Ranganayaki

Ranganayaki (, ), also known by her epithet Tayar, () is a Hindu goddess. She is the presiding goddess of the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam. She is the chief consort of Ranganatha, the tutelary deity of Srirangam. The goddess is another form of Goddess Lakshmi, while Ranganatha is considered as a form of Lord Vishnu. She is also called Ranganachiyar and Periya Piratti.

Ranganayaki is venerated by the people of Srirangam and by Vaishnavas, the adherents of Vishnu. According to Sri Vaishnava tradition, she is regarded as equal to Ranganatha himself, considered to be both the means and the end of worship to the divine couple. Ranganayaki is usually depicted like Goddess Lakshmi, holding lotus flowers in her hands and sitting in the lotus pose. However, in the Srirangam temple, Ranganayaki is depicted with an unusual hairstyle, her hair is tied up in a bun (kondai) and kept to her left side.