Ranganatha

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Ranganatha
God of
Niladevi, Thulukka Nachiyar
Part of a series on
Vaishnavism
Closeup of Vishnu, seated in the lotus position on a lotus. From depiction of the poet Jayadeva bowing to Vishnu, Gouache on paper Pahari, The very picture of devotion, bare-bodied, head bowed, legs crossed and hands folded, Jayadeva stands at left, with the implements of worship placed before the lotus-seat of Vishnu who sits there, blessing the poet.
Supreme deity
Vishnu / Krishna / Rama
Important deities
Dashavatara
Other forms
Consorts
Related
Holy scriptures
Puranas
Sampradayas
Others
Teachers—acharyas
Related traditions

Ranganatha, also known as Ranganathar, Rangan, Aranganathar, Sri Ranga, and Thenarangathan, is a

Sanskrit means "leader of the place of assembly", coined from the two Sanskrit words ranga (place) and natha (lord or leader).[4]

Symbolic representation of Ranganatha and Nataraja has been compared as the meaning of both is the same except for their locations. In Ranganatha, ranga means "stage" and which in the broadest sense refers to "the world, the cosmos or better still of the body and the senses". Nataraja also means the "Lord of the Stage" and in this case his stage is in ‘Chidambaram’ meaning the "sphere of wisdom", while Ranganatha rests on the Ocean of milk or Thiruparkadal, which is a metaphysical or esoteric concept which is not easy to interpret as it is perceived in different ways by different people.[5] The name "Nataraja" is more usually taken to mean Lord of the Dance in reference to the dance of dissolution, or pralaya, or alternatively the dance of illusion by which the material sphere is manifested, and is therefore a name for Shiva, as distinct from Vishnu.

There is also a famous temple dedicated to Shree Ranganatha swamy in Shakarayapatna in Chikmagalur district in the southern region of Karnataka.

A sculpture of sleeping Vishnu Hindu deity at Museum CSMVS Mumbai
Sculpture of Vishnu as Ranganatha.
Artistic representation of Ranganatha

Temples

Main article: Pancharanga Kshetrams

The Pancharanga Kshetrams are the five most sacred Ranganatha temples that are located on the banks of the

Sarangapani temple at Kumbakonam is mentioned in place of Vatarangam in some references.[7][8]

Parasara Battar, well known poet of the times who has written a commentary on "

tulsi) garland on the chest (favorite of Vishnu), Kaustubha, Vaijayanthi hara (a necklace) and a few other ornaments, which once formed the divine jewelry of Krishna, the avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu, are also decorating the image of Ranganatha.[9]

The Ranganatha temple is also the religious center of

scriptures written by the 12 Alvars and Ramanuja.[10]

Also, the Kaveri River forms three small sacred islands in its river stretch in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu at Adi Ranga, at

Srirangam where Ranganatha temple is located.[11]

Also among the 108

Tiruvanathapuram
.

There are many other Ranganatha temples spread over many towns and villages of South India and to mention a few are:

Hassan District, Karnataka, and Sri Varadhahastha Aanjaneya Swamy Sametha Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple, Narasambhudhi, Agali Mandal, Ananthapuramu District, Andhra Pradesh
.

There are also temples dedicated to Lord Ranganatha outside of the Indian Subcontinent. For example, there is a Sri Ranganatha Temple at the village of Pomona in New York.[12] Another Sri Ranganatha Temple at Skanda Vale, in the United Kingdom.[13] Another famous Sri Ranganatha temple is located at Sri Rangapuram village in Wanaparthy district in Telangana State. The Perumal is Swyambhu here and very ancient temple of historical importance. Another Shree Ranganathar Temple is located in Greenwood Park, Durban, South Africa.

References

  1. ISBN 978-0-8239-3180-4
    . Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  2. ISBN 978-1-118-11077-5
    . Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  3. ^ Deshpande 2005, pp. 263–64.
  4. ISBN 978-0-906026-11-3
    .
  5. ISBN 978-81-7597-149-3. Retrieved 13 December 2012.[permanent dead link
    ]
  6. ^ "The Hindu : Vatarangam, seat of Hari and Haran". www.thehindu.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2003. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  7. ISBN 978-81-7755-280-5
    . Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  8. ^ a b Dalal 2011, p. 339.
  9. ISBN 978-81-7017-398-4
    . Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  10. ISBN 978-0-8160-7564-5
    . Retrieved 14 December 2012.
  11. ^ Deshpande 2005, pp. 264–265.
  12. ^ "Sri Ranganatha Temple". Ranganatha.
  13. ^ "Sri Ranganatha Temple". Skanda Vale. Retrieved 5 July 2019.

Sources

Further reading

External links

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