A whole town lives inside the walls of this temple, and the god sleeps facing Lanka.
- Deity
- Vishnu as Ranganatha, reclining on the serpent Adisesha
- Where
- Srirangam ஸ்ரீரங்கம்
- Known as
- The first of the 108 Divya Desams
- Oldest record
- 6th–9th century
௧ The legend
The god who would not be moved
The image of Ranganatha was worshipped by the kings of Ayodhya, Rama’s line. After the war, Rama gave it to Vibhishana, Ravana’s good brother, to carry home to Lanka.
On the way, Vibhishana set it down on an island between two arms of the Kaveri to perform his evening prayers. When he returned, it would not move. He wept.
Ranganatha consoled him: he would stay where the river had brought him, but he would lie facing south, towards Lanka, to watch over his devotee. He lies that way still.
As the story is told at the temple. Legends vary in the telling.
௨ Across the centuries
Built by many hands, tier upon tier
6th–9th century
The Alvars
The poet-saints sing of Srirangam more than of any other temple.
11th–12th century
Sri Ramanuja
The philosopher lives here and orders the temple’s worship. His shrine is within the walls.
1323
A hidden god
Before a raid, devotees carry the festival image away and keep it hidden for nearly fifty years.
1371
Vijayanagara
The image returns home in triumph, and the temple is restored.
1987
The Rajagopuram
Left unfinished for centuries, the thirteen-tiered tower is completed at about seventy-three metres.
௩ What to look for
When you stand inside
Seven enclosures
Seven concentric walls; the outer ones hold streets, houses and markets.
The Rajagopuram
Among the tallest temple towers in Asia.
The golden vimana
The oblong golden roof over the sanctum, gleaming above the grey stone.
The horse pillars
In the Sesharaya mandapam, rearing stone horses carved from single columns.
௪ The temple’s year
The festivals that fill it
- சித்திரைChithiraiApr–May
- வைகாசிVaikasiMay–Jun
- ஆனிAaniJun–Jul
- ஆடிAadiJul–Aug
- ஆவணிAavaniAug–Sep
- புரட்டாசிPurattasiSep–Oct
- ஐப்பசிAippasiOct–Nov
- கார்த்திகைKarthigaiNov–Dec
- மார்கழிMargazhiDec–Jan
- தைThaiJan–Feb
- மாசிMaasiFeb–Mar
- பங்குனிPanguniMar–Apr
Margazhi Dec–Jan
Vaikunta Ekadasi
Twenty-one days of celebration; the Paramapada Vasal, the gate to heaven, opens once a year.
Panguni Mar–Apr
Panguni Uthiram
The divine wedding of Ranganatha and the goddess.
Festival dates follow the temple’s own calendar and change each year. We confirm them before you travel.
௫ Going there
Journeys that bring you here
- Most Tamil Nadu temples close around midday and reopen in the late afternoon. Each day keeps temples for the morning and evening and puts the road in between.
- Dress traditionally and modestly. Footwear is left outside every temple.
- Darshan arrangements differ from temple to temple and can change on festival days. We confirm what is possible at each one before you travel.
To stand here yourself, with the car, the stay, the guide and the darshan arranged, ask us to plan your journey. We call you back and listen first.
Draft Legends and history are retold from widely published sources and await review. Timings, dress code and special-entry arrangements are published once each fact has a source and a review date.