Thread by @Prabhakr_18

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Tiruchirappally, Tamil Nadu, BHARAT

Dedicated to Ranganatha, a reclining form of Shree Vishnu.

@LostTemple7 @IndiaTales7 @desi_thug1 @ANaayak_

It is one of the most illustrious Vaishnava temples in South India rich in legend and history.

Its location, on an island in Cauvery river, has rendered it vulnerable to natural disasters as well as the rampaging of invading armies – Muslim and European – which repeatedly commandeered the site for military encampment.

The main entrance, known as the Rajagopuram (the royal temple tower), rises from the base area of around 13 cents (around 5720 sq ft) and goes up to 237 feet (72 m), moving up in eleven progressively smaller tiers.

The annual 21 day festival conducted during the Tamil month of Margazhi (December–January) attracts 1 million visitors. Srirangam temple is often listed as the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world, the still larger Angkor Wat being the largest existing temple.

The temple occupies an area of 156 acres (631,000 m²) with a perimeter of 4,116m (10,710 feet) making it the largest temple in India and one of the largest religious complexes in the world.

Vedic History :

Sriranga Mahathmiyam is the compilation of religious accounts of the temple which detail the origins of its greatness.

According to it, Sri Ram, himself an Avatar of Vishnu, worshiped the idol for a long time, and when he returned victoriously from Sri Lanka after destroying Ravan, he gave it to Vibhishan as a token of appreciation for the latter's support for Rama against his own brother, Ravan.

When Vibhishana was going via Trichy en route to Sri Lanka, the deity wanted to stay in Srirangam.

Ranganatha, captivated by the devotion of a King called Dharma Varma, who was doing penance to have Shree Ranganatha to permanently stay Srirangam, stayed put, promising to cast his benign glance eternally on Lanka. Hence it is that the deity (in a reclining posture) faces South.