Pancharanga Kshetram Pilgrimage -Worship Of Ranganatha Karnataka And Tamil Nadu - 01

Navrang India January 12, 2025

 Pancharanga Kshetrams  (Pancha-"five",  Kshetram-"sites")  refers to a group of five Hindu temples dedicated to  Lord Vishnu on the banks of the sacred river  Cauvery.  One is in Karnataka and the rest are in the delta districts of Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur  and Nagaptttinam.  What is so special about these temples and why is it called Pancharanga Kshetrams? Ranganatha, a form  of  God Vishnu in  Ananthasayanam posture - joyfully taking a nap in a reclining posture  on the recoiled bed of serpent Adhisesha with his seven  hoods forming the canopy.

Ananthasayanam pose. Lord Ranganatha (Vishnu).en.wikipedia.org

Above image: The famous reclining posture of Lord Vishnu.  Besides the temples mentioned below, there is another famous temple at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala (believed to the richest temple in the world) where one can  see the lord in Ananthasayanam pose. This type of posture of Mahavishnu is mostly noticeable in the southern Indian states. All the five famous pancharanha shrines have lord Vishnu in this posture ....................

The five holy shrines in the order of their successive locations on the banks of down stream of the Cauvery river are:  Srirangapatna, also called  the Adi Ranga, the first temple on the banks of the Cauvery river from the upstream side.  Srirangam (an island between the rivers Coleroon and Cauvery) in Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu is known as Adhi Ranga,  Appalarangam or Koviladi at Tiurppernagar in TN, Sarangapani temple in the temple town of Kumbakonam and
 Parimala Ranganatha Perumal Temple at Tiruindalur in Mayiladuthurai (also Mayuram) and Vatarangam near Sirkazhi (Nagapatnam district, TN ) also listed as Sri Renganatha Perumal Temple - Vatarangam in some records.

Sarangapani temple, in the heart of  Kumbakonam is yet another  famous  temple city in Tamil Nadu like Kanchipuram.  All the Navagraha shrines are located near Kumbaknonam except Thirunallar which is just far away in Karaikal (Pondicherry). These are famous sacred pilgrimage sites for the Vaishnavites and further, they are all Divyadesam shrines revered by the 12 Tamil Azhwar saints of 8 and 9th century.

Srirangapatna. Ranganatha swami templeMake My Hangout

Srirangapatna Ranganatha swami temple, YouTube

The  main gopuram (tower) over entrance in the Ranganatha swamy temple at Srirangapatna, Karnataka. The temple  is  believed to have been built as per saint Sri Ramanujar's wish; he was  a great  proponent of Vaishnadvaita philosophy  and received  grants from Dwarasamudra, the 12th century Hoysala king. Tipu's palace entrance is opposite to the temple. Tipu Sultan never destroyed this temple and also the other temple Narasimha Swami temple near by. The Wodeyar kings of the Kingdom of Mysore also patronized this temple. It is the first of the Pancharanga (Aadi) shrines. His father Hyder Ali donated a temple chariot to this temple.It is located 19 km from Mysore city in Mandhya district.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranganathaswamy_Temple,_Srirangapatna

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam, TN:

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple,Srirangam,|tntemple.org

The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, (glorified in the Dhiviya Pirabandham, Vaishnava canons of 6th to 9th centuries AD) is the largest functional temple complex in the world and played a vital role in the growth of  Vaishnavism in south India, starting with the 11th-century saint Ramanuja and his predecessors Nathamuni and Yamunacharya in Srirangam. The temple complex covers an area of 155 acres (63 ha) with 50 shrines, 21 towers, 39 pavilions and many water tanks and old granaries.  The annual 21-day festival held in the Tamil month of Margazhi (December–January) attracts more than one million visitors.The annual "Soorgavaasal Thirappu" (opening of heavenly gate) is quite famous here and is held with religious fervor.

Ranganathaswamy Temple | Srirangagam, TN  Pinterest

The temple was looted and destroyed during the raid by the Delhi Sultanate armies led by Mali Kaufer and Ulughan  in the 14th century. The former also raided Madurai city and plundered the famous Meenakshi temple  during the Pandya rule. At Srirangam the Delhi army  mercilessly killed 12,000 Vaishnavites who safeguarded the Moola Vigraham.  The temple was rebuilt in the late 14th century with fortification and additional  gopurams in the 16th and 17th centuries. There is a huge mantabam that has 1000 ornate stone pillars. The temple complex  is nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on a tentative basis, subject to full recognition in the future. Here the presiding deity is in the reclining posture with Sri Devi and Boomi Devi. Various Chola, Vijayanagara and Nayak rulers made contributions toward constructions, etc. The world famous Orlov diamond was stolen from here by  an ex-French soldier  a few  centuries ago. This temple s called Adhi Arangam shrine, next to Srirangapatna in Karnataka.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranganathaswamy_Temple,_Srirangam

Appakkudathaan Perumal Temple, Koviladi:

Appala RanganathaSwamy Temple, Koviladi pinrest.com

Appala RanganathaSwamy Temple, Koviladi. samarpam

Appakkudathaan Perumal Temple in Koviladi (Thanjavur district) on the banks of Kollidam River, 10 miles (16 km) from Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu is  a  famous Divya Desam  shrine - 6th in line and is  one of the five Pancharanga Kshetrams.

Appala RanganathaSwamy Temple, Koviladi. artofit.com

Above image;  Appakkudathan Perumal, Koviladi, Thanjavur district. Moolavar in Sayanakolam with consorts. Palli Konda Perumal,................

This old  temple with three-tired  Rajagopuram is on an elevated structure and many rulers built this place of worship.  The annual festival here, that falls in  the Tamil month of Panguni (March–April), is a famous one. This is believed to be the only Divya Desam  shrine where Neyyappam ( a food item prepared with ghee) is offered to the Lord every night as neivedhyam. Childless couple seek the blessing of the lord to have children. This temple is also close to Thiruvaiyaru on the Tiruchi - Thanjavur  bus route via Kallanai - a big  ancient stone diversion dam built by the famous ruler Karikala Chola in the 2nd century (the oldest one in the world) to improve  rice cultivation in the delta area of Thanjavur. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appakkudathaan_Perumal_Temple