Friday, February 1, 2019

Ranganathaswamy Temple, Shivanasamudra, Karnataka

Ranganathaswamy Temple, Shivanasamudra, Karnataka
Ranganathaswamy Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu located at Shivanasamudra Town in Mandya District in Karnataka State, India. The Temple is built in the Dravidian style of architecture. While there are numerous Ranganatha temples in South India, and many of those are located along the banks of river Cauvery, there are three temples within the islands that are formed within the river itself. The temple is one of a such three major temples that are built on three different islands on the River Kaveri, the others being those at Srirangapatna (Adi Ranga) and Srirangam (Anthya Ranga). The Temple is also referred to as Madhya Ranga as it is situated between Srirangapatna and Srirangam. Among all the three Rangas, the deity here is believed to represent the youth form of the God and hence is also fondly referred to as 'Mohana Ranga' and 'Jagan Mohana Ranga'.




Legends
For brief details, please refer below link;
History
The Ranganathaswamy Temple at Shivanasamudra dates back to the Chola period with modifications by later rulers like the Hoysalas. The most interesting thing about this temple is that the entire history of this temple is carved on a pillar in the Someshwara Temple at Ulsoor in Bengaluru.




The Temple
This Temple is the smallest of all the Rangas. Presiding Deity is called as Ranganathaswamy. The Deity housed in the sanctum represents the youthful form of the God. Hence, he is called as 'Mohana Ranga' and 'Jagan Mohana Ranga'. The Idol is about 8 feet in reclining posture. The main deity, Jagan Mohana Ranganathaswamy is believed to be carved in black fossil stone (Saligrama Shila). The idol isn’t as large and intimidating as the ones at Srirangapatna or Srirangam but is equally beautiful.




The goddess Lakshmi is depicted as Kaveri, the personification of the namesake river and sits near the feet of the reclining Vishnu. The serpent has a seven-headed hood unlike the five-headed hood at Srirangapatna and Srirangam. There is a separate shrine dedicated to the main deity’s consort, Ranganayaki. There is also a small Utsava Mandapa in the temple compound.




Outside the temple is a tall, four-pillared structure in stone and further away along the same line of sight is a pillared mandapa which is now used by the villagers to store their harvest and tie their cows. Both these structures are neglected and need to be restored. There are shrines for Cauvery, Takshaka, Ramanujacharya and Alwars in the Temple premises. There is also a statue of Sugriva in the temple. Close to the temple is Gaganachukki and Bharachukki falls. With the falls near the temple, it is the most picturesque of all the Ranganatha temples.




Festivals
All Vaishnavite festivals are celebrated here with much fanfare. On Vaikunta Ekadashi, the Alankara or decoration of Ranganatha with pure butter is a treat to watch.
Religious Significance
The Lord Vishnu appears as Ranganatha, reclining on the majestic Sesha, at three different locations on Bhooloka, on islands surrounded by Cauvery. They are Srirangapatna, Shivanasamudra and Srirangam which are known as Adiranga, Madhyaranga and Antya Ranga respectively. It is considered highly auspicious if one can offer prayers to the Lord at all three locations on the same day (Triranga Darshana).
Connectivity
For brief details, please refer below link;
Location

No comments:

Post a Comment