Sarangapani Temple

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Sarangapani Temple
Sarangapani Temple
Location within Tamil Nadu
Coordinates:
105731.18N 792254.94E
[1]
Location
Country: India
State: Tamil Nadu
District: Thanjavur
Location: Kumbakonam
Temple Details
Primary Deity: Sarangapani
(Vishnu)
Consort: Komalavalli Thayar
(Lakshmi)
Festival Deity: Aravamuthar
Temple Tank: Potramarai Kulam
Poets: Aandaal - 1
Periyalvar - 3
Bhoothathalvar- 2
Thirumalisai Alvar - 7
Peialvar - 2
Nammalvar - 11
Thirumangai Alvar - 25
Architecture and culture
Architectural styles: Dravidian architecture
Sarangapani Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, located in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one
of the Divya Desams, the 108 temples of Vishnu revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham by the 12 poet saints, or
Sarangapani Temple
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Alwars. This temple is along Kaveri and is one of the Pancharanga Kshetrams.
The temple is believed to be of significant antiquity with contributions at different times from Medieval Cholas,
Vijayanagar Empire and Madurai Nayaks. The temple is enshrined within a huge granite wall and the complex
contains all the shrines and the water bodies of the temple. The rajagopuram (the main gateway) has eleven tiers and
has a height of 173ft (53m). The Potramarai tank, the temple tank, is located opposite to the western entrance of the
temple.
Sarangapani is believed to have appeared for sage Hemarishi. The temple has six daily rituals at various times from
5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and twelve yearly festivals on its calendar. The temple chariot festival is the most prominent
festival of the temple, celebrated during the Tamil month of Chittirai (MarchApril). The twin temple chariots are
the third largest in Tamil Nadu, each weighing 300t (660,000lb).
Legend
As per Hindu legend, the Vaishnava deity, Sarangapani, an incarnation of Hindu god Vishnu, appeared for a sage
Hema Rishi, who performed penance in the bank of Potramarai tank.
[2]
The penance was performed to obtain
Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, as his daughter. Vishnu was pleased by the penance and he wished the sage to get
Lakshmi as his daughter. Lakshmi emerged from the Potramarai tank among thousand lotuses and was thus named
Komalavalli (the one who emerged from lotus). Vishnu descended to earth as Aravamudhan in a chariot drawn by
horses and elephants from his abode Vaikuntam. He stayed in the nearby Someswaran Temple to woo Lakshmi to
marry him and the couple eventually got married. The name Sarangapani derives from the Tamil word Sarangam
meaning bow and pani meaning hand - the one holding bow in his hand is Sarangapani.
The temple
Sculpture depicting an elephant in the chariot shaped
sanctum
Sarangapani is the largest Vishnu temple in Kumbakonam and has
the tallest temple tower in the town. The temple is enshrined
within a huge wall and the complex enshrines all the water bodies
of the temple except the Potramarai tank. The rajagopuram (the
main gateway) has eleven tiers and has a height of 173ft (53m).
There are five other smaller gopurams in the temple. The
rajagopuram has figures depicting various religious stories. The
temple faces east and the Potramarai tank is located outside the
western entrance. The central shrine of the temple is in the form of
a chariot drawn by horses and elephants, with openings on either
side, showing the descent of Sarangapani from heaven in the
chariot. There is a sculptural representation of the sage Hemarishi
in the western part of the temple.
[3]
The central shrine of the
temple houses the image of Sarangapani in pallikonda posture, with his head resting on his right hand. The are other
images of sage Hemarishi, Lakshmi and festival images enshrined within the sanctum. There are two stepped
entrances to the sanctum named as Utharayana Vaasal and Dhakshanayana Vaasal, each open for a six month
period. From the 15th of January to 15th of June, Utharayanya Vaasal is opened while Dhakshanaya Vaasal is
opened during the other half of the year. The Potramarai tank has a central hall called Hemarishi Mandapam. The
temple has two processional chariots carved out of wood stationed outside the rajagopuram.
In Bharatanatyam, a South Indian dance form, 108 karanas form the basic movements. Some of these karanas are
sculpted around the walls of the temple. Similar sculptures are found in the Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur and
Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram.
Sarangapani Temple
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Religious significance
View of the temple from the Potramarai tank
Sarangapani temple is considered third in the line of Srirangam
and Tirupathi temples. The temple is revered in Nalayira Divya
Prabandham, the 7th9th century Vaishnava canon, by Aandaal in
one, Periyalvar in three, Bhoothathalvar in two, Thirumalisai
Alvar in seven, Peialvar in two, Nammalvar in eleven and
Thirumangai Alvar in 25 versesl. The temple is classified as a
divyadesam, the 108 Vishnu temples that are reverred in the
Vaishnava canon. As per a Hindu legend, Nathamuni, who
compiled Divya Prabandham by the twelve azhwars, found only
the first ten verses sung on Aravamudhan. Nammazhwar recited
the remaining 3990 verses unconsciously while he was in deep meditation and Nathamuni compiled all of them.
[4]
Pancharanga Kshetrams (also called Pancharangams, meaning the "five Rangams or Ranganathas") is a group of
five sacred Hindu temples, dedicated to Ranganatha, a form of the god Vishnu, on the banks of the Kaveri River.
The five Pancharanga Kshetrams in the order of their successive locations, on the banks of the Kaveri River are: The
Srirangapatnam called the Adi Ranga, the first temple on the banks of the Kaveri River from the upstream side; the
Srirangam (island in Tiruchirappalli) in Tamil Nadu known as Adya Ranga (the last temple), Appalarangam or
Koviladi at Tiurppernagar in Tamil Nadu, Parimala Ranganatha Perumal Temple or Mayuram at Indalur,
Mayiladuthurai and Vatarangam at Sirkazhi. The Sarangapani temple at Kumbakonam is mentioned in place of
Vatarangam in some references.
Worship and festivals
The temple follows Pancharatra Agama and Vadakalai tradition. The temple priests perform the pooja (rituals)
during festivals and on a daily basis. Like other Vishnu temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the Vaishnavite
community, a Brahmin sub-caste. The temple rituals are performed six times a day; Tiruvanandal at 8:00 a.m., Kala
santhi at 9:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 12:30 p.m., Ntiyanusandhanam at 6:00 p.m., Irandamkalam at 7:30 p.m. and
Ardha Jamam at 9:00 p.m. Each ritual comprises three steps: alangaram (decoration), neivethanam (food offering)
and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for both Sarangapani and Thayar. The food offering during the six times are
curd rice, Ven pongal, spiced rice, dosa, Ven pongal and sugar pongal respectively. The worship is held amidst music
with nagaswaram (pipe instrument) and tavil (percussion instrument), religious instructions in the Vedas (sacred
text) read by priests and prostration by worshippers in front of the temple mast. There are weekly, fortnightly and
monthly rituals.
Akshaya Tritiyai - 12 Garuda Sevai Chaitra Brahma Utsavam celebrated during the Tamil month of Chittirai (April
- May), Vasantotsavam during Vaikasi (May - June), Pavitrotsavam - Ekadasi Jyeshotsavam during Adi(July -
August), Sri Jayanthi - Uriyadi Utsavam during Avani (August - September), Navaratri Utsavam - Saraswathi Puja -
Vijayadasami during Purattasi (September - October), Deepavali - Shraddha of Sri Lakshmi Narayanaswami during
Aippasi (October - November), Deepa Utsavam - Unjal Utsavam during Karthigai (November - December), Pakal
Pattu - Ira Pattu Pongal Sankaramana Utsavam during Margazhi (December - January), Kanu Utsavam - Amavasya
- Ratasaptami during Thai (January - February), Masi Magaham - Float Festival during Masi (February - March)
and Brahmmotsavam - Tirukkalyanotsavam during Panguni (March - April) are the festivals celebrated in the
temple.
The twin temple chariots weigh 300t (660,000lb) each and has been renovated in 2007. The chariots were not
drawn for some years during the preceding period. The chariots are next only in size to the ones in Thygaraja temple
in Thiruvarur and Andal Temple in Srivilliputhur. The chariots are pulled by hundreds of devotees across the streets
around the temple twice a year, once during the Brahma Utsavam during April-May and other during Ratasaptami in
Sarangapani Temple
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January-February. The festival idols of Sarangapani and Kamalvalli are brought to the thermutti (chariot station)
after elaborate religious rituals.
As per a temple legend, once a staunch Brahmin devotee of Aravamudhan spent most of his life to the service of the
deity. At the end of his life, he felt his loneliness and prayed for his karma to be performed. Aravamudhan descended
himself to perform the last rites on a Deepavali day. The ritual is performed annually by the priests and is one of its
kind where death rituals are performed in the precincts of a Vishnu temple.
Notes
[1] http:/ / tools.wmflabs. org/ geohack/ geohack. php?pagename=Sarangapani_Temple& params=10_57_31. 18_N_79_22_54.
94_E_type:landmark_region:IN-TN
[2] [2] Ayyar 1991, p. 324
[3] [3] Ayyar 1991, p. 534
[4] [4] Ayyar 1991, p. 327
References
Ayyar, P. V. Jagadisa (1991). South Indian shrines: illustrated (http:/ / books. google. co. in/
books?id=NLSGFW1uZboC& pg=PA324& dq=sarangapani+ temple& hl=en& sa=X&
ei=fytiUfHuGZKI8QTDp4GgBQ& ved=0CDUQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage& q=sarangapani temple& f=false). New
Delhi: Asian Educational Services. ISBN81-206-0151-3.
External links
"Kumbakonam Municipality" (http:/ / municipality. tn. gov. in/ kumbakonam/ ).
Article Sources and Contributors
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Article Sources and Contributors
Sarangapani Temple Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=580208269 Contributors: Abecedare, Ambi saba, B, Chowbok, Crusoe8181, Ecoleetage, GourangaUK, Jayanti20, John
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Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors
File:Gopuras in Kumbakonam - India.JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gopuras_in_Kumbakonam_-_India.JPG License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike
3.0 Contributors: Adam Jones Adam63
file:India Tamil Nadu location map.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:India_Tamil_Nadu_location_map.svg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0
Contributors: Maximilian Drrbecker (Chumwa)
File:Sarangapani temple - architecture1.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Sarangapani_temple_-_architecture1.jpg License: Creative Commons Zero Contributors:
Roland zh, Ssriram mt
File:Potramarai kulam Kumbakonam.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Potramarai_kulam_Kumbakonam.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0
Contributors: User:Ssriram mt
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