Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple

According to Hindu beliefs, in the Holy Trinity, there are three Gods- Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Mahesh. Brahma is the Creator, Vishnu is the protector, and Mahesh or Mahadev is the destroyer. Lord Vishnu the protector or preserver of the cosmos. He upholds the universal laws. Unlike Shiva, who resides in the wilderness, Vishnu participates in worldly affairs. He is here to ensure order in the universe. Read on to know more about Vishnu's magnanimity.

According to Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu sleeps on the coils on Sheshnag. Sheshnag, the python, floats in the ocean supporting Vishnu while Vishnu dreams about the universe. Whenever there is chaos in the world, Vishnu mounts his vehicle and battles the forces, or send one of his Avatars to save anyone who is in distress. Here is an account of how Lord Vishnu saves the life of Gajendra.

There lived many elephants in a thick forest. The elephant king Gajendra took care of his herd. His herd was an ardent Vishnu devotee. They all took a daily bath in the nearby pond. Like always, they were taking a shower. Suddenly, they spotted a beautiful lotus in the pond. Gajendra was mesmerised by the beauty of the lotus and waded towards it. He plucked the flower with his trunk and was returning. He stepped on the shore when one of his legs got stuck.

There was a crocodile in the water which caught one of Gajendra's leg. He tried hard to free himself but of no use. His herd wanted to help him, but could not. A struggle was on, but the crocodile refused to let go. The duel went on. Gajendra realised he could not free himself. Being a devotee of Lord Vishnu, he cried out for divine help Adhimoolame, Abayam meaning Oh Lord Vishnu! Save me.

On hearing this, Lord Vishnu flew on his mount, Garuda, and descended on Earth. With the help of his Sudarshan Chakra, Vishnu saved Gajendra from the crocodile's mouth. According to folklore, when Gajendra got wisdom, the crocodile was also in heaven as Lord Vishnu killed him.

Gajendra, in his previous life, was Indradyumna, who was a great king. One day great sage Agastya came to visit him, but the king did not welcome him with respect according to expectations. Agastya got angry and gave a curse to the king to become an elephant in his next birth. Indradhyumna transformed into an elephant and Gandhara turned into a crocodile after a curse. And they finally attain Moksha.

Legend has it that people in nearby villages believe in the fact that devotees who pray to Lord Vishnu attain Moksha.

To conclude 

One of the most prominent branches of Hinduism is Vaishnavism, and Lord Vishnu gets worshipped as the most important God. Vaishnavism mainly focuses on lord Vishnu and other lord Vishnu names and incarnations like Rama and Krishna. He is one of the principal forms of God, and Lord Vishnu is believed to govern the universe. He is the Paramatman or supreme soul of the world. 

Lord Vishnu is one of the principal Hindu deities of Trimurti, the other two deities being Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma. Srirangam temple is one of the most sacred of the 108 holy shrines of Lord Vishnu. The grandeur and sanctity of Srirangam Pankajam will inspire you as a devotee.

Lord Vishnu as the saviour of the universe

Lord Vishnu gets worshipped by almost all Hindus, particularly the followers of Vaishnavism or Vaishnavas. He is also said to be the Protector of the Universe and is the ambassador of peace on earth. According to Hinduism, Lord Vishnu is someone with a dark blue complexion that resembles the sky and has four arms, two on each side. He holds a lotus or Padma in his lower left hand and kaumodaki gada in the right. 

He is seen with the Panchajanya Sankha in his left side upper hand and Sudarshan Chakra or the most potent weapon on the right. You can take ideas about lord Vishnu's names from his incarnations and visit Sriranga Pankajam to know more about Lord Vishnu.

Lord Vishnu avatars and positions

Lord Vishnu has several incarnations, also known as avatars. Ten of the embodiments are known as Dashavatara. The Dashavatara or lord Vishnu names are Kurma (Tortoise), Matsya (Fish), Narasimha, Varaha (Boar), Parashurama, Vamana (Dwarf), Gautam Buddha, Rama, Krishna, and Kalki. The Bhagavad Gita describes all the avatars in detail. According to mythology, he descended on earth in one of the incarnations to fight evils. Lord Vishnu is seen in two positions. In the first one, Lord Vishnu stands on a lotus with Goddess Lakshmi. In the second one, he is seen in the middle of an ocean in a reclined position on a bed of serpent called Aadi Sesha and goddess Lakshmi sitting by his feet.

The largest functioning temple in the world, Ranganathswamy temple Srirangam is definitely the one to mesmerize you with several stories. Though the original temple was constructed in 9th century A.D., it has undergone major changes through several years. Such a long journey of the temple has definitely catalogued many interesting instances. We bring here a few eye-brow raising facts to you that will leave you in awe of this temple.  

The constituents of the idol

The idol of Sri Ranganathswamy appears like it is made of mud but in actuality; it is made of stucco and thailam. The ingredients that go into making these two constituents are musk, camphor, honey, jaggery, and sandalwood. The reclining pose of the Lord is also one of its unique features. The constituent components are more significant as the idol has survived various unforeseen events through the centuries and yet looks stunning as ever.  

Multilingual temple inscriptions

This is one of the biggest surprises for the followers. Apart from Tamil, there are many inscriptions in the temple that are written in Marathi, Sanskrit, Oriya, and Kannada. Such multilingual artwork gives us an account of the multi-cultural past of Sri Ranganathswamy temple Srirangam.

The idol was displaced for 60 years

Legend has it that Allaudin Khilji’s general had taken the idol of Sri Ranganathswamy to Delhi in the 13th century. However, the idol was brought back by the devotees from Srirangam after 60 years. It is safe to say that the Lord has travelled a great deal in the country and has witnessed different cultures as well.

Paintings with vegetable and herbal dyes

The artwork in the temple is painted with natural dyes. The paintings coloured with extracts from nature are breath-taking and a delight for every art-lover. The age-old natural colours still make the paintings look gorgeous as ever. These intricate paintings are an ode to the history of the temple and are some of the best artwork in South India.

The destination was chosen by the Lord himself

The mythological story of this temple speaks of the time when Lord Ranganathswamy chose the place himself. According to the stories, Vibhishana, Ravan’s brother was taking the Lord to Sri Lanka when he had halted at Srirangam by the river Kaveri. When the Lord rested his foot on the land, he never moved it, telling Vibhishana that this will be the place for his abode.