Srirangam has one of the largest and grandest temples in India. It is a treasure house of art and culture. The unique feature of the Srirangam Ranganatha Swamy temple is that Ranganatha, Vishnu is seen in a reclining posture.
This temple is the largest temple in India, occupying 156 acres area. The entrance of the temple, called the Rajagopuram (The Royal Temple tower), raises up to 237 ft from the ground. A 21 day festival is conducted in the tamil month of Margazhi attracts more than 1 million visitors. The Srirangam temple is one of the largest functioning Hindu temples in the world.
The legend of this Sriranga Ranganathaswamy is that Lord Rama, an Avatar of Vishnu, worshiped the Ranganathaswamy idol for a very long time. It is said that Lord Rama gave the idol to King Vibhishana after he destroyed Ravana, as a token of appreciation for Vibhishana’s support in destroying Ravana, even though the latter was his own brother. Vibhishana was going to SriLanka via Trichy, the deity wanted to stay in Srirangam. The king Dharma Varma was doing penance to Lord Ranganatha to permanently stay in Srirangam. Captivated by the devotion of the King, Lord Ranganatha stayed put in Srirangam. He promised to cast his glance eternally on Lanka. Hence it is that the deity (in a reclining posture) faces south.
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