Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

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Early medieval · Hindu · India

Adhirangam Ranganathaswamy Temple

Adhi Thiruvarangam, Sankarapuram, Kallakurichi district, Tamil Nadu · 12.0028°, 79.0617°

Ranganatha (Vishnu) with RanganayagiChola-VijayanagaraDravidian
Sacred since
900 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
medieval (Chola and Vijayanagara)
Chola-Vijayanagara

History & significance

A five-acre Vishnu temple built up by Chola and Vijayanagara patrons, holding a reclining image some 29 feet long and counted among the 108 Abhimana Kshetrams of Vaishnavism. It is reputed to be older than Srirangam, which gives it the name Adhi Rangam, and it preserves an unusual brick grain store.

Sthala katha — the legend

The temple's legend has Ranganatha rise from the water here to recover the Vedas stolen by the demon king Somukan and to counsel Brahma.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Chola-Vijayanagara