Just before
returning he asked Rama: Wont you give me the idol of Ranganatha? It is the idol
want to worship. Rama said: "If you love it so
much, you may take it, but on one condition. You must never put it down till you arrive in
Lanka.
Vibhishana said: "I shall not put it down."
Vibhishana then took the image. But on the way he forgot his promise, and put it down near
Srirangam.
When he tried to lift it, he could not.
This is how Ranganatha came to live at Srirangam.
The temple of Ranganatha is one of the largest in the
country. Great kings of the past have added to its grandeur.
It has seven prakaras and even more towers.
Prakaras are pathways which run round the deity. Devotees
walk along them clock -wise. |