Ranganathar Temple, Sowcarpet, George Town, Chennai
Ranganathar Temple is a Hindu
Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu located in Sowcarpet in George Town area of Chennai, the capital of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The Temple is around 500 years
old. The temple is located at the Mullah Sahib Street, Sowcarpet, George
Town, Chennai.
The
Temple
Presiding Deity is called as Ranganathar. He is in the reclining posture on five-hooded
Adisesha with Brahma emanating from his navel and goddesses Sridevi and Bhudevi
seen behind him in the sanctum. He is seen holding the discus (Sudarsana
chakra) and the conch (Panchajanya) in the upper hands. The lower right hand is
in Abhaya hasta, reassuring his devotees and the lower left-hand rests on the
thigh.
This deity is small in size
compared to the famous image of Ranganatha Swamy in Srirangam temple, but here,
in Sowcarpet, the deity has four hands while in Srirangam, the idol has two
hands. Incidentally, Aranganatha in Sowcarpet faces north, while
Ranganathaswamy in Srirangam faces south. Just like in Srirangam, the vimana
above the Aranganatha sanctum is called Ranga Vimana or Pranavakara Vimana.
There is an important bronze
idol of Parthasarathy Swami in the main sanctum which was kept in the
Parthasarathy Swami Temple, Tiruvallikeni (Triplicane) and subsequently brought
here for worship. Mother is called as Ranganayaki. She is housed in a separate
shrine. The temple also has shrines and idols of Andal,
Yoga Narasimha, Varadarajar, Srinivasa and Kannan (Krishna).
Rama in this temple is seen
not only with Sita and Lakshmana, but also with Bharatha and Shatrughna. The
bows of Rama and Lakshmana have been intricately carved with small bells
dangling from them. The processional deities of the Rama group are unique.
While Rama and Lakshmana hold bows as usual, Bharatha holds the fan (chamara)
while Shatrughna holds the royal umbrella (chatra). Hanuman kneels in front of
Rama with hands outstretched, holding a platter which has the holy feet
of Rama.
Connectivity
The temple is located at the
Mullah Sahib Street, Sowcarpet, George Town, Chennai. The Temple is located at about 700 meters from Elephant
Gate Bus Stop, 2 Kms from Chennai Fort Railway Station, 2 Kms from Parrys
Corner Bus Stop, 4 Kms from Chennai Beach Railway Station, 2 Kms from Basin
Bridge Junction, 1.5 Kms from Mannady Metro Station, 2 Kms from Chennai Central
Railway Station, 4 Kms from Egmore Railway Station, 12 Kms from Koyambedu
Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus and 20 Kms from Chennai Airport. The Temple is
located very close to the Mannady Metro Station. You can proceed on foot to
this Temple from the station. From other parts of the city, you can take a
Cabs, Auto Rickshaw, Bus, Local Trains and Metro Trains to reach the Temple.
Location
References