108 MOST FAMOUS LORD VISHNU TEMPLES

LORD VISHNU

(108 MOST FAMOUS TEMPLES OF LORD VISHNU )

 108 వైష్ణవ దివ్యదేశాలు - వాటి వివరాలు:                                        Bharata varsha is a land of temples. According to tradition, there are called as  108 vaishnavite shrines -popularly known as divyadesams sung by Alwars; hence also known as PAADAL STHALAMS. There are 12 Alwars and collection of their pasurams in Tamil is popularly known as Naalaayira Divya Prabhandam. In addition to these 108, there are 19 puraanasthalams 29  Abhimaana sthalams and other famous vaishnava temples all over India visited by bhaktas of which Melkottai is the most famous one. Area wise location of these 108 temples are Cholanadu( Trichy area) 40; Nadunaadu( Cuddalore area) 2; Pandyanaadu (  Madurai area)18; Malainaadu ( Kerala area)13; Tondainaadu ( Kanchi area)22; Vadanaadu( North India) 11;  Thirunaadu ( Vaikuntam)2. Total 108 divyadesams. Out of these 108, most important one is SRIRANGAM also called as Peria Koil/Bhooloka Vaikuntam/  Thiruvaranga Tirupati/ Bhogamandapam. The other three mandapams are Tirumalai - pushpa mandapam; Kanchipuram - thyaaga mandapam; Thirunarayanapuram (Melkottai)- gnaana mandapam. Other details of Srirangam koil will follow.


 Srirangam second episode:  The main features of the temple are furnished below: 
  1) Moolavar: Sriranganathan, also called as Periya Perumal. Bhujanga sayanam on Adisesha, south facing. Utsavar ( in standing posture )is known as Azhagiya Manavalan also fondly called as Namperumal

2)  Taayaar: Sriranganayaki, also known as Sriranga Naachiyaar, Padi Tanda Patni ( she will not cross the threshold of the Taayaarsannidhi).
         
 3) Vimaanam: Pranavaakaara vimaanam.   
                                              
4) Pushkarani : Chandra pushyakarani  and 8 other pushkaranis.            
                                      
  5) Sthala vriksha: Punnai.    
                       
  6) There are seven praakaaraas and  21 towers/ gop  

                
  7) Gave darshan to Dharmavarma,  Chandran, and Vibhishanan. 
8) 11 Alwasrs have sung in all there are 247 paadurams

9) Srirangam is a swayamvyakta kshetram(not man made). Brahma used to worship this murthy in satyalokam. From brahma to surya from surya to manu and from many to ikshwaku , this murthy was worshipped at ayodhya till srirama pattabhishekam. After pattabhishekam, Srirama gave this moorthi to Vibheeshanan. Vibheeshana carrying the moorthy to Srilanka, stopped here to perform sandhyavandanam  and placed it in the island of river Cauvery. Thereafter he could not remove the vigraham; Lord told him  that he would stay there itself looking towards south - Srilanka and that he may come every night to perform tiruvaaraadhana  and go back to Srilanka.
कावेरी विरजा सेयं वैकुण्ठम् रंगमंदिरम् ।
स वासुदेवो रंगेश: प्रत्यक्षम् परमम् पदम्।।

10) Aagama: Daily poojaas are performed as per Pancharaatra aagamam.                                                   

Sreeman sreeranga sriyam anupadravaam anudinam samvardhaya. 

 Srirangam temple-- episode 3 :  The temple of Sri Ranganath is situated at 10 d 52  N and 78 d 42 E. The main entry faces south..The temple covers a vast area of about 6,31,000 sq.m(156 acres) with a perimeter of 8 km. Rajagopuram's height is 236 feet - the highest temple gopuram in the world. Construction work of Rajagopuram was finished and samprokshanam was performed on 25th March 1987.                                                              There are seven - (sapta) praakaaraas.  In the first praakaaram you will find Dwaarapaalakulu, yaagasaala, virajaabaavi, Senaamodaliyaar sannidhi, Pagalpattu mandapam, chilakala mandapam, and Kannan sannidhi. From this Chilakala mandapam, devotees can see Paravaasudevulu on the vimaanam.  The second praakaaram is called Aryabhattaal Vassal. There is Pavitrostava mandapam consisting of Hayagriva and Saraswati sannidhis. Second is vulkoodai mandapam, also called as doramandapam.Third is Virajaa mandapam; it is said that Virajaa river flows beneath this. Fourth is Veda Vinappam  mandapam, paramapada vaasal, tirumadappalli, unjal mandapam, dwajaarohana mandapam. Third praakaaram called as Aalinaadan tiruveedhi, consists of Garudan sannidhi, vaali sugreeva sannidhis, nammalwar sannidhi, nanjeeyar sannidhi. Vugraanam, Mel Pattabhiraman sannidhi, Mudal Alwar sannidhi, Chandra pushkarini, ponna vruksham, Vedavyaasar sannidhi, Varaaha perumal koil, Varadarajaswamy sannidhi, keel pattabhiramsn sannidhi, vaikuntanathan sannidhi, tirumanal veli ( sand area) tirumalisai alwar sannidhi, Sri Bhandaaram, Surya pushkarani, tirukachchinambi sannidhi. Fourth praakaaram is known as Akalankanaattaalwaan  tiruchchi. There is Koorattaalwaan sannidhi, garudaalwaar sannidhi, srimannaadamuni sannidhi, kambattaalwaan mandapam. There is Sri Ranga Vilasa Mandapam over which Tirumantram, dwayam and charama slokams are painted. Sri Bhagavath Raamaanujula Tirumeni sannidhi may be visited in this praakaaram. Veeraanjaneya and Tondaradippodi Alwar sannidhi may also be seen here.                             


 Srirangam temple episode 4

 Fifth praakaaram is called as vuttaraveedhi. uttamanambi tirumaaLiga, SriranganaaraayaNa Jeyar maTam,  aachaarya purists tirumaaLigai maNavaaLamaamunigal sannidhis are in this praakaaram. In makara(tai) maasam pushyami nakshatram namberumaaL along with ubhayanaachchiyaars will be taken round this prakaram in TiruttEru. In meena maasam (pangu
ni) Sriranganatha will be taken round in this praakaaram in brahmostavam.                                          
  Sixth praakaaram is called as chitri veedhi. In Mesha maasam(chitri)  Namberumaal will be taken round in this street. There is Vedantadesikar sannidhi in uttara Mada veedhi, also Jagannadhan sannidhi. In east chitri veedhi tiruttEtu, perianambi, koorattalwan, modaliaandaan tirumaaligaas and Vaanamaamalai Jeyar matam exist. In south praakaaram veedhi exists Paataala Krishnan sannidhi.                                    Seventh praakaaram is called as Adayavalanjaan veedhi. You can see Tirukkuralappan(vaamana) sannidhi, Veliyaandal sannidhi. There is a way on north side to go to Kolladam where Dasaavatasra sannidhi exists along with Tirumangai Alwar Paditturai and Aalavandaar Paditturai. From south side there is a way to cauvery river. This gopuram is called as Raayagopuram.                                           List of swayam vyakta kshetraas :
1) Srirangam- Sriranganathar
2) Srimushnam-Bhuvaraaha Perumal;
3) Tirumalai- Tiruvengadamudaiyaan
4) Totadri alias vanamamalai - Devadinatha Perumal (totadrinatha)
5) Nsimisaaranyam-Devaraajan(vanaroopi)
6) Pushkaram- Paramapurushan(theertharoopi)
7) Badari- Tirunaarayanan 8) Saalagraamam-Srimoorthi.🙏🏿