The God of creation, Brahma ji was once in a state of deep meditation to have a darshan of 'Maha Vishnu' and received the gift of the Ranganatha idol of Lord Vishnu in his supreme samadhi. He was told that apart from Srirangam, seven other such idols would appear on earth – Srimushnam, Venkatadri (Tirumala), Shaligram (Muktinath), Naimisharanya, Totadri, Pushkar, and Badrinath. Brahma then gave the idol to Viraj, Vaishvatha, Manu, Ikshvaku, and finally to Rama, an incarnation of Vishnu. Lord Rama worshiped the idol and when he returned victorious from Sri Lanka, he allowed Ravana's brother Vibhishana to take Ranganathaswamy to Lanka and install it.

When Vibhishana was on his way to Srirangam via Trichy, the deity wanted to stay at Srirangam, as Ranganatha Swami was fascinated by the devotion of King Dharma Varma, who was doing penance for Lord Ranganatha to stay at Srirangam permanently. That's why Ranganath stayed there but promised to always shower his grace on Lanka. The idol always faces south.

Srirangam is the most prominent of the eight self-manifested shrines of Vishnu. It is considered the primary and most important of the 108 main Vishnu temples (Divyadesam). The temple is huge in size, the complex is 156 acres and consists of seven prakaras or enclosures. There are 21 grand towers in all the Prakaras which provide a unique experience. The temple is situated on an island formed by the rivers Kaveri and Kolidam.

Sri Ranganathar is seated on Adishesh (the coiled serpent) and his wife Ranganayaki is seated at his feet.

Service and worship
The Temple opening time is 6 am.
Puja - 7:15 am to 9 pm.
Darshan - 9 am to 12 noon.
Afternoon Puja - 12 noon to 1:15 pm.
Darshan - 1:15 pm to 6 pm.
Evening Puja - 6 PM to 6:45 PM.
Darshan - 6:45 pm to 9 pm.
 

Utsavs

• Sri Krishna Janmotsav- Celebrated in all Krishna temples inside Sri Ranganathar Swamy temple complex.
• Brahmotsavam (March-April): There is a grand celebration in Tamil month.
• Vaikuntha Ekadashi: This festival is celebrated in the month of December-January i.e. Tamil Margazhi.
• Gold Jewelry Festival- June-July- In this festival, the idols of the deity are immersed in gold and silver vessels with water. The annual gold jewelry festival celebrated in the Srirangam temple is known as Jyeshthabhisheka.
• Rathotsava - January-February

Best time to visit: All year round

Interesting Facts: The 1000-pillared granite hall with its intricate sculptures

Nearby Places: Pancha Rangakshetram literally means Five Ranganatha Temple (Five Sacred Places) Srirangam Melur Iyer Temple, Jambukeswarar Temple, Indian Panorama, Rockfort Ucichi Pillar Temple