Sri Rangam Mandir.
Sri Rangam Mandir was in our travel list for quite some time. We just could not make the plan. Time flew past. One day Our son married a girl from Coimbatore. Of course it was an arranged marriage. Since both of families are devotees of SriKrishna, marriage was held in Brindavan Dham, that too in Covid time.
We could not go to Coimbatore to the ceremony after marriage due to covid factor. After nearly two years we planned to visit Coimbatore for a week in November 2024. Thats where we visited the famous Sri Rangam Mandir with our son, daughter in law, and her parents.
How to reach :
We took a cab very early in the morning. Sri Rangam is about 215 km from Coimabatore. It took nearly four hours to reach the kshetra.
There are several buses are available. The city is usual crowded like any Indian holy city.
Sri Rangam is surrounded by River Kaveri.
Visiting The Temple:
Normal ritual is to take a holy bath in river Kaveri and then visit the Mandir. We took bath and then visited the temple.
It is a huge complex with several mandir and Gopuras inside the walled complex. Total area is about 156 acres.
Only Hindus are allowed in to inside temple of Sri Ranganatha. Others can enter the complex and move around but not into the inner Temple. No entry charges etc.
Sri Ranganatha Swamy :
Main deity is Sri Ranganatha who is in sleeping posture. The deity vigraha is really huge.
You need to follow the queue to visit the deity. Some days are heavily crowded, it is said. When we visited the crowd was bit less, still queue was lengthy. When you reach the door of the garbagriha you will first see the utsava moorty placed just in front and visible. the garbaa griha is not well lit and you have really closely observe to see the deity in sleep posture. If you have lost yourself in visualising the beautiful Utsava moorty then you will miss to see the main deity. The main deity is behind the UtsavaMoorty. You have to discern left and right, literally move your head to left to see the gods beautiful Sri Mukha and turn left to the charana. Vigraha is that huge. you cant take pictures inside the garbhagriha. In the first instance I missed the sri Charana. Because you can not stand there for more than five seconds. We came back in the queue second time and then saw the Sri Mukha and the Sri Charana. Mi wife wife entered third time to view the full view of the Sri Ranganatha.
Check the timing of the temple closure and opening so that you can plan. You can by prasadam inside the complex and also can take free prasadam.
Another important thing about the temple is that legacy says that one of the great Sri Vaishna acharya Sri Ramanujacharya's mortal body is preserved in one of the temples. There are few difference of opinions about this legacy. You can see the Acharya's body sitting in lotus form, just behind the deity of a smaller temple. Not sure how they have preserved the body for hundreds of years.
I have taken few pictures using my mobile hence quality is not that good though. Enjoy those pictures.
The temple is beautiful with carved pillars and gopuras. However not so much importance is given to the beauty of the complex. I do not know the reason. They are not made as popular as Tanjavoor Sri Brihadeshwara pillars what normally you get to see.
The gopura above the sri Ranganatha swamy is made of pure gold. You can see it from particular spot.
Now enjoy the pictures. They are not in some order.
Bathing area is not well organised. They should something about it. Alao people throw their old cloths just arond everywhere.
The river water is very clean.
We drove back in the afternoon with a satisfaction of completing the pilgrimage.
