DRAVIDIAN
TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE

Srirangam Temple, Tiruchi
Chola Period (9th - 13th century) with later additions

 "...This is the foremost of the 108 shrines glorified by the Alwars; all of the Alwars with the exception of Madhurakavi Alwar have sung of its glory... Undoubtedly the largest temple in India, and one among the grandest, it is a treasure house of art freezing various architectural styles over a period of time. It boasts of the tallest temple tower in India.." Renganathar Temple - Srirangam

"Srirangam, surrounded by the waters of river Kaveri, is a 600 acre island-town enclosed within the seven walls of the gigantic Sri Ranganathaswami Temple. There are 21 gopurams, among which the Rajagopuram (on the left) is the largest in South India -  it is 72m (about 220 feet) in height, and dates from the 17th century, although it was completed only in 1987.

The temple complex  measures 950m by 816m (about a half-mile square) along its outer perimeter. "It consists of seven nested enclosures (plan), whose walls are pierced by towered gates (gopuras) along the four cardinal axes leading from the shrine. Visitors approach from the south, and the shrine faces in this direction. The temple's outer three enclosures contain an entire town, with streets, houses, and shops. The inner four enclosures define the religious zone. The temple is dedicated to Vishnu Ranganatha (i.e., Vishnu sleeping on the cosmic serpent)."

A Brief History of the Srirangam Temple  -  Professor. V.S. Seshadri, Srirangam, from ``Sri Nrusimha Priya''

"Srirangam, the premier Vaishnava temple in South India is the first and foremost among the 108 Vaishnava divyadesas. All the Alvars have sung in praise of the deity enshrined in the huge temple in the center of the town. The Sri Vaishnava Acharyas from Nathamuni are found to have taken an active and abiding interest in the management of the temple. During Ramanuja's time, far reaching reforms were introduced both in the religious and secular management. Thus Srirangam has an eventful history, both secular and religious, as the great Vaishnava Acharyas made it the headquarters of the wider Vaishnava movement. Here is an attempt to present its eventful history in a nutshell - both the traditional and historical.

In the Vaishnava parlance, the term "Koil" signifies the Srirangam temple only. The temple is enormous in size. The temple complex is 156 acres in extent. It has seven Prakaras or enclosures or Tiru Veedhis. These enclosures are formed by thick and huge rampart walls which run round the sanctum. The total length of these seven walls is 32,592 feet or over six miles. There are magnificent towers in all Prakaras providing a unique sight to any visitor. The latest addition is the 236 feet high stupendous thirteen tiered Rajagopuram built at the southern rampart by the late 44th Jeeyar of the Sri Ahobila Mutt and consecrated in 1987 with great fanfare and religious piety. The grandeur of the towers decrease as one moves away from, them towards the sanctum signifying that the devotee has to move away from the lofty earthly attachments in his spiritual quest...

With the rise of Buddhism and Jainism in the Tamil country, there arose a strong reaction against their growing influence. This found expression in a wide movement among the worshippers of Vishnu and Siva. The Vaishnava resurgent movement was spearheaded by the Alvars who brought religion to the heart of the people. They employed Tamil (the local language) as the medium of expression and composed the exuberant devotional songs - celebrated as the "Nalayira Divya Prabandham".

The shrines visited and glorified by them became holy places (Divya Desas). The temple at Srirangam and the Deity enshrined therein have been sung by all of them.

A total of 247 hymns in the Nalayiram is found to be dedicated to the Lord of Srirangam as shown below:

Periyalvar 35
Andal 10
Kulasekhara Alvar 31
Tirumalisai Alvar 14
Tondaradippodi Alvar 55
Tirruppanalvar 10
Tirumangai Alvar 73
Poygai Alvar 1
Bhoothatalvar 4
Peyalvar 2
Nammalvar 12 ..

... Numerous inscriptions appear on the walls and other places. They exceed over 600. They furnish us with a variety of information about the benefactions made by the ruling classes from time to time and also about the social, economic and political conditions..."

Krishna playing the flute	Veena