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Tiruvarangam Temple

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sudarshan Iyengar H3–378 • March 9, 1995 


Hello Bhaktas,

          On my recent trip to India I had the opportunity of visiting
several temples in TN. One of them is Tiruvarangam in South Arcot District.

I am writing this note to appeal to devotees to support the reconstruction 
effort which is well underway, of this very old temple.  

This is Lord Ranganatha's temple on the banks of the river Pinakini.
This is close to Tirukoilur which is the place where the 3 Alwars met in the 
darkness. The idol of Sri Ranganatha (the sleeping posture) is similar
to that at Srirangam but much bigger.
The main idol is extremely striking in appearance and I was amazed 
at the sheer size. There is a Sri RAmar sannadhi which has a unique
idol of Anjaneyar in the "vinayam" posture. (Four fingers of the
right hand on the lower chin, looking deeply in admiration at
the Lord). There is a thayyar sannadhi and the other sannadhis are under
renovation (listed below). There is a reasonably big prAkAram which also 
houses a big granary which looks it's age. The calm and tranquil
atmosphere is in sharp contrast to the commercial scene prevalent
at most other temples. One can reach this place by bus from Tirukovilur
or take a shorter route by private vehicle which includes a bare-foot
wade through ankle-deep river water. The entire setting is 
very idyllic. (Tirukovilur has the famous Ulagalanda Perumal 
or Vamana Avatara Temple)

There is a reconstruction effort going on, managed by local devotees
who are struggling to meet financial demands. The Govt. is not very
supportive and the burden lies entirely on private donations. I was 
requested by the caretaker one Sri Sampath to spread the word of this
beautiful temple and request devotees in this country to help.

Here are the details of the temple as provided by Sri Sampath ::

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  Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Tiruvarangam, South Arcot District, Tamil-Nadu.
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 Name of the Deity :  Sri Ranganathaswamy

 Name of the Goddess: Sri Ranganayaki

 Place:               Tiruvarangam on the banks of Dakshina Pinakini near
                      Tirukovilur.

 Area of the Temple : About 4 acres.

 Legendary and Historical information:
                      This place was known as "Krishnaranyam" in legends
 and God who has manifested as Sri Ranganathaswamy was responsible for
 the destruction of Somagasura and initiating Brahma into Vedic lore.
 For the later reason, the vimAnA above the Sanctom-Sanctorum was 
 named "Chandomaya vimAnA". (Chandas = Vedic metre). This tirtha is
 also known as Chandra Pushkarani, as Lord Chandra got his form restored
 fully by this holy stAnam. The dialogue between Uma and Maheshwara in 
 the Uttara Kanda of the Skantha Purana deals with the importance of this
 shrine.
                      In historical times, the temple was initially
 constructed by later-Cholas and presumably renovated by the Vijayanagar
 Royal house.

 Renovation already completed:
                      Weathering course completed, front wall constructed
 and a small tower erected in 1970-75 at an approximate cost of One Lakh
 rupees by Sri N.D.Bangur of Calcutta. Electrification and Anointment
 (Thaila-abhishegam) of the main deity with sandal-oil was also done by
 him.

 Renovation work being completed:
                                 Sri Vedanta Desikar Sannadhi
                                 Sri Viswakshenar Sannadhi
                                 Sri Andal Sannadhi
                                 Sri Krishnan Sannadhi
                                 Sri Raman Sannadhi
                                 Vaikunta Vasal Vimanam
                                 Vahana Mantapa, Pakamaligai
                                 Sri Varadarajar Swami Sannadhi

 Renovation work to be undertaken:
                                 Main Sanctum-Sanctorum-Vimanas,
                                 flooring and Rajagopuram.

 The "Mahasamprokshanam" is to be done sometimes soon.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 I personally request you to contribute whatever you can to this
renovation effort. We need to preserve as many of these divya-desams
as possible to retain much of it's religious, historical, architectural and
spiritually-uplifting heritage.
 
If you would like to help --
please make checks payable to "Sri Ranganathaswamy Kainkarya Sabha" and they
can be mailed directly to:

                       V. Sampath Kumar 
                       No. 14, Vanamamalai Street,
                       Tirukovilur - 605757
                       Tamil Nadu
                       India.

Or if you prefer, you can mail them to me and I can collectively mail all
checks to him. My address is :
                       Sudarshan Iyengar
                       3524 Greystone Dr. #189
                       Austin, Texas 78731.

A hand written (typed!) thank you is certainly not enough to convey appreciation 
for the bhaktas' support and desire to do kainkaryam for the temple. Each of
you should try and visit this temple the next time you visit TN. (about 3-1/2 hours
drive from Madras) and spend atleast one day to feel the spiritual ambience of 
the place. 

heartfelt thanks,

yours in the service of the Lord, Sri Lakshmi Narasimhar,

-sudarshan