Place · river-island Vishnu shrine · India
Shivasamudram / Madhyarangam
The Kaveri island in Mandya district, Karnataka, where the river splits into two cataracts around a basalt plateau — the Gaganachukki and Bharachukki falls, each about 90m high. The Madhyaranga Perumal temple at the head of the island carries the middle Ranganatha of the three Kaveri-island shrines in the Adi-Madhya-Antya Ranga series. India's first major hydroelectric power station was built here in 1902 for the Kolar Gold Fields, which made Bangalore the first Asian city to be lit by electricity from a central station.
- Periods
- Regional Flourishing, Islamic Age and Bhakti Traditions
- Function
- Sacred site & pilgrimage
- Tradition
- Local Vishnu tradition
- Confidence
- Established / referenced
- Location
- 12.299, 77.174
Connections (3)
- River flowSrirangapatna / Srirangapattana
From Srirangapatna the Kaveri runs on to the next island shrine of Ranganatha at Shivanasamudra, the Madhyaranga or middle Ranga of the sequence, where the river also falls in two great cataracts. India's first hydroelectric station was built at those falls in 1902 to power the Kolar gold mines — so one of the three Ranga islands is also the site at which electrical power generation in Asia began.
- In the same set asShrīrangam
Shivanasamudra and Srirangam are linked through the Kaveri’s sacred island geography. At Shivanasamudra, the river divides around an island before continuing towards Srirangam, where it again creates the great temple island. Together, they illustrate how the Kaveri’s physical landscape became intertwined with Vishnu worship and the sacred geography of southern India.
- River flowKāverī
Shivanasamudra is intimately connected with the Kaveri River, which divides around its rocky island before plunging over spectacular waterfalls. The island is home to the Madhya Ranga Ranganatha shrine and lies within the Kaveri’s sacred landscape. Its waterfalls, temples and river channels together make Shivanasamudra an important natural and religious landmark in Karnataka.
On these journeys
Sources
Wikipedia, “Ranganathaswamy Temple, Shivanasamudra”. Archaeological Survey of India and State Archaeology monument records, and the standard regional literature.
Open Shivasamudram / Madhyarangam in the repository →