Srirangam temple photos

The desire of Dharma Varma, the Chola prince, was fulfilled in this miraculous way. He started constructing a gigantic structure for installing the Ranga Vimanam. Dharma Varma worshipped the Ranga Vimanam for a long time and attained salvation. Years passed and once an unprecedented flood came in River Kaveri, which brought an enormous quantity of silt and sand and flooded the entire country. It is said that the flood was so devastating that even the peak of the gopuram of the temple was submerged under sand and looked like a sand dune.

The entire city surrounding it was utterly devastated. The Chola king shifted the capital from Tri (Uraiyur) to Tanjore. The Ranga Vimanam temple was left uncared for, submerged under sand, which gradually gave rise to other growth of vegetation, which at last became a wasteland. Then it so happened that once Chola prince went out for a pleasure hunt. He rested for some time under a tree in this forest.

A parrot living on the tree suggested to king that down below be lying submerged the sacred Ranga Vimanam. (The prince thereafter came to be known as Kilikanda Chola, who saw the parrot). The Chola king had heard about the Ranga Vimanam and found its location in the forest from the parrot.

The information was also corroborated by a dream seen by the prince. Upon validation, the king started excavation work and unearthed the temple walls and prakarams. He also developed it further and made additions and alterations to the temple particularly the addition of a mandapam in the name of the parrot, still known as Kili Mandapam. He re-established the religious rite rituals in the temple as before. He became an ardent devotee of Ranganatha and attained liberation later.

The other major vicissitude in the history occurred during the reign of Raja Mahendra Chola, when a sudden spring sprouted up emitting a huge quantity of water during the flood in which it blocked the passage of the entrance to the temple and threatened to engulf the temple base. The King had the passage blocked and gopuram constructed over it, making a second prakaram like the wall of defence. For this beneficial work done by him he too attained liberation srirangam temple_photos

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