2022
At the early hours of dawn on a small island (Srirangam) in Southern India, which is sandwiched between the flowing river Kaveri and its tributary Kollidam an elephant walking by the river decides to take a dip and have a drink in the cold water. Not noticing the imminent danger right under its foot, the elephant steps into the water. Just a few steps further in, a crocodile grabs the elephant's foot, hurting it badly. The elephant tries to free itself from the crocodile's jaws, but the crocodile seems stronger and tries to pull the elephant into the water.
Srirangam is an island in the town of Tiruchirappalli. Srirangam is most famous for the temple located on the island, Ranganathaswamy Temple. The temple houses Ranganatha, the reclining form of Vishnu. Ranganatha holds the Sudarshana Chakra in his right rear hand, believed to be used against evil.
The elephant trumpets "Ranga Ranga", calling out to the closest savior, Ranganatha. Ranganatha on hearing the fatal cries of the elephant sends his Chakra spinning, cutting the crocodile's head and saving the elephant. The elephant was so overjoyed and decides to thank Ranganatha. So, it picks up a Kudam and fills it with the water from the river and takes it to the temple and pours it on Ranganatha.
The said story is a myth described to kids as a bedtime story, with a moral of helping others and being thankful. I live in Trichy (short form of Tiruchirappalli), the town where Srirangam is located. Last weekend (27/08/2017) I happen to visit the Ranganathaswamy Temple during the early hours when the first Darsana is done for Ranganatha or Perumal, as he is natively known. What I witnessed at the temple really surprised me.
We went to Srirangam at 5.20 AM. We entered the temple through the main entrance aka Raja Gopuram. There is a counter where you can pay to cut across the long queue and see the deity sooner. There are tickets from INR 50 to INR 1,000 majority of which is meant for the most crowded seasons. As we had a lot of time to kill, we went straight to the free darsana queue. But, after a while, a temple authority said that we will only be allowed to see the second darsana, which is after an hour. We did not want to wait an hour longer, so we got tickets worth INR 100 and went through another entrance which had a much shorter queue. We waited got about 10 minutes.
A while later, we heard the beating of the drum and the ring of the bell in consecutive tone. Being a Hindu, I expected the Pujari or temple priest to walk in with ritual objects in time to perform the Puja. But to my surprise, I saw "Andal" the temple elephant majestically walk by. I could feel the small vibration through the stone slabs laid on the floor as she walked past us. A priest was sitting on top of Andal with a large object in between his arms. We were standing on an elevated flooring which is the second hall from the Garbhagriha. The elevated floor could only be accessed through 7 to 8 stairs on the side. Andal walked to the stairs and knelt down after which the priest uncovered the object and it was a Kudam made of silver filled with water. He got down and climbed the stairs to the elevated platform. I expected Andal to stand down, but to my surprise, she too followed the priest and climbed the staircase which was literally too small for her huge feet. She stood at the center of the elevated platform facing the Garbhagriha.
That was when I realized that whatever I hear as a bedtime story was happening in reality and I was awe struck with surprise. Andal was so huge that the security at the temple requested the devotees to stand aside and give her enough room to turn and face the Garbhagriha. She was so close to the devotees and she did not panic a bit. The priests took the Silver Kudam and walked into the first hall and then into the Garbhagriha to carry out the rituals. I was so happy to be there at the right time to see the incident happen right in front of my eyes. As the puja as at its peak, Andal began to trumpet, literally meaning to thank the Lord. Once the rituals were completed, Andal again surprised me by walking the stairs facing forward as any man would do accompanied by her mahout.
Only after that were all the devotees allowed to see the deity and offer their prayers. Taking pictures within the temple is strictly prohibited. But still, I managed to click a few pictures.
In the below picture you can see the Security in the center guiding devotees to follow a queue directing them into the first hall.
I the below picture you can see the entrance to the first hall in the center. And on the right, you can see part of the gateway through which Andal climbed the staircase.
In the below picture you can see the Silver Kudam placed in the center of the first Hall after the puja was completed.
He told me that Andal was 38 years old and she came to Srirangam on 16th October 1986, which is almost 31 years. That is when I realized, why she did not panic when a lot of people surrounded her. She is taking the Kudam filled with water from the Kaveri river as an offering to Ranganatha every day. It is her usual routine of starting her day.
We then left the temple through the Raja Gopuram. As it was past 6.40, it was bright outside and the Gopuram was clearly visible with its vibrant colors. It stands at about 260 feet tall. It is a huge structure. It has 13 floors in it, which is only accessible through stairs. It is not for public viewing. Only temple authorities are allowed up the staircase. There are 13 Kalasams at the top of the Gopuram.
Just outside there is a small coffee shop where you get the best Filter Coffee (Murali Coffee Shop). The shop is open from 4.30 AM to 7.00AM in the morning and 3.00 PM to 9.00 PM in the evening.
It has become one of my most memorable days until now. If you are visiting India and happen to travel down south to Tamil Nadu, I would suggest to drop by at Srirangam and get a chance to see Andal making here daily offerings to Ranganatha.
Best time: Be at the temple by 5.30 AM before the crowd steps in to see Andal make her offerings. It is done only in the early morning everyday.
Darsana Ticket: Buy the INR 100 ticket or higher to be at the second hall where Andal would come to make her offerings.
Day: Try to plan your visit during a weekday when the crowd would be at its minimum. Try to avoid any special occasions as well, as the crowd would be more compared to the usual.
There are a lot of other deities and other things to see in the temple. I will not be able to list of it, but I wanted to share the most memorable part of my visit, "Andal".
P.S: Taking pictures inside the temple premises is strictly prohibited. I was a little scared to be caught red-handed. That is why all the pictures are blurred and shaky.
Happy Traveling,
Avinash Vijay
