Tiruchirappali Tamilnadu
Tiruchirappali Tamilnadu
TAMILNADU
Abstract:
Introduction:
ஆயயிரம வயிரித்ததெழ தெலலையுலட அருந்தெதிறற
āyiram viritteḻu talaiyuṭai aruntiṟaṟ pāyaṟ paḷḷip palartoḻu tētta viritiraik kāviri viyaṉperu
turuttit tiruvamar mārpaṉ kiṭanta vaṇṇamum
On a magnificent cot having a thousand heads spread out, worshipped and praised by
many, in an islet surrounded by Kaveri with billowing waves, is the lying posture of the
one who has Lakshmi sitting in his chest
(Silapadikaram book 11, lines 35–40)
Description:
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, also known as Thiruvaranga Tirupati, is one of the most
illustrious Vaishnav temples in the country, dedicated to Ranganatha, a reclining form of
Hindu deity, Bhagwan (God or Lord) Vishnu. Situated in an ethereal setting on the island
of Srirangam that is bounded by the two rivers of Cauvery and Kollidam (a tributary of
Cauvery), this living temple and sacred centre of pilgrimage is counted as the first and
foremost among the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Bhagwan Vishnu.
Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the Temple Complex is massive in
scale and spread over 156 acres (63.131 hectares). According to some scholars, this
makes Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple the largest Functioning Temple in the World and is
often found ranked amongst the largest religious complexes of the world, including the
Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Borobodur in Indonesia, Machu
Picchu in Peru and the Vatican City. The temple is an active Hindu house of worship and
follows Thenkalai tradition of Sri Vaishnavism. The annual 21-day festival conducted
during the Tamil month of Margazhi (December–January) attracts 1 million visitors. The
temple complex has been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is in
UNESCO's tentative list.
More importantly, it is not just a temple but a temple-town, unique in its Sapta_Prakaram
formation, a temple centred settlement pattern that comprises of Sapta (seven)
concentric rectangular enclosures or prakarams formed by thick and huge rampart walls
that run round the sanctum sanctorum in which the deity presides. While the inner five
enclosures of the complex constitute the temple, the outer two enclosures function as the
settlement. Thus, the distinction between the temple and the settlement gets blurred and
the temple is also referred to as Srirangam many a times. This Temple-Town typology is
unique to this part of the world and Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is an exceptional
example of the same.
Apart from the 7 prakarams with massive walls, the Temple Complex has 21 very
colourful sculpted gopurams (consecrated gateways with towers), 50 sub shrines, 9
sacred pools, gilded Vimana (dome) over the sanctum sanctorum of the presiding deity,
and other interesting features such as fresco paintings. Active interchange of human
values was happening between the public and rulers in planning, designing, executing
and using the Temple complex.
Part of the temple is dedicated to the temple with its regular sevas, festivals and activities
of Vaishnav Cult. The other part is vibrant with regular human settlement with all its
daily routines and events. The temple is the nucleus and the life of people is centred
around it.
Another unique feature of the Srirangam Temple-cum-Township lay-out is that starting
with the eastern outer wall of the Sanctuary, there are consecrated mini_Mandapams
housing the blessed feet of the Lord in collinear formation through the Seven Enclosures.
The inner three enclosures taken together, with the Arya-bhata and the Parama-pada gates
defining the south-north axis, constitute the Inner Court and the entire outer area
occupied by the rest of the enclosures is known as the Outer Court.
Evidences prove the origin of the temple in 1st century CE during the Sangam period
(3rd Century BCE – 45th Century CE). However, as it stands today, the temple represents
an accretion of building activity over centuries, the architectural idioms coming from the
several royal dynasties who were captivated by and adored the Temple. Some of these
were the early Cholas (1st Century CE) ruling from Uraiyoor situated to the south of
Srirangam across the river, later Cholas (13 th Century CE) of Pazhaiyaarai and
Thanjavur, the Kongu rulers from Tamil west, the Pandyas from south (6th – 10th
Centuries CE and 13th– 14th Centuries CE), the Hoysalas (10th– 14th Centuries CE), and
the later rulers and viceroys of the celebrated Vijayanagara Empire of Karnataka (16Th
Century CE). The expansion schemes included addition of functional structures and
pavilions of grand temple protocol (like the Mallikarjuna Mandapam) and its growth is a
pointer to an antiquity since the time this unique centre of religious devotion had been
known to and extolled by a diversity of religious and linguistic groups across the nation
periodically surging towards this centre of pilgrimage par excellence.
STUDY AREA
Tiruchirappalli is the fourth largest city of Tamilnadu state in India (Latitude10.7905° N,
Longitude 78.7047° E) and is situated on the banks of River cauvery. It acts as a nodal
point for communication from North through South and East through West within the
state. Trichirappalli City has a population of 8,46,732 as per 2011 census. Tiruchirappalli
Corporation consists of four zones namely srirangam,Ariyamangalam,Abishekapuram
and ponmalai zone (Golden Rock) with each zone having 15 wards.
SRIRANGAM CITY
The Srirangam town is located at the geographical coordinates of 10° 52' 0" N, 78° 41' 0"
E in between rivers Cauvery and Kollidam. The average climate of Srirangam is humid
and the temperature range in summer is maximum of 36.9 degree centigrade and
minimum of 26.3 degree centigrade. In winter maximum of 30.3 degree centigrade and
minimum of 20.6 degree centigrade. The study was carried on the 24th of April 2013 and
the weather was with the following attributes: Average temperature 37 degree centigrade,
Wind :4.83 km/h, N 0°,Humidity :44 %,Visibility :6 km, Pressure :982.05 mb.(Weather
station , Tiruchirappalli).
ASPECTS OF CITY
PATHS : Paths were often the predominant elements in people’s image with the other
elements being arranged and related along paths. as the temples rectangular pathways
defines a imageability to the city .
• EDGES: The two main temples in the srirangam shows a focal point of development
and there is no edges can been seen rather a continuous development is prevailing .as it is
an island all sides are isolated by water bodies .
• NODES: The nodal point of the city is the center point of the two major temples .and
the magnificent towers become the hallway for entering into the temple
• LANDMARKS: The rajagopuram was the major landmark- highest tower in asia
and the 7 concentric walled sections and 21 magnificent towers or gopuram forms a
unique design of its kind next to madurai .
CLIMATE ANALYSIS
Urban Climate
Tiruchirappalli experiences a dry-summer tropical savanna climate
(Köppen climate classification: As), with no major change in temperature between
summer and winter. The climate is generally characterised by high temperature and low
humidity. With an annual mean temperature of 28.9 °C (84.0 °F) and monthly average
temperatures ranging between 25 °C (77 °F) and 32 °C (90 °F), the city is the hottest in
the state. The warmest months are from April to June, when the city experiences frequent
dust storms. As of November 2013, the highest temperature ever recorded in
Tiruchirappalli was 43.9 °C (111.0 °F), which occurred on 2 May 1896; the lowest was
observed on 6 February 1884 at 13.9 °C (57.0 °F). The high temperatures in the city have
been attributed to the presence of two rivers—Kaveri and Kollidam—and the absence of
greenery around the city. As Tiruchirappalli is on the Deccan Plateau the days are
extremely warm and dry; evenings are cooler because of cold winds that blow from the
south-east. From June to September, the city experiences a moderate climate tempered by
heavy rain and thundershowers. Rainfall is heaviest between October and December
because of the north-east monsoon winds, and from December to February the climate is
cool and moist. The average annual rainfall is 841.9 mm (33.15 in), slightly lower than
the state's average of 945 mm (37.2 in). Fog and dew are rare and occur only during the
winter season.
The climate is tropical in Srirangam. The summers are much rainier than the winters in
Srirangam. The Köppen-Geiger climate classification is Aw. The average temperature in
Srirangam is 28.9 °C. Precipitation here averages 842 mm.
SRIRANGAM CLIMATE GRAPH // WEATHER BY MONTH
The driest month is March. There is 9 mm of precipitation in March. The greatest amount
of precipitation occurs in October, with an average of 194 mm.
SRIRANGAM AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
With an average of 31.8 °C, May is the warmest month. The lowest average temperatures
in the year occur in January, when it is around 25.4 °C.
The precipitation varies 185 mm between the driest month and the wettest month. The
variation in temperatures throughout the year is 6.4 °C.
SITE PLANNING
FORTIFICATION
The eight enclosures were open space till the 15th Century and were used
to temporarily rehabilitate people affected by the floods.
The pattern in which the ramparts are built with roads leading through the
gopuram emphasize the centrality of the temple .
Congregations ,festivals, etc .thus the streets and their layout reflects often
the function and the mood of an community at a particular period.
STREET PATTERN
Srirangam ,as typical of many ancient towns in India ,These sacred monuments were
constructed in such a position that providing a focal point for the city . • Initially these
were only two temples ,with individual settlements around them in a particular order the
temple with the brahmin, Vaishya, & shudra community residence laid out in concentric
pattern around the temple . • The status and power was reflected in the height of the
building . • The settlement patterns were community or occupation based . • The volume
and character of the streets network change when we move from periphery to the centre
of the temple.
SETTLEMENT PATTERN
The intension of the each ruler is to build the walls and Gopurams higher than the
previous ones. • The temple was also used as a military fort by the Nayaks for some time.
On the southern face of the rock are several beautifully carved cave temples of the
Pallava period. • In the 20th Century, Srirangam became a municipality and the town
started to grow outside the fortified enclosure walls. Today it is spread all across the
island. • The quaint riverbanks are buzzing with building activity. Old buildings are being
demolished rapidly. The ecology of the island and the life within the town needs to be
protected and sensitively planned for
SOCIAL CULTURAL BEHAVIOUR OF THE CITY • There were festivals round the
year and pilgrims flocked to this place to worship. • A temple as an institution ,influences
all the aspects of life of the people in ancient India and it’s the major source of
employment . • In addition along the banks of Kaveri in areas near Srirangam and
Tiruchirappalli there are other famous temples of Lord Vishnu most of which house the
reclining form of him, namely the Sri Vadivazhagiya Nambi Perumal Temple (Thiru
Anbil) and housing the deity Appala Ranganathar, also called the Appukudaththan
Temple at Koviladi. • The tower and temples were the highest building in the town giving
importance to GOD, The houses were build with low lintel ways for “bow cultural Impact
“
Garuda Mandapa:
The Garuda Mandapam (hall of the legendary bird deity of Vishnu, Garuda) located on
the south side of the third enclosure is another Nayak addition. Courtly portrait
sculptures, reused from an earlier structure, are fixed to the piers lining the central aisle.
A free-standing shrine inside the hall contains a large seated figure of Garuda; the eagle-
headed God faces north towards the principal sanctum.
RECOMMENDATION The suggested recommendation for the TYPE A streets in order
to have better outdoor thermal comfort condition of its pedestrian users is that the
possibility of enhancing shading. The shading can be either through landscape as well
through projections from the building surfaces (balconies, galleries, simple slab
projection). 10.0 CONCLUSION The PET (Physiological Equivalent Temperature)
value that is calculated with the help of RAYMAN software enables in identifying the
factors that contribute to the urban microclimate modification in specific to the pedestrian
users. When the PET (Physiological Equivalent Temperature) values for different
Orientation, Landscape and Aspect Ratio within the typologies (TYPE A and Type B
streets) following aspects were observed: 1. The PET (Physiological Equivalent
Temperature) values of N-S orientation was less compared to the E-W orientation. 2. The
streets with landscape on both sides had less PET (Physiological Equivalent Temperature)
value compared to the canyons with one sided landscape followed by canyons with no
landscape. 3. The canyons with more aspect ratio had less PET (Physiological Equivalent
Temperature) value.