Visit to Srirangam, Tamil Nadu

Recently, we had visited Srirangam in Tamil Nadu and other surrounding places. We had planned to go there for a very long time but got the opportunity only now. We started our journey started on the 12th of October early in the morning around 8 AM. Due to a long weekend, many people were travelling and this was visible at all the Toll Gates and the Permit Counter at RTO Check Post. We took the Bangalore-Dharmapuri-Salem-Namakkal-Srirangam route which is around 370 KM from Bangalore. We had booked the accomodation at Ahobilam Mutt near the East Gate of the main Ranganatha Swamy Temple. We reached the Mutt at around 4 pm in the evening and went for a darshan at around 6 PM.

Srirangam is the foremost of the eight self-manifested shrines (Swayam Vyakta Kshetras) of Lord Vishnu . It is also considered the first, foremost and the most important of the 108 main Vishnu temples (Divyadesams). This temple is also known as Thiruvaranga Tirupati, Periyakoil, Bhoologa Vaikundam, Bhogamandabam. In the Vaishnava parlance the term "KOIL" signifies this temple only. The temple is enormous in size. The temple complex is 156 acres in extent. It has seven prakaras or enclosures. These enclosures are formed by thick and huge rampart walls which run round the sanctum. There are 21 magnificent towers in all prakaras providing a unique sight to any visitor. this temple lies on an islet formed by the twin rivers Cauvery and Coleroon.

The next day we set out to Thanjavur and visited the Big Temple, the Palace and the Museum.

The Peruvudaiyar Kovil, at Thanjavur is also known as Brihadeeswara Temple, RajaRajeswara Temple and Rajarajeswaram. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and an art of the work achieved by Cholas in Tamil architecture. The temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Great Living Chola Temples"

This is the largest temple in India and one of India's most prized architectural sites. The temple stands amidst fortified walls that were probably added in the 16th century. The vimana or (temple tower) is 216 ft (66 m) high[4] and is among the tallest of its kind in the world. The Kumbam (Kalasha or Chikharam) (apex or the bulbous structure on the top) of the temple is carved out of a single stone and it weighs around 80 tons.There is a big statue of Nandi (sacred bull), carved out of a single rock, at the entrance measuring about 16 feet long and 13 feet high.The entire temple structure is made out of granite, the nearest sources of which are close to Tiruchchirapalli, about 60 km to the west of Thanjavur, where the temple is. Built in 1010 AD by Raja Raja Chola I in Thanjavur, Brihadeeswarar Temple, also popularly known as the ‘Big Temple', turned 1000 years old in 2010.

We then went to the Sri Thyagaraja Samadhi in Thirvaiyur.

Thiruvaiyaru is the headquarters of the Thiruvaiyaru taluk. Thiruvaiyaru is a small, quiet town. However, its modesty belies its importance as a pilgrim centre. On the highway from Thanjavur, you pass five bridges ' over the Vadavar, Vettar, Vennar, Kudamurutti and Cauvery, the five rivers from which Thiruvaiyaru gets its name (thiru = sacred; ai = five; aaru = river). The presiding deity of the Siva temple here, Panchanatheesvarar (in Tamil, Ayyarappan ' both mean the same thing, `the Lord of the Five Rivers') also gets his name from them. Thiruvaiyaru is considered as holy as Varanasi and bathing in the Cauvery here is as guaranteed to rid devotees of sins as bathing in the Ganges.

Near the Siva temple is the one-roomed house where Thyagaraja composed some of his greatest works. On the banks of the river is the samadhi of the saint composer and it is here that the greatest music festival in the country takes place annually. The Thyagaraja Aradhana festival is held in January when most of the leading exponents of Carnatic music come to perform and are watched by thousands of ardent fans of classical music. A huge complex is now under construction at this site to accommodate the large audience that come to the concert in ever increasing numbers every year.

From there we went to Swami Malai temple.

Swamimalai Murugan Temple is a Hindu temple located in Swamimalai, 5 km from Kumbakonam on the banks of a tributary of river Cauvery, 250 km from Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, India. The temple is one of the six holy shrines of Murugan called Arupadai Veedu. The shrine of the presiding deity, Swaminathaswamy is located atop a 60 ft (18 m) hillock and the shrine of his mother Meenakshi (Parvathi) and father Shiva (Sundareswarar) is located downhill. The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and three yearly festivals on its calendar. The annual Vaikasi Visagam festival is attended by thousands of devotees from far and near. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

We then proceeded to Thiru Nageswar temple near Kumbakonam dedicated to Lord Shiva (Naganatha Swamy Temple).  An important feature of Naganatha Swami temple is that of Rahu bhagawan (one of the nine celestial bodies) sannathi. It is the 29th in the series of Tevara Stalams located south of the river Kaveri. Here milk abhishekam is performed daily during Rahukaalam. At this time, the milk that is poured on the statue turns blue when it passes over the body and once again to white after it reaches the floor. This wonder is watched by many daily during the Raahu Kaalam. This is also the only place wherein one can view Rahu bhagawan with his consorts. The mythological serpents Aadi Seshan, Dakshan and Kaarkotakan worshipped Shiva here. Nala worshipped Shiva here too. Gautama Maharishi, Parashara and Bhageerata are also associated with this temple.

From Kumbakonam we proceeded back to Srirangam and reached there by the evening.
After a night's rest, we went for Darshan of Sri Ranganatha Swamy in the early morning and started our return journey by around 9 AM. We reached Bangalore around 4 PM.
The entire route was good and the journey was also enjoyable. Some of the photographs can be viewed by following the link given below.

https://plus.google.com/photos/117303815313863968519/albums/5935334704138717249?authkey=CLi3mvzSlMzXhwE