Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Trichy

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is situated in the town of Srirangam in Trichy. I visited it when I was at Care College of Architecture last year for taking a thesis workshop. We took some time to look at the layout of Srirangam - a set of concentric quadrangular rings within which the temple town thrives since the Vijaynagara period. 

It could be so complex to talk about this temple because of its baroque experience. The fractal like stories embedded within its space and materiality are a treat to discover. Not only are the gateways exquisite, but they are spatially so rich - in architectonics and detail, that I feel underequipped to speak about them. 

Nevertheless, some things that I want to note for future would be 

1. The quality of light and the section of some of the corridors which work out a clerestory opening. Unlike many south Indian temples which do not bring in light at all, this temple complex as well as the temple premises brings in controlled light throughout. One passes through a series of pavilions and corridors never feeling dark. 

The column structure is majestic and the brackets growing out of the capital are architecturally unique. The meeting of roofs in several places also creates awkward junctions which are boldly left unresolved. 

2. Along each column, one is able to see fantastical creatures - each which is a part of a mythological story. I was amazed to see how a single figure carved on a column could tell an entire story. This intelligence of picking the right moment from a seemingly long story to narrate and encapsulate the entire event is ingenuous. These figures almost are equivalents of QR codes which index people into another time-space in such unique ways.

3. Lastly, we always wonder where the proportions of these places come from. One of the pictures below will show the column grid used neatly for the parking of traditional rathas that must be used to carry various deities along the town during specific occasions. Did the sheer thoughtfulness of tucking these vehicles within the structure precede or followed the planning of the building - I don't know - but the complimenting proportions of the building and its parts reminds us that there is so much that can be spatialised meaningfully and we ought to learn these ways of fitting in our surroundings.