Along the River, towards God: raṅga Shrines along Rivers

Abstract

The article addresses a specific religious phenomenon found in the region of South India and connected to a group of Vaiṣṇava temples hosting the Raṅganātha form of Viṣṇu. The temples in question are located along the rivers, in this case, Kāverī and Pallar. Waters, especially rivers, perceived not only as a means of ensuring vegetation but also as endowed with certain divine attributes and often personified as goddesses, have in addition a place-connecting aspect. Keeping this in mind, the present enquiry takes as the starting point the Raṅganātha temple in Śrīraṅgam on the Kāverī-Kolliṭam river and revisits the concept of the holy sites of Viṣṇu, called raṅgas, situated along the banks of the rivers Kāverī and Pallar, and on their islands. The study, using, among others, some māhātmyas from the region, is the very first, largely preliminary attempt to broach this topic.