Ranganathar Temple, Devadanam – Legends
Vada Srirangam:
Being an
Abhimana Sthalam (temple built out of love), there is no big legend behind. Chalukya
rulers who visited Srirangam wanted to recreate an idol, within their empire, like
the sleeping Ranganatha. They came back here and constructed an idol even
bigger than the one in Srirangam. Hence, this temple is also referred to as
Vada Srirangam (North Srirangam).
Deva Dhanam:
The
village is believed to have been gifted by the Devas and hence the name Deva Dhanam.
Lord in Bhoga Sayanam:
Yet
another story goes that tired of measuring the paddy during the harvest season,
Lord Ranganatha is believed to have relaxed his head on the same grain measure (One
has seen a similar kind of story relating to the Sarangapani temple where
Thirumazhisai Azhvaar enquires the sleeping Aravamudhan if he is tired after
his long walk and requests the Lord to give him darshan).
Lord appeared in a devotee dream:
Saroja
Sadasivam, from a leading business house here, had a vivid dream in 1983. She
dreamt of a supine Ranganatha Swamy in a derelict temple, totally neglected,
beseeching her for attention. The eighteen and a half feet stone idol, lying on
a giant Adhiseshan, was sweating copiously in her dream, telling her that it
had had no oil application for very many years, and so could not bear the heat.
From the very next day she began the search for this temple, and in the
process, visited scores of them.
Two
years later, on a chance suggestion, she visited Devadanam, and found the then
undeveloped village and temple to be the one in her vision. The deity was all
covered in dirt, and the temple completely weed-ridden, and broken down. From
then, till now, almost 20 years later, constant effort and a great deal of
money has been spent, with the temple finally done its Kumbabhishekam.