of Srirangaptna, which is named after the deity, Sri Ranganatha in the temple. The annual Ranganatha Swamy temple fair is held at the temple premises in the month of Pausha (December/January). Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple (Srirangam) Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is located on the eastern shores of the Srirangam (Anthya Ranga) island, which appears like a conch in shape, one of the adornments in Vishnu's hands. In this temple, Ranganatha in a reclining position resting on the bed of Shesha and is seen with his consort Ranganayaki. There are many legends connected with the founding of the temple but the most narrated one is that the creator god Brahma was involved in doing tapas (meditation) here when the central icon of Ranganatha emerged from the cosmic milky ocean in a celestial flying craft. Brahma then took this image to his abode Satyaloka in the heavens where he offered daily puja. This was then brought to Ayodhya by King Ikshvaku after several hundred years of penance, and was passed down over generations to Ikshvaku's descendant Rama, an avatar of Vishnu himself and hero of the epic Ramayana. Rama then presented it to Vibhishana, who assisted him in killing the demon-king of Lanka and Vibhishana's elder brother, Ravana. However, when Vibhishana was taking the image to Lanka, he stopped en route on the banks of the Kaveri to bathe at Srirangam, and thereafter the deity wished to dwell there itself, and since then it is under continuous worship at this location. Since Vibhishana was very forlorn by the decision of the Lord, Ranganatha faces south towards Lanka to placate Vibhishana. One more legend mentioned is that river goddess Kaveri requested Ranganatha to reside at Srirangam. The temple is also known for the legend of Andal, a female Alvar saint of the Sri Vaishnava sect. She got married symbolically to the Ranganatha icon (Vishnu) as per her deep desire. The marriage took place in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple when Andal (said to be an incarnation of goddess Lakshmi) merged with the image, and became a part of Ranganatha. Another incident related to the deity of this temple is of a Vaishnava Saint (Vipra Narayanar) who lived in the 7th century and composed hymns in praise of the Lord. He was born in a village called Thirumandangudi on the banks of the Kaveri River and was a staunch devotee of Ranganatha of Srirnagam. He