The General
Layout
The layout of the temple of
Sri Vijayaraghava displays some peculiar aspects.
- The Pushkarini ( sacred tank) lies in the axis of
the south rampart.
- The Dwajasthambam ( flagmast) lies outside the
temple to the east of the Rajagopuram ( main entrance tower) on the northern side of the
tank.
Andal Shrine is situated in the southwest corner in the Udaiyavar kalaksheba mandapam.
- On the northern side along
with the rampart are situated sannidhis for SriVedantha
Desikar and Sri Manavala Mamunigal.
- Sri Udaiyavar's (Ramanuja) shrine
has a prakaram for circumambulating (pradakshinam). A pradakshinam of Sri Ramanuja is
considered to be equal to that of performing pradakshinas around so many deities.
- A separate temple for
Jatayu
( probably the ONLY one to him) is raised on the eastern bank of the
pushkarini.
Both Vimanams
(Canopies) of Thayar and Perumal shrines are square in section upto eight feet and
octogonal upwards. It is learnt that after the shelling of the gopurams in the Karnataka
wars, they were rebuilt in haste.