Madhya 9.79

According to some, the place known as Papanasana was located eight miles southwest of Kumbhakonam. Others say that in the district of Tinebheli there is a city known as Palamakota. Twenty miles west of there is a holy place known as Papanasana near the river named Tamraparni. Sri Raṅga-ksetra is a very famous place. Near Tricinapalli is a river named Kaveri, or Kolirana. A city known as Sri Raṅgam is located on this river in the district of Tanjor about ten miles west of Kumbhakonam. The Sri Raṅga temple is the largest in India, and there are seven walls surrounding it. There are also seven roads leading to Sri Raṅga. The ancient names of these roads are the road of Dharma, the road of Rajamahendra, the road of Kulasekhara, the road of Alinadana, the road of Tiruvikrama, the Tirubidi road of Madamadi-gaisa, and the road of Ada-iyavala-indana. The temple was founded before the reign of Dharmavarma, who reigned before Rajamahendra. Many celebrated kings like Kulasekhara, and others such as Alabandaru, resided in the temple of Sri Raṅgam. Yamunacarya, Sri Ramanuja, Sudarsanacarya and others also supervised this temple.

The incarnation of the goddess of fortune known as Godadevi, who was one of the twelve liberated persons known as divya-suris, was married to the Deity, Lord Sri Raṅganatha. Later she entered into the body of the Lord. An incarnation of Karmuka, Tirumaṅga (one of the Alovaras), acquired some money by stealing, and built the fourth boundary wall of Sri Raṅgam. It is said that in the year 289 of the age of Kali, the Alovara of the name Tondaradippadi was born. While engaged in devotional service, he became victim to a prostitute, and Sri Raṅganatha, seeing His devotee so degraded, sent one of His servants with a golden plate to that prostitute. When the golden plate was discovered missing from the temple, there was a search, and it was found in the prostitute's house. When the devotee saw Raṅganatha's mercy upon this prostitute, his mistake was rectified. He then prepared the third boundary wall of Raṅganatha temple and cultivated a tulasi garden there.

There was also a celebrated disciple of Ramanujacarya's known as Kuresa. Sri Ramapillai was the son of Kuresa, and his son was Vagvijaya Bhatta, whose son was Vedavyasa Bhatta, or Sri Sudarsanacarya. When Sudarsanacarya was an old man, the Mohammedens attacked the temple of Raṅganatha and killed about twelve hundred Sri Vaisnavas. At that time the Deity Raṅganatha was transferred to the temple of Tirupati in the kingdom of Vijaya-nagara. The governor of Giṅgi, Goppanarya, brought Sri Raṅganatha from the temple of Tirupati to a place known as Simha-brahma, where the Lord was situated for three years. In the year 1293 Saka the Deity was again reinstalled in the Raṅganatha temple. On the eastern wall of the Raṅganatha temple is an inscription written by Vedanta-desika relating how Raṅganatha was returned to the temple.