Journey Of The Sacred Triad: (Tirana) Adi Ranga To Antya Ranga Pilgrimage

A unique temple darshan tour that can be summed up as 1 deity, 2 states, and 3 locations, all to be covered in 1 day is sacrosanct to the Vaishnavite community.  This particular darshan has sacred relevance, as it is believed that salvation can be attained on completing the darshan. The deity of Lord Vishnu would generally be in a reclining horizontal pose.

The deity rests on the body of curled serpent God named Adi Sesha, under a canopy of seven snake hoods. It would be interesting to note, that all the 3 temples are located on the island portion of River Cauvery. This trip is one of the demanded trips during Discover India Tours.

Adi Ranga:

In accordance with records available with the Archaeological Survey of India, and a legend on the origin of the temple, which dates back to Gautama Maharishi, who performed penance, with utmost devotion to see Maha Vishnu in a reclining posture? It is believed that Lord Vishnu portrayed as Lord Ranganatha at this very place, for devotees of the subsequent ages, to pray to Lord Ranganatha and thus the temple took shape.

A local chief, named Tirumalaiah who took keen interest in the Western Ganga dynasty was instrumental in initiating the construction of the temple in 984 CE. However, in the 12th century it is said that, the Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana, granted the village of Sri Rangapatna to the Vaishnavites’ as a colonized agrahara indicating granting it as a status of learning center. The temple architecture reflects the Dravidian style, with a main entrance leading through smaller column halls. 

Madhya Ranga:

This is the second most important deity when performing the “Tirana” darshan and is located in Mandya District, in the State of Karnataka. Karnataka Temple Tour is best for you to move to this place. The exact location of the temple is in Shivanasamudram.

It is highly revered by Sri Vaisnava devotees. Among the three forms of Ranganatha, the deity found here is believed to represent the youthfulness of Lord Ranganatha and therefore, the deity is referred to as  “Mohana Ranga” and 'Jaganmohana Ranga'. 

Antya Ranga

This temple, the last darshan of the day, is located in the Tiruchirapalli district of Tamilnadu, and a few hours’ drive from Madhya Ranga. Built in typical Dravidian style it is said that the temple holds the distinction of being the foremost among the 108 “Divya Desams”, dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

It is one of the largest temples in South India, and the complex itself is housed in a layered combination of streets leading to gates (dwar), getting symmetrically smaller after each layer. The temple dates back somewhere between 100BCE to 100 CE, implying that it is one of the oldest surviving active temples in South India.

Most auspicious time to visit

In the Hindumonth of Dhanush corresponding between Dec-15 to Jan 14 of the following year, is considered to be holy and auspicious.  All the 3 temples to be visited between sunrise and sunset. The geographical distance notwithstanding, with careful planning all the three darshans is possible to achieve. It should be remembered, that devotees can encounter heavier than usual rush on weekends and special days like VaikuntaEkadashi day etc.,

Special Tips to make a successful Tirana Darshan

Whether starting from Bangalore or Mysore the trick is to start early, so as to telescope time.  This will work to the devotees’ advantage.

Check the temple timings beforehand, from their respective websites, or your trained travel organizer for the timings.

It is advisable to carry breakfast/snacks/ and light lunch packets for journeys enroute. This will save time. A single stop for breakfast can last 30 minutes and a lunch break taken enroute will take up to 45 minutes to an hour even in small side eateries. So by carrying packed meals  devotees can save on crucial travel time and  ultimately help in reaching Srirangam during daylight hours itself for the sacred darshan.

It is advisable to buy one line quick darshan tickets (especially for the Srirangam temple), beforehand, rather than waiting in the queue to buy tickets. 

Carrying of Identity proof would be required during extra rush time in Srirangam. So it is better to carry one.

Last but not the least. A word of caution, when hiring a cab for this sacred Tirana Darshan, try and have a night halt in Srirangam itself, as the driver would also have driven close to 16 hours at a stretch during the day. The driver will be fresh the following morning after taking good rest so as to take you back safely to your original destination.

Should you so desire, there are other holy temples in Tiruchirapalli itself worth a visit. Notable amongst them are Malai Kottai Ucchi Puliyar temple, Akihilallendshwairi temple in Tiruvanakoil (Near Srirangam itself), and Amman temple in Samaypuram. 

How can Skyway Tours help in organsing such conducted tours?

The fleets of Skyway are having well qualified drivers who have very intimate knowledge on the route to be followed.  Understanding the customers’ needs to cover the pilgrimage between dawns to dusk, our travel agency would even go the extra mile and be a part of a spiritual journey to accomplish the mission of having to see all 3 important temples in a day. Do get in touch with our travel executive on Mobile No. 9845199077 or 9845188115 to plan the tour details.