India. Srirangam

 The town of Srirangam is known for its temple complex Sri Ranganathaswamy, which is the largest functioning Hindu temple complex and a major pilgrimage site for most Hindus... 

  Map of the journey through India... 

 Having flown from Udaipur to Tiruchirappalli airport, we immediately found a tuk-tuk and went to the town of Srirangam, which is located on an elongated island of the Kaveri River, 15 kilometers from the airport...  

 We reached the hotel around seven in the evening... After settling in, we immediately went for a walk to the temple complex, the main entrance of which was very close... The main gate, somewhat resembling a pyramid, is called a gopuram, a monumental structure over the passage through the temple fence...

  There are 21 gopurams located throughout the temple complex...

   After passing through the largest gopuram, we moved closer to the temple, passing other towers... An evening visit to the temple was a great decision; it was very calm and peaceful...  

 After the evening visit to the temple complex, we went to a local cafe to try the traditional Tamil dish Dosa – a large pancake with three different sauces... The dish is served on a banana leaf...

 The next morning, we went for a walk around the temple town... Thinking about where it would be safe to launch a drone to view the city from above, we visited some local residents, from the terrace of whose house there was a beautiful view of the largest gopuram... 

 Then we went inside the complex...

  Near the entrance and on the grounds of the complex, many flowers and other items for sacrificial rituals were being sold...

 On the way, we encountered an elephant that blessed passersby with its trunk for a monetary offering...

 First, you had to place money in its trunk, which it passed to its rider, after which it gently touched your head with its trunk...

  Walking through the streets of the temple complex felt like entering another world...

  The gopurams impressed with their colors and variety of figures from Indian epics... 

    

 The temple covers an area of 155 acres (63 hectares) with 81 shrines, 21 towers, 39 pavilions, and many water tanks integrated into the complex, making it the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world. The temple town is a significant archaeological and epigraphic site, offering a historical window into early and medieval South Indian society and culture. Numerous inscriptions indicate that this Hindu temple served not only as a spiritual center but also as a large economic and charitable institution that managed educational and hospital facilities, maintained a free kitchen, and funded regional infrastructure projects through received gifts and donations...

  The locals often asked to take photos with us, and we didn't refuse...

  In the very depth of the complex, there was a somewhat unusual white gopuram... 

 Near the white tower was a colonnaded hall with fantastic carvings on the stone columns...   

  The entrances to some of the shrines were beautifully painted...  

During the hot afternoon, when the temperature exceeded 35 degrees, we spent a long time sitting in the shade of the colonnaded hall near another sacrificial altar, observing the rituals of the Indians... 

  Other visitors also rested under the columns...

 The temple also has an observation deck, offering the best view of the gopurams...

 The temple complex is quite large, and it’s pleasant to walk around its territory... You can easily spend a whole day in the complex, observing a completely different way of life...

 Another nice place was a park with a palm alley...

  After three o'clock, we left the main temple area and headed to the exit of the complex...

  Here we tried jackfruit for the first time, a type of breadfruit... 

  It is extremely nutritious and delicious...

 Leaving the complex, we collected our things from the hotel and took a bus to Tiruchirappalli, from where we planned to go to Madurai that evening...

  Thus ended the adventure in one of the most interesting temples in India, and ahead of us was another day of visiting the temple complex dedicated to Meenakshi in the city of Madurai...