Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam – Third Enclosure
(Kulasekharan Thiruveedhi)
This 3rd
prakara was built by Kulasekhara Alwar, a great devotee of the Lord. One can
enter this 3rd enclosure only through the Arya Bhattal gopuram. This
enclosure is also called as Kulasekharan Thiruveedhi. It is considered as
Janaloka.
The
third enclosure of the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple has the Karthikai gopura. It
leads to the Garuda Mandapam that has 14 rows and is the most beautiful
Mandapam in the Temple. In the western wing kitchens and rice storehouses are
found.
In the
eastern part of this wing is the sacred tank (Chandrapushkarani), which has
been hollowed out in the form of a circle with flights of steps in the east and
west. The eastern wing contains several isolated sanctuaries and mandapas.
This
houses several mandapas. Inside this prakara one should first have darshan of
Dhwaja Sthamba and Bali Pitha.
On the
south west corner of this enclosure there are temples of Sri Dasamurthy, Sri Hayagriva,
and Saraswathi Devi.
On the
northern side, the temples of Sri Senai Mudaliyar and Thulukka Nachiyar are
found. In the eastern side, Arjuna Mantapa can be found.