Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple - Srirangapatna, Srirangapatna - Timings, History, Darshan, Pooja Timings

At a distance of 500 m from Srirangapatna Railway Station, Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple situated in Srirangapatna is a famous temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu as Ranganatha. Located inside the Srirangapatna Fort on the banks of the Kaveri River, it is one of the largest temples in Karnataka, among the top tourist places to visit as part of Srirangapatna Tour Packages. The temple is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India as a monument of national importance.

Ranganathaswamy Temple is one of the most important Vaishnavite shrines in South India and among the prime places to visit in Srirangapatna. The temple is one of the Pancharanga Kshetras, the other four being Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple of Srirangam, Sarangapani Temple of Kumbakonam, Appakudathan Temple of Trichy, and the Parimala Ranganathaswamy Temple of Mayiladuthurai. Srirangapatna is also known as Aadi Rangam, Srirangam as Anthya Rangam and Sivasamudram in Karnataka as Madhyarangam. It can also be visited along with Mysore Tour Packages.

According to history, the sanctum of Lord Ranganatha is said to have been built in 817 AD by Ambi, a dancer. The temple was built by Thirumalaraya in 894 AD, a vassal of the Ganga dynasty. In the early 12th century, Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana granted the village of Srirangapatna to the Vaishnava saint Ramanujacharya as an agraharam. With time, the temple has seen renovations and additions made by Hoyasalas, Vijayanagara kings, and Wodeyars of Mysore. This temple was also highly revered by Hider Ali and Tipu Sultan.

According to mythology, The River Cauvery accumulated all the sins from the devotees who took a holy dip in the river. Cauvery undertook severe penance and sought the help of Lord Vishnu. The Lord was pleased with her devotion and appeared here in the form of Ranganatha. On seeing the Lord, Cauvery fell at his feet and was relieved of the accumulated sins. Hence one can see Goddess Cauvery at the feet of Sri Ranganatha Swamy in this temple.

The temple architecture is very famous because it is a blend of Hoysala and Viyanagara architectures. The large temple premises are enclosed by huge walls. It consists of a Mahadwara with a huge tower followed by a mukha mandapa, maha mandapa and Garbhagriha. The four pillars at the main entrance have the cravings of the 24 forms of Vishnu. The ceiling of the Mukha mantapa is decorated with niches containing stucco images of Lord Vishnu.

In the sanctum, the image of Vishnu reclining on the seven hooded Adishesha with his consort Lakshmi at his feet. This idol is supposed to be the biggest statue of Vishnu in the reclining form in Karnataka. There is a separate shrine for Goddess Ranganayaki, the consort of Ranganatha. There are other smaller shrines within the complex dedicated to Narasimha, Gopalakrishna, Srinivasa, Hanuman, Garuda, and the Alwar saints.

The most famous festival that is celebrated at Srirangapatna Temple is Makar Sankranti.

Timings: 7 AM - 1.30 PM & 4 PM - 8 PM

Entry: Free