A jewel of a green island around which the Cauvery river flows, the ancient town of Srirangam is mainly known for its magnificent temple, steeped in spirituality, legend, and history. The glory of this foremost Vaishnavite shrine rests among other things in the fact that it is perceived as Bhooloka Vaikuntam, or Lord Narayana's earthly abode. The deity of Srirangam, Ranganatha Swamy's resplendence has been reflected and glorified in the brilliant poetry of the Azhwars, the saint poets of the Vaishnavite canon many of whom worshipped at this temple. The most important saint philosophers of Vaishnavism, Sri Ramanuja who lived in the 11th and 12th centuries, and Sri Vedanta Desika who lived in the 14th century were involved in this temple, spent time here, as reflected in their commentaries and treatises. They too were overwhelmed by the glory of the Divine that they experienced within the temple's precincts.
The temple and indeed the town around it which cradles and envelops it, is the canvas of great art, architecture, and sculptural splendour in bronze and stone. The temple's festivals, its music and dance and processional celebrations are an integral part of the lives and the livelihood of the people who live here.
Historically, almost every dynasty that ruled Tamil Nadu from the Pandyas to the Nayak and the Vijayanagara kings has contributed to the temple's architectural and cultural heritage. The temple also reflects a chequered history when it came under attack and was protected by the sacrifices and bravery of ordinary people. With its towers and great walls, its iconic golden vimana, its numerous shrines and stunning deities, Sri Ranganatha's temple is a treasure house of devotion and delight to the numerous pilgrims who visit every day.
This beautiful coffee table book with its stunning photographs is a celebration of Srirangam - the town, its deity, and its people where every day is a festival and every ritual unique. Over a century, The Hindu and its supplements have captured in feature and photograph the many aspects of the temple shining a light on its history and heritage. Collated painstakingly, from The Hindu's archives, this book is divided into eleven sections each celebrating a unique and special aspect of the temple and Srirangam. In addition to material from our archives, there are several new articles specially written for this landmark edition by experts that cover unique aspects of the temple and its history.
The book has been meticulously and expertly curated by Geetha Venkataramanan, former Associate Editor of The Hindu, and a team of dedicated professionals. S. R. Raghunathan deserves special mention for his brilliant photography that captured many glorious aspects of the temple. He has been ably assisted by M. Srinath whose camera followed every move of the deities and their sartorial magnificence. A dedicated in-house team, including Kannan Sundar, Design Editor, Deputy Design Editor J.V.S.N Rajasekhar, K.G. Gurumurthy, and the production team, as well as archival support from K.R. Naresh Kumar, Vibha Sudarshan and K. Satheesh have made this book possible. Our gratitude also goes to Pradeep Chakravarthy for the use of a glass painting from his collection. We owe our gratitude to expert writers like Dr. Prema Nandakumar, T.C.A Ramanujam, Nandini Ramani, Pradeep Chakravarthy, Suganthy Krishnamachari and S. Prabhu who also gave their invaluable insights for this volume. Thanks and deep appreciation are also due to the veteran artist Keshav, for embellishing the book with a beautiful illustration on the Srirangam Pancharatnam.
'Srirangam - The Resplendent Kingdom of Rangaraja' is the result of sincere and dedicated teamwork from The Hindu, which we are sure our readers will treasure and enjoy. It is intended to capture the spirit, the beauty, the piety, and magnificence of a historic temple and a beloved deity.
Vedas (1213)
Upanishads (507)
Puranas (633)
Ramayana (758)
Mahabharata (371)
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Goddess (516)
Bhakti (251)
Saints (1547)
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Shiva (389)
Journal (181)
Fiction (62)
Vedanta (381)
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