Ranganatha Swamy Temple, Namakkal
Ranganatha
Swamy Temple is located right behind Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Temple on the other
side of Namagiri. A flight of hundred stairs has to be climbed to access the
temple. Lord Ranganatha is lying in the Karkodaya Sayana posture. He is resting
on Karkodaka Snake. Karkodaka was a king of snakes. He performed penances in
order to please Lord to rest on his coils and hence the Lord blessed him with
his desire.
The face
of the snake is like a fierce roaring lion. Lord Ranganatha is holding the
chakra, conch, bow, arrow, mace and a sword. He has been surrounded by Narada
rishi and Devas. The idol is 10’ long and 3’ wide with eyes wide open and two
hands again a rare occurrence. Goddess Lakshmi’s shrine is located on the left
side of the main temple.
The cave
temple is believed to have been built by Pallavas. The roof is carved in a
style as if it is made of bamboos. There are three entrances to the Ranganatha
temple. The entrance in the middle is the one that is opened every day, while
the other two entrances are opened only on Vaikunta Ekadesi day.
Temple
Opening Time
Sri
Ranganatha Swamy Temple is open from 9:00 to 11:00 and 17:00 to 19:00.
Connectivity
The
temple is 2 km from the Namakkal bus stop on the Rasipuram road.
By Bus:
Buses
are available for every 5minutes from Salem. Buses ply to cities in Tamil Nadu
like Salem, Chennai, Coimbatore, Trichy, Madurai, Erode, Dindigul and Karur.
Namakkal is connected to the rest of India through National Highway 7. Buses from
Trichy, Madurai will pass through Namakkal to reach Salem and Bangalore.
By Train:
Nearest
Railway Station is located at Salem which is approximately 54 Km.
By Air:
Nearest
International Airport is Coimbatore International Airport located at a distance
of 153 kms and Trichy located at a distance of 85 kms.
