Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangapatnam.

The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is situated in the heart of Srirangapatnam about 35kms from Mysore and about 130kms from Bangalore. Srirangapatnam is perhaps more famous for being Tipu Sultan’s capital. In fact a lot of historic places related to Tipu Sultan are at a stone throwing distance away from this temple. Even though Srirangapatnam is more famous for being Tipu’s capital, it is in fact the temple that gave its name to the city. All Tipu-related monuments will be covered in a different blog at a different time.


For the time being I’ll stick to the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, which is located in the first island formed by River Kaveri. It’s a popular fact in this part of the world that Kaveri makes three islands in its course and in each of these islands there is a Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. They are collectively called the three Rangas - the Adi (First) Ranga at Srirangapatnam, the Madhya (Middle) Ranga at Shivanasamudram and the Anthya (Final) Ranga at Srirangam. This temple is also among the famous Pancharanga Kshetrams (Srirangapatnam, Srirangam, Kumbakonam, Trichy and Mayiladuthurai).

Sri Ranganathaswamy temple was initially built by Gangas in the 9th Century as later taken care by Hoysalas and Vijaynagaras. But mostly the temple has a distinctive Gangas and Vijaynagaras style of architecture. The idol of Lord Vishnu here is in a reclining position. Being a temple with historical and religious significance, you can expect a decent crowd on weekends.



Getting-there: Bangalore -> Srirangapatnam. Take a right turn on Mysore Road at Srirangapatnam and follow the crowd.

Must-Do: Arrive early to beat the crowd.
Must-Don’t: Vandalism and Littering.

My Rating: 5/10