Sarangapani Temple, Kumbakonam - 108 Divya Desam

The beautiful Sarangapani temple is located on the banks of the river Kaveri and is frequented by devotees of lord Vishnu. This temple also gains special mention as one of 108 Divya Desams or the temples that are considered more sacred to God Vishnu. It is the biggest Vishnu temple in Kumbakonam. According to the legend, one sage Hema Rishi performed a great penance to obtain Goddess Lakshmi as his daughter. Lord Vishnu was impressed by his penance and granted the wish. Goddess Lakshmi came out of the lotus from the temple tank (Potramarai tank) and was named as ‘Komalavalli’. Later, lord Vishnu himself comes to the Earth as Sarangapani to marry Komalavalli and this happens here. The temple boasts of 5 outer walls with the main tower of 11 tiers at a height of 150 feet.

The temple is accepted to be of critical legacy, with commitments at diverse times from Medieval Cholas, Vijayanagar rulers and Madurai Nayaks. The temple faces east whereas the Potramarai tank is outside the western entrance. The main shrine of the temple is in the form of a chariot, drawn by horses and elephants. The arrangement reminds the descent of the Lord from heaven itself. Sculptural representation of the story of sage Hemarishi is found in the western part of the temple. There are two stepped entrances to the sanctum named as Utharayana Vaasal and Dakshinayana Vaasal, each remain open for a six month period. Five Vishnu temples located on the banks of Kaveri river are considered as Pancharanga Kshetram and this temple is one in that list. This temple should be included on your list of attractions in Kumbakonam.