Sarangapani Temple

Sarangapani Temple is the largest Vishnu temple in Kumbakonam. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams, the Vishnu temples praised in the hymns of the Alvar poet-saints. The name means "the one who holds the bow", after Vishnu's bow, Sharanga.

Tradition

According to tradition, the goddess Lakshmi was born from the Potramarai tank among a thousand lotuses, as the daughter of the sage Hemarishi, and was named Komalavalli. Vishnu came down from his heavenly abode in a chariot drawn by horses and elephants to marry her, staying at the nearby Someswarar Temple while he did so.

History

The site may have been a Vaishnava settlement as early as the 7th or 8th century, and the earliest inscriptions at the temple date from the late Chola period (10th–12th centuries). The temple grew in importance under the Vijayanagara and Nayak rulers of the 15th to 17th centuries, who expanded it.

Architecture

The main gateway tower has eleven tiers and is the tallest in the town. The central shrine is built in the form of a chariot drawn by horses and elephants, recalling Vishnu's descent from heaven. Inside, Vishnu is shown reclining, his head resting on his right hand. The sanctum has two entrances, each open for half the year. The temple's twin chariots, used in the chariot festival in the Tamil month of Chithirai, are among the largest in Tamil Nadu.

Mahamaham

It is one of the 5 Vishnu temples connected with the Mahamaham festival, held at the Mahamaham tank about once every 12 years.