Darshan Timings 09:00 am to 12:00 Noon
Pooja time -( No Darshan) 12:00 Noon to 01:15 pm
Darshan Timings 01:15 pm to 05:45 pm
Pooja time -( No Darshan) 05:45 pm to 06:45 pm
Darshan Timings 06:45 pm to 08:45 pm
No Darshan after 08:45 pm

Sri Ramanujacharya (A.D. 1017–1137) spent 80 of his 120 years at Sri Rangam. For twenty years he was the chief priest of the temple. Ramanuja is the main acarya, or spiritual teacher, in the line of teachers and disciples knows as the Sri Sampradaya. His presentation of Krsna consciousness is known as visistadvaita, “qualified nondualism.” A staunch proponent of the philosophy of personalism, he taught that although the Supreme Lord and the individual souls are qualitatively one, there is still a difference between them, for the Lord is infinite and the living entities are infinitesimal. Ramanuja traveled extensively throughout India, teaching personalism and debating proponents of monistic philosophy. His commentary on the Vedanta-sutra is known as Sri-bhasya. Ramanuja founded seventy-four centers of Sri Vaisnavaism and initiated seven hundred sannyasis (renunciants), twelve thousand brahmacaris (celibate students), thousands of householders (including kings and wealthy landowners), and three hundred ketti-ammanis, women who took vows of renunciation.

Here are some of Sri Ramanuja’s instructions as he was about to leave this world: “Worship all Vaisnavas as you worship your guru. … Have faith in the previous acaryas. … Study scriptures that describe the glories of the Supreme Lord. … Always endeavor for purity. … Take shelter of the Lord and have faith in Him alone. “If you follow these instructions, you will never be separated from me. Why should one grieve over the disappearance of the temporary body?” Because the body of a great devotee is considered spiritual, Ramanuja’s followers preserved his body after he passed away. Over the years the priests of Sri Rangam have regularly applied a special preservative, and after more than 850 years Ramanuja’s body has not decayed. It is worshiped in a temple within the Sri Rangam compound. Sri Ramanuja sits in the lotus position, his right hand extended slightly forward, bestowing benedictions.

Temple complex : The temple has 21 gopurams (towers). The main southern entrance 13- storey gopuram, called Raja-gopuram, is the largest in India. It was finished in 1987 and is 72m (236 feet) high. The passage under this tower is about 30m (100 ft) long. The other gopurams were built between the 14th and 17th century.

The Shehsaraya Mandapa (Horsecourt Hall) is on the east side of the temple. It has 8 intricately carved monolithic pillars of men on rearing horses.

On the same side of the temple (northeast side) is the impressive "Hall of a Thousand Pillars." Each of the 5.5m (18 ft) granite pillars is intricately carved. This hall actually has only 953 pillars. In the center of the hall is a pedestal shaped like a processional car. During Vaikuntha Ekadasi, the processional deity is brought to this pedestal before going on procession. 

Each morning at 6.45 am, a cow with her head facing away from Lord Ranganatha and an elephant facing the cow are brought before the altar. Thus when the deity's doors are opened the first thing that Lord Ranganatha sees is the rear end of a cow and the head of an elephant, which are both considered very auspicious. I was told that instead of a conch-shell being blown, the elephant blows his trunk. This is the most auspicious time to see Lord Ranganatha. The puja (worship) of the temple is done according to the regulations of the Ramanuja-sampradaya.

Before you enter the fifth enclosure (some say fourth enclosure) you have to remove your shoes. The Rangavilas Mandapa hall is directly in front of the southern gate. Next to this (to your left as you enter the southern gate) is the small, intricately carved Venugopala Temple. Inside the porch of the Venugopala Temple there are paintings which show Krishna having pastimes with the gopis (cowherd-girls). 

In the northeast corner of this enclosure is the Chandra Pushkarani tank, the moon-pond, where Vibhishana first placed the deity of Sri Ranganatha when he brought the deity here. Next to this tank are shrines dedicated to Lord Rama, Krishna, and Vishnu lying on the serpent Ananta Sesa. Toward the southeast corner of this enclosure is a storage area for the sacred vehicles (vahanas) of the Deities, which are used for processions.

There is also a temple dedicated to Lord Narasimha. You then exit out the north gate and reach the goddess Sri Ranga Nachiyar Lakshmi Temple, on your left, in the northeast area of the temple. Lakshmi is the consort of Ranganatha.

Ramanuja's samadhi
Sri Ramanujacarya made the Srirangam Temple his headquarters. His samadhi (tomb) is within the premises of the Srirangam Temple The deity seen is the actual body of Sri Ramanuja at Udayavar/Yadhirajar/Ramanujar shrine inside Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam.. His mortal remains anointed with preservative herbs.

When it was time for Sri Ramanuja to leave this World , he informed his disciples about it. Disciples requested Acharya to live with them for some more days. Ramaunuja told he will live with them for three more days. Disciples were not satisfied , so Yathiraj told to get a deity made , then after duly sanctifying the statue he transferred all his power into it. Then With his head on the lap of Embar and his feet on the lap of Vaduga Nambi, Ramanuja breathed his last in 1137 AD listening to the recitation of the Divya Prabhandam and looking at the Sri Padukas of Yamunacharya.

His physical body is preserved even today in a sitting posture in the Sannidhi (Sanctum Sanctorum).Yearly twice the body is applied Pachai Karpuram (Camphor) and Kumkum (Vermillon).

Lord Caitanya’s Visit to Sri Rangam
Lord Krishna appeared five hundred years ago in West Bengal as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who accepted the mood of a devotee of Krsna. After taking sannyasa, the renounced order of life, Lord Caitanya traveled throughout India for six years, visiting holy places and spreading the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. During that period, the longest time He spent in one place was at Sri Rangam.

Lord Caitanya observed the practice that a sannyasi ceases travel during the four months of the rainy season. So one year He spent those four months in Sri Rangam, at the home of a Sri Vaisnava brahmana named Vyenkata Bhatta. Because Vyenkata Bhatta was a devotee with whom Lord Caitanya could discuss the transcendental pastimes of Lord Krsna, Lord Caitanya passed His days at Sri Rangam in great happiness

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Lord Caitanya would bathe daily in the sacred Kaveri River and visit the temple to see Sri Ranganatha Swami. Many hundreds of thousands of people from various parts of India came to Sri Rangam to see the beauty of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His ecstatic love for Lord Krsna. Every day, local Vaisnava brahmanas would invite Caitanya Mahaprabhu to their homes for lunch.

Vyenkata Bhatta and Caitanya Mahaprabhu developed a friendly relationship, and they would happily laugh and joke together. Since Vyenkata Bhatta belonged to the Sri Sampradaya and worshiped the Supreme Lord in His majestic aspect as Laksmi-Narayana, Caitanya Mahaprabhu would have lengthy spiritual discussions with him about worshiping Laksmi-Narayana and worshiping the Lord in His most sweet form as Radha-Krsna. Lord Caitanya (all the while in a pleasant mood) cited a scriptural reference that tells how Laksmi, the consort of Narayana, wanted to join the most confidential pastimes of Krsna but was not allowed to do so.

Unable to defeat Lord Caitanya’s arguments, Vyenkata Bhatta said, “You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna Himself. You know the purpose of Your activities, and the person whom You enlighten can also understand Your pastimes.” Caitanya Mahaprabhu enlightened Vyenkata Bhatta in all the subtle details of Lord Krsna's most intimate pastimes.

Lord Caitanya then said, “There is no difference between the transcendental forms of the Lord. Different forms are manifested due to different attachments of different devotees. Actually the Lord is one, but He appears in different forms just to satisfy His devotees.”

When the four-month period ended, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took permission from Vyenkata Bhatta to continue on with His travels. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu bade farewell, Vyenkata Bhatta fell down unconscious in the ecstasy of spiritual love. Pilgrims to Sri Rangam can still visit the house of Vyenkata Bhatta. 

During his stay Lord Chaitanya carved with his own hands deities of Jagannath , Baladev and Subhadra and worshipped them. This deities are worshipped even today in a small temple called Jagannath Math across the road from Vyenkat bhatts house.

THE HISTORY of Sri Rangam, as told in various Puranas and other Vedic writings, traces back to the beginning of creation. Pleased by the penance of Brahma (the first created being), Lord Visnu (the Supreme Lord) manifested Himself in the form of Lord Raìganätha for Brahma to worship.

Lord Ranganatha appeared with His Deity chamber, or vimana. Lord with hi Viman was borne by the celestial bird Garuda. Adisesha, had spread his hood over it. Vishvaksena walked in front clearing the way. The Sun and Moon were fanning the Deity. The celestial Musicians Narada and Tumburu followed singing His Glory. Rudra and other gods raised the glory chant"Jayghosh". The celestial maids danced. There was a rain of flowers. The Lord informed Brahma that he had come as a Svayamvyakta — on his own volition — as a deity. He would appear likewise in eight places on earth — Srirangam, Srimushnam, Venkatadri, Saligram, Naimisaranya, Totadri, Pushkara and Badri. Sri Ranga Vimana is the first and the earliest of all these. The Lord directed Brahma to worship him strictly according to the procedure for worship laid down in the Agamas.

Brahma carried the deity to Satyaloka and installed it on the banks of the river, Viraja. He appointed the Sun god to do the daily pooja. After him, Vaivasvata Manu, performed the worship. When his son Ikshvaku, became the King of Ayodhya, he wanted to have it installed at Ayodhya. Ikshvaku performed penanace which lasted for many hundred years at the end of which he was permitted by Brahma to take it to Ayodhya.

It was this dynasty in which Lord was later to appear in His incarnation as Lord Ramacandra. Lord Ramacandra ruled in Ayodhya, in northern India, during the age known as Treta-yuga, millions of years ago. The pastimes of Lord Ramacandra are recounted in the epic Ramayana. Lord Ramacandra defeated the great demon Ravana, who had kidnapped the Lord’s wife, and placed Ravana’s brother Vibhisana on the throne of Sri Lanka, Ravana’s former kingdom. 

Because Vibhisana was a great devotee, Lord Ramacandra presented Him with the Deity of Sri Ranganatha to worship in Sri Lanka, off the southeast coast of India. Rama, himself worshipped this deity and thereafter Deity came to be known as "Periya Perumal". 

While traveling to Sri Lanka with Sri Ranganatha (along with the Lord’s vimana), Vibhisana stopped near the Kaveri River, at a holy place called Candra Puskarini, where a Deity of Ananta Sesa (the Lord’s serpent-bed) was worshiped. He placed the Ranga Vimana at a place known as "Sesha Peetam" near the Chandrapuskarani. He returned after taking his bath and performed the Pooja and lo! when he tried to lift the Vimana, it would not move. It had got stuck up. Vibheeshana was overcome with grief and shed tears. The Lord appeared before him and consoled him saying that he need not grieve as He had already decided to make the place His abode. He could come and worship him daily. It is said that Vibheeshana worships the Lord daily at midnight. Some say Vibhishana goes to Srirangam every 12 years to worship the Lord.

Dharma Varma, a king of that region, had seen Lord Ranganatha in Ayodhya and had been previously praying for some time to be able to serve this deity in his own kingdom. Lord Ranganatha blessed the king by promising to stay at Sri Rangam

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King Dharma Varma and his successors in the Chola dynasty built a large temple around the vimana of Lord Ranganatha and served Him with great opulence. But after many generations the temple was covered in sand and gradually lost and forgotten. Then one day, temple histories say, a king of the Chola dynasty was resting under a tree in the area when a parrot told him that Lord Ranganatha was buried under the sand. The parrot was again and again repeating a sloka.

Kaveree Viraja Seyam Vaikuntam Rangamandiram Sa Vasudevo Pangeshah Pratyaksham Paramam Padam | Vimanam Pranavakaram Vedasrungam Mahadhbhutham Srirangasayee Bhagavan Pranavarthaprakasakah ||

“ The river Kaveri is the very same river Viraja that eternally flows in Vaikunta, Srirangam Temple is verily Vaikuntam itself, the Abode of Lord Vishnu where he sits in all splendour and majesty in the company of Nityasuris Eternal associates. The Lord of Arangam, is none but Vasudeva, the Primeval Lord Himself. The Vimana is verily the external Paramapada itself. The Vimana is in the form of the Pranava (OM). The four towers are marvelously akin to the four Vedas and the Lord, Sri Rangasayee is expounding the import of the Pranava.”

The king then excavated the temple and restored all parts of the huge complex. Over the years to follow, numerous Chola and Pandya kings, including King Kulasekhara expanded and renovated the temple. Great Vaisnava leaders Yamunacarya, Ramanujacarya, and Sudarsanacarya all had important roles in the further development of Sri Rangam. With the rise of Buddhism and Jainism in the Tamil country, there arose a strong reaction against their growing influence. This found expression in a wide movement among the worshippers of Vishnu and Siva. The Vaishnava resurgent movement was spearheaded by the Alvars who brought religion to the heart of the people. They employed Tamil (the local language) as the medium of expression and composed the exuberant devotional songs – celebrated as the "Nalayira Divya Prabandham". The shrines visited and glorified by them became holy places (Divya Desas). The temple at Srirangam and the Deity enshrined therein have been sung by all of them. A total of 247 hymns in the Nalayiram is found to be dedicated to the Lord of Srirangam as shown below:

Periyalvar 35
Andal 10
Kulasekhara Alvar 31
Tirumalisai Alvar 14
Tondaradippodi Alvar 55
Tirruppanalvar 10 Tirumangai Alvar 73
Poygai Alvar 1
Bhoothatalvar 4
Peyalvar 2
Nammalvar 12
Total 247 

But during the fourteenth century invading Moghuls plundered most of the Lord’s treasures. Then in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries the Vijayanagar and Nayak rulers slowly began to revive the glories of Sri Rangam. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Muslims, the French, and finally the British used the fort-like temple of Sri Rangam during their conquests. Eventually, when India gained independence in 1947, the Indian government and the Sri Vaisnavas took over the management of the temple

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SRI RANGAM, or Sri Rangaksetra, is the largest temple in the world in which worship is still being performed. Situated on an island at the confluence of the Kav eri and Kollidam rivers in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Sri Rangam is the main center of worship and culture for the Sri Vaisnavas.

Historically, their main acarya, or spiritual teacher, was Sri Ramanujacharya. According to the temple’s website, Srirangam can be considered the biggest functioning temple in the world, as it covers an area of about 631,000 square metres (6,790,000 sq ft) with a perimeter of 4 km (10,710 ft). Angkor Wat is bigger but non-functioning. The temple complex is 156 acres (0.63 km2) in extent. The main temple is surrounded by seven walls, which represent the seven planetary systems described in Vedic cosmology. The seven walls have twenty-one towered entrances (gopurams), the highest of which is called the Rajagopuram and is 236 feet (72 m) tall, the tallest in Asia (by the late 44th Jeeyar of the Sri Ahobila Mutt and consecrated in 1987 ) and can be seen from at least ten miles away. Much of the town of Sri Rangam is within the three outer walls of the temple compound. After Tirupati, this is the second most visited Vaishnava temple in South India.

The Srirangam temple is one of the three temples of the god Ranganata that are situated in the natural islands formed in the Kaveri river. They are: Adi Ranga: the Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangapattana Madhya Ranga: the Ranganathaswamy temple at Shivanasamudra Antya Ranga: the Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam Above the main altar is the Sriranga-vimana (golden tower) fully made of gold, which is protected by electrical fence. On the four sides of the Ranga vimana are carvings of four forms of Lord Vishnu. On the south side is Para-Vasudeva, on the west is Acyuta, on the north Ananda, and on the east Govinda.

Inside the temple compound, there is a separate temple for the goddess Andal. Additionally, There is a museum, a library and a bookshop as well.

The Deity in the main temple is Sri Ranganatha Swami,(6.4 m ie21 feet long) a two-armed form of Lord Visnu reclining on the divine serpent Ananta Sesa. Near his feet are seated his two consorts, Sri Bhu and Sri Neela. In front of Lord Ranganatha is the utsava-murti of Lord Vishnu, called Sri Manavala Perumal. This deity is taken out of the temple for processions. Along side Lord Ranganatha is Deity Tiruvaranga, who was worshiped as a substitute during the Muslim period, when the original could not be found. At the feet of the Lord is Vibhi-shana, the brother of Ravana. The priests of Sri Rangam have worshiped Sri Ranganatha in much the same way since the eleventh century, when Sri Ramanuja set up strict standards of worship, with a meticulous schedule of songs, prayers, rituals, and offerings. Each morning at 6.45 am, a cow with her head facing away from Lord Ranganatha and an elephant facing the cow are brought before the altar. Thus when the deity’s doors are opened the first thing that Lord Ranganatha sees is the rear end of a cow and the head of an elephant, which are both considered very auspicious. I was told that instead of a conch-shell being blown, the elephant blows his trunk. This is the most auspicious time to see Lord Ranganatha. Since the time Sri Ranganatha decided to stay at Sri Rangam countless kings, queens, saints, sages, devotees, demigods, and goddesses have eagerly stood before the doors of His chamber awaiting His merciful glance. Millions of souls since ancient times have had that fortune, and many more will have it for many years to come.