakaram , they have laid a glass covering all around , through which the base adhistanam can be seen . Good idea.
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16. Such a huge temple , but Andal has a curious residential arrangement ! Usually , the Moolavar and Utsavar of any deity are placed in close proximity , if not in the same chamber. Andal here is split between a Ul Andal and a Veli Andal ( Inner and Outer) shrine. Veli Andal, somewhere in an outer prakaram, is the Moola murti . Ul Andal, the Utsava murti , is in a shrine in an inner prakaram, and she has to share the cabin with a Sri Rama moolamurti ! Why ?
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17. For a small fee, visitors can climb up to the roof of a mantapam to see 17 of the 21 Gopurams , arrayed all around like summits of a mountain range.
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18. Modern amenities made by the State Government include 4 electric buggies ( for the aged and the disabled only) , seats for resting , drinking water , a small Museum , reference Library , First Aid center, Washrooms outside the entrances and one bag deposit kiosk. The Temple feeds close to 3000 people per day, under Annadanam Scheme , itseems.
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About Pranaya Kalagam - Serthi Sevai - Panguni Uttiram
Thayar has her own court in the temple and is feted in style separately . She does not step out of Her premises to visit Arangan , earning the name Padi Thandaa Patthini ( The Virtuous Wife Who Does Not Step Beyond The Threshold ). It is Arangan who visits her , once a year . And when he does, we learn, it is fireworks !
Arangan and Aranganayaki , it is said, have their annual domestic tiff during which , in a great ceremonious show of temper tantrums , they argue with each other, in lyrical meters ! She also flings things at Him and bangs Her door shut on His face ! This amusing festival happens during Adi Brahmotsavam (Uttara star of Panguni month ( around mid March- April) . Apparently , its a ritual observed in all Ranganatha Temples , but just prefunctorily . Only in Srirangam , it acquires the status of a Grand Opera !
It starts with Arangan sneaking off to Uraiyur to marry and honeymoon with Kamalavalli , the Sridevi of Uraiyur temple. Returning to Srirangam , he makes a quick round of the Town asking people to support him in the inevitable clash with Ranganayaki soon to erupt. He then proceeds to Devi's shrine with music , but as his palanquin approaches , the doors of Devi's shrine shut with a loud bang. He retreats hastily but comes back trying to woo Her . This happens three times. A 17th Century song with amusing Tamil lyrics is used here. Singing as messengers for Arangan are the traditional Minstrels named Arayars. Similarly, singing as messengers for Thayar are Nacchiar Pandaris ( In earlier days , it was the Devadasis). Thayar's accusations fly fast and furious , interspersed with hurling of physical objects at Arangan ( called Mattai Adi). Missiles include balls of strung flowers , fruits , lumps of curds etc, He charmingly meets each query with fanciful and hardly believable explanations ! He offers to take oaths on Milk, Snakes, Fire etc ( traditional devices for proving innocence) but she pooh-poohs each one with snide remarks about his sly offers. Finally , He summons Nammalvar to pacify Her and Devi relents only because that much respected, supreme devotee intercedes. After this , they are seated together in the pavilion and feted with grand worship ( Serthi Sevai) . At the end of this Utsavam , the Sharanagathi Gadyam composed by Ramanujar is chanted .
Very cute and all that . However , it cannot be taken as a Puranic fact that Gods and Goddesses have domestic rows like lowly mortals ! Some have tried to explain it as an allegory of Jeevatma trying to merge with Paramatma and succeeding only with help of a Guru. But it doesn't quite fit , i.m.o . This custom could have originated during the reign of Vijayanagara Kings and their subsequent Nayakas who were great patrons of song , dance , dramatics and folk arts ; and fond of Pageants.
In this cionnection, I remember a very similar ritual I had watched last year on Youtube, broadcast live by the Nallur Kandasami Temple in Srilanka. There, the tiff had been between Devayani and Murugan , for the same reason of jealousy over alleged infidelity . Devayani , from behind closed doors, reproaches Murugan in very similar verses in old-fashioned Tamil , telling him to go back to Valli and Murugan offers similar lame excuses for not coming home on time. Those songs were taped as a duet by a female and a male voice, giving the ritual a cinematic touch.
All Deities quarrel , all devotees like entertainment.
It would be fun to watch such festivals live. Except that the over-enthusiastic devotee-crowds and grumpy security personnel can make it unbearable.
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