Thursday, April 14, 2016

Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam – Third Enclosure (Kulasekharan Thiruveedhi)

Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam – Third Enclosure (Kulasekharan Thiruveedhi)
This 3rd prakara was built by Kulasekhara Alwar, a great devotee of the Lord. One can enter this 3rd enclosure only through the Arya Bhattal gopuram. This enclosure is also called as Kulasekharan Thiruveedhi. It is considered as Janaloka.

The third enclosure of the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple has the Karthikai gopura. It leads to the Garuda Mandapam that has 14 rows and is the most beautiful Mandapam in the Temple. In the western wing kitchens and rice storehouses are found.

In the eastern part of this wing is the sacred tank (Chandrapushkarani), which has been hollowed out in the form of a circle with flights of steps in the east and west. The eastern wing contains several isolated sanctuaries and mandapas.

This houses several mandapas. Inside this prakara one should first have darshan of Dhwaja Sthamba and Bali Pitha.

On the south west corner of this enclosure there are temples of Sri Dasamurthy, Sri Hayagriva, and Saraswathi Devi.

On the northern side, the temples of Sri Senai Mudaliyar and Thulukka Nachiyar are found. In the eastern side, Arjuna Mantapa can be found.