SRIRANGAM

Though it is primarily a Vaishnavite temple, believers in different tenets of faith do pay their homage at the temple of Ranganatha, the Adi Purusha in blissful slumber,floating on theBanyan leaf during cosmic deluge. The Adi Purusha in his eternal happiness remained afloat on the Milky Ocean, for how long nobody can say. He wanted
to create the Universe. Lord Vishnu appeared before Brahma in the form of a swan. Brahma questioned its identity, to which the swan replied with two monosyllables 'OM' and 'THAP' and disappeared.

Brahma construed this bewildering reply as a direction to start penance uttering the word 'OM'. After long years of penance, the four Vedas appeared. After years of further penance, Bhoomi (land, the earth)
appeared, then the fire, the sky and Devaloka, the heaven where angels stay, and human beings, animals, etc., gradually appeared. At that time, a demon, by name
Madhu Kaitabha, appeared from the ear of Brahma and snatched the Vedas from him and disappeared into the ocean. This incident annoyed Brahma, who also plunged into the ocean to search for the miscreant.

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