Sri Rangam |World's Largest Functioning Temple |Dravidian Architectural Style |Trichy

The Boologam Vaikuntam, Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple Srirangam, Trichy, describes the history of the place, its architectural significance, land use pattern, settlement pattern, socio-cultural behavior, and overall architectural view of the place.

1. SRI RANGAM –“World’s Largest Functional Hindu Temple”
A SMILE IS THE UNIVERSAL WELCOME!!

2. INTRODUCTION
•Srirangam(formerly Vellithirumutha
gramam) isan island and a partof
Tiruchirappalli,Tamilnadu,India.
•The temple complex is the biggest functioning Hindu temple in the world as it covers an area of
about 6,790,000 sq. Ft with a perimeter of 4 km.
•Thecomplexiscomposedof7concentricwalledsectionsand21magnificenttowersorgopuram.
•ThegopuramofthetempleiscalledtheRajagopuramandis236feet(72m)tall,isthetallestin
Asia.
•Srirangamishome toasignificant
populationofSrivaishnavitesfollowersof
LordVishnu.

3. LOCATION & ORIGIN
•City:S Rangam(Thiruvarangam)
•District:Tiruchirappalli(Trichy)
•State:TamilNadu
•GeographicalCoordinates:10°52'0"north,78° 41'0"east
•ThiruvarangamisanislandandapartofthecityofTiruchirappalli(the
heartofTamilNadu),India.
•ItisboundedbytheKaveriRiver(alsoknownastheCauveryriver)onone
side,andtheKaveridistributaryKollidam(Coleroon)ontheotherside.
•Thiruvarangam is home toasignificant population of Srivaishnavites
(followersofLordVishnu).

4. HISTORY
•SrirangamisfamousforitsSriRanganathaSwamyTemple,amajorpilgrimagedestinationfor
Hindus(especiallySrivaishnavites)andthelargesttemplecomplexinIndia.
•Srirangam'sHistorygotimportantduringtheinvasionofMuslimemperors.
•AftertheriseoftheVijayanagarEmpire,theSrirangamtemplewaswellreformedandplans
wereexecutedforthegrowthandwelfareofpeople,whichledtothedevelopmentofthetown.
OLD MANDAPAM THE RAJA GOPURAM

5. HISTORY
•Thistempleisglorifiedinthedivyaprabandha,the
earlyTamilliteraturecanonofthealvarsaintsfrom
the6thto9thcenturyAD.
•TheSrirangam temple complexfollows the
Dravidianstyleofarchitecture.
•The73mhigh13tieredRajagopuramwasbuiltin
1987byAhobilaMuttafter a spanof8 years,
dominatesthelandscapeformilesaround,whilethe
remaininggopuramswerebuiltduringthe14thto
17thcenturies.
•Thestructureofthe Rajagopuramremained
incompleteatthebase17mhighfor400years.
WATER BODIES
OVERALL VIEW

6. HISTORY
•Thehallof1000pillarsismadeofgraniteandwasconstructedintheVijayanagarperiod(1336-
1565)onthesiteoftheoldtemple.
•Italsoconsistsof39pavilions,50shrines,ahallofthousandpillars,andseveralsmallwater
bodiesinside.
HALL OF THOUSAND PILLARS

7. SETTLEMENT PATTERN
•Srirangam, as typicalofmanyancient townsin
India,thesesacredmonumentswereconstructed
toprovideafocalpointforthecity.
•Initially thesewereonlytwotemples,with
individualsettlementsaroundtheminaparticular
order thetemplewith the Brahmin,Vaishya, &
Shudracommunityresidencelaidoutina
concentricpatternaroundthetemple.
•Thestatusandpower werereflectedintheheight
ofthebuilding.
•The settlement patterns were community or
occupation-based.

8. SETTLEMENT PATTERN
•Theintension ofeachruleristobuild thewalls and
Gopuramshigherthanthepreviousones.
•Thetemplewasalso usedas amilitary fort by the
Nayaksforsometime.Onthesouthernfaceoftherock
areseveralbeautifullycarvedcavetemplesofthePallava
period.
•Inthe20thCentury,Srirangambecameamunicipality
andthetownstartedtogrow outside the fortified
enclosurewalls.Todayitisspreadallacrosstheisland.
•Thequaint riverbanksarebuzzing with building activity.Oldbuildingsarebeingdemolished
rapidly.Theecologyoftheislandandthelifewithinthetownneedstobeprotectedandsensitively
plannedfor

9. SETTLEMENT PATTERN
•Thevolumeandcharacterofthestreets
networkchangefromtheperipheryto
thecenterofthetemple.
•Thusonlypedestrianizationis
encouragedall along with the temple
surrounding.
•Theurban form ofSrirangamis
followedbySarvatobhadrainManasara
andenrichedwiththeideologyandthe
cultureofSriVaishnavism.
•Ithasthreedivisionsinitssettlementssuchasthetemple,residentialareas,andthecommercialareas
withfewpublicbuildings.

10. SETTLEMENT PATTERN
•Thereareoverall sevenringsaroundthe
temple,ofwhichfourareinsidethetemple
(the templepraharam/processional
pathways)complexandthreeofthemare
located outside thetemplethe fifthring
(UthiraVeethi)andsixthring(Chitra
Veethi)is theexternalboundaryofthe
templewithBrahminresidentsonitsother
side; and seventhring(Adaiavalainjan
Veethi),theouterenclosureiscompletely
grantedtoresidential andcommercial
purposestothelowersocio-economic
people.
•The northern part of Srirangam is still undeveloped because of poor infrastructure services.

11. SETTLEMENT PATTERN
EVOLUTION OF SETTLEMENTS
Two temples form nodes
for the city The city expands from the
two nuclei
Settlement of the city changed the Urban morphology by Islamic and British
culture, diversifying Sri Rangam

12. STREET PATTERN
TYPE A -OLD TRADITIONAL TOWN CHARACTER
•The streets that belong are UtharaStreet, Chitra Street, and AdayavalanjaanStreet.
•They are located outside the temple but within the traditional town wall.
Generally, the streets are categorized into two types
•Old Traditional Town
•New Developments
Elevation of Chitra Street

13. STREET PATTERN
•Thesethreesstreets have thefollowing
characteristics:
•Thestreetsarelow-densityresidential.
•Thewidths of thestreets aremore(12mto15m)
basicallyto accommodate themovementof the
templecarandthehugepopulationwhogatherto
viewthefestivals.
•Thebuildingsarelowriseeven aftersome
alterations.
OLD TRADITIONAL TOWN

14. STREET PATTERN
•ThestreetshavethecommonAspectRatio(Heightofthebuilding/Widthofthestreet)–0.3,0.5.
•Thoughthestreetsofthetraditionaltownarewideenoughtohavegreenery,onlyafewofthespots
havevegetation,andtherestlack.
Elevation of UtharaStreet
Elevation of AdayavalanjaanStreet

15. STREET PATTERN
TYPE B -NEW DEVELOPMENTS
•The streets are high density residential and low-
density commercial and mixed -use.
•The width of the streets is less(3m to7m), and the
streets are enclosed by tall buildings. The
buildings are high rises.
•The streets have the following Aspect Ratio
(Height of the building/Width of the street)–
1.3,2,3,4,5.
NEW DEVELOPMENTS

16. ASPECTS OF CITY
EDGES :
•ThetwomaintemplesintheSriRangamshowsafocalpointofdevelopment.Noedgesare
seenrather,continuousdevelopmentisprevailingAsitisanislandallsidesareisolatedby
waterbodies.
PATHS : •Paths wereoftenthe
predominant elementsin
people’simagewiththe
other Elements being
arranged and related along theway.Thetemple’s
rectangularPathwaysdefines
animageabilitytothecity.

17. ASPECTS OF CITY
DISTRICTS:
•Thecityshowsuniquecharactersofreligiousspirituality&Physicalcharacteroftemplesall
aroundthecity.
NODES:
•Thenodalpointofthecityisthefocalpointofthetwomajortemples.Andthemagnificent
towersbecomethehallwayforenteringintothetemple.
Landmarks:
•TheRajagopuramisthemajorlandmark-thehighesttowerinAsia.The7concentricwalled
sectionsand21magnificenttowersorgopuramformsauniquedesignofitskindnextto
Madurai.

18. SOCIO CULTURAL BEHAVIOUR OF THE CITY
•Therewerefestivalsroundtheyearandpilgrims
flockedtothisplacetoworship.
•A temple as aninstitutioninfluences allthe
aspectsofthelifeofthepeopleinancientIndia
andit’sthemajorsourceofemployment.
•AlsoalongthebanksofKaveriinareasnearSrirangamandTiruchirappallithereareotherfamous
temples ofLord Vishnumost ofwhich housetherecliningformofhim,namelytheSri
VadivazhagiyaNambiPerumalTemple(ThiruAnbil)and housingthedeityAppalaRanganathar,
alsocalledtheAppukudaththanTempleatKoviladi.
•ThetowerandtempleswerethehighestbuildinginthetowngivingimportancetoGOD,The
houseswerebuiltwithlowlintelwaysfor“bowculturalImpact“

19. ECONOMIC BASE OF THE CITY
•Duetothefamoustemple,SriRangamhasathrivingeconomybasedontourism.
•DevoteescomefromallpartsofIndiaandabroad(7milliondomesticand87thousand
foreigntourists)
•Thiruvarangamisoneofthefewtempleswhichisalwaysbeingcrowdedbydevotees.
•AnothertempleofLordVishnuisatTiruchirappalliitself,theAzhagiyanambitempleat
woraiyurwhichispartoftheSriRanganathaswamytempleatSriRangam.

20. LAND USE MAP •AccordingtoTCC-citycorporateplan-it
hasopenspacesof 79%includes
agriculturalandwaterbodiesarea.
•ButterflyPark -. Itisatropical butterfly
conservatorylocatedintheUpperanaicut
reserveforestsinSrirangamwithanextent
of25acres.
•Thisparkhas 27plantvarieties
correspondingto27stars(Nakshatras).
•ThepublicbuildingandcommercialLand
useareplacedbetweentwomajortemples
forbetterproximity.
Religious
Residential/
commercial
Primarily
residential
Primarily
commercial
Public
building
Forest
farmland

21. ABOUT THE TEMPLE
•TheTemple ofSriRanganathaswamyhas
locatedfivekm.northofSrirangam.
•ThisTempleisalsoknownasThiruvaranga
Tirupati,Periyakoil,BhoologaVaikundam,
Bhogamandabam. Itisoneofthe eight
SwayambuKshetrasofLordVishnu,where
thepresiding deityisbelievedtohave self-
manifested.
•TheTempleisoneof thePancharanga
Kshetrams,whichmeans,groupoffivesacred
HinduTemples,dedicatedtoRanganatha,
(LordVishnu),onthebanksoftheCauvery
River.

22. ABOUT THE TEMPLE •Itisalsoconsideredthefirstand
foremostamongthe108Divya
Desams.
•It wassanctified byelevenofthe
twelve Alwars exceptfor
MadurakaviAlwar,with247
pasurams,sunginpraiseofSri
Ranganathar.
•ItwasconstructedintheDravidianstyleofarchitecture.
•Itbelongsto the uttamottamaclassof temples,asithas afullcomplementofseven
prakaras,running aroundthegarbhagrahaandinadditions,hasseparatesubsidiary
shrines,foralltheminorparivaradevatas,asprescribedintheagamas”.

23. ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE`
•Srirangam wascalled VellithirumuthaGramam,
inancienttimes.
•Atpresent,it iscalledSrirangamand
ThiruvarangaminTamil.
•This Island is called Thirunavelantheevu, also called Antharangam, meaning the last part of
heaven.
•The Temple is situated in an area of 156 acres, with a perimeter of 4116m. It comprises 3072 X
2520 feet length and breadth.
•It is one of the largest temples in India and the largest religious edifice in the world.

24. •Itisenclosedwithsevenprakaras andthe outermostPrakaraisknown as Adaiavalainjan &
functionalname,anencirclingspace
•Theseprakarasareformedbythickandhugerampartwalls,withatotallengthof32,952feetor
oversixmiles,whichrunaroundthegarbhagraha.
•Ithas21magnificentgopurams,inallprakaras,amongwhich236feetofRajagopuram(themain
gateway)isthesecond-largesttemplegopuram(TempleTower)inAsia.39pavilions,fifty-five
shrines,andAyiramkaalmandapamareitsotherfeatures.
•Thegarbhagrahameasures240feetinlengthand180feetinbreadth.
•The spacewithin the outertwo prakarams(outer courtyard) isoccupiedbyseveral shops,
restaurantsandflowerstalls.ChandraPushkarniisthetempletirtha(holywater)andPunnaiTree
isitsTalavriksha.
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE`

25. RAJA GOPURAM
•Thereare21gopuramsamongwhichis
thetowering236feetRajagopuram
(shrineofthemaingateway).
•The73mhigh 13tieredrajagopuram
wasbuilt in1987by AhobilaMutt
dominatesthelandscapeformiles
around,while theremaininggopurams
werebuiltduringthe 14thto17
th
centuries.
•Thestructure of the Rajagopuram
remainedincompleteatthebase 17m
highfor400years.

26. RAJA GOPURAM
•Itwasconsecratedon25thMarch
1987after8years.
•Thedimensionsatthebaseofthe
gopuramare166ftx97ft,whileat
thetopis98ftx32ft.
•Befitting thegargantuan
dimensionsofthestructure,every
oneof the13glisteningcopper
‘kalasams’ atopthetower weighs
135kg andmeasures3.12m
(height)and1.56m(diameter).

27. HALL OF THOUSAND PILLARS
•Thehallof1000pillars(actually953)isafine
exampleofa plannedtheatre-likestructureand
oppositetoitis“seshamandapa”withitsintricacyin
sculpture,isadelight.
•Thehallismadeofgraniteandwasconstructedin
theVijayanagar period(1336-1565)onthesiteof
theoldtempleculminatingthisextravagantstylein
theSixteenthCentury
•Thepillarconsistsofwildlyrearinghorsesbearing
ridersontheirbacksandtramplingwiththeirhoofs
upontheheadsoframpanttigers.

28. HALL OF THOUSAND PILLARS
•Thehalliscelebratedfortheleapinganimalscarvedontothepiersatitsnorthernends.
•Thegreathallistraversedbyonesideaisleinthecenterforthewholeofitsgreaterlengthand
intersectedbytranseptsoflikedimensionsrunningacrossrightangles.
•Thereremainsevensideaisleson
eachside,inwhichallthepillars
areequallyspacedout.
•Afree-standingshrineinsidethe
hallcontainsalargeseatedfigure
ofgaruda;theeagle-headedgod
facesthe northtowardsthe
principalsanctum.

29. THANK YOU!
“Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for
timelessness.” –Frank Gehry
[email protected]
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