The Sanctum's Crown
Vimānam (Sanskrit: a celestial vehicle; in architectural usage, the tower rising over the sanctum sanctorum) is the tower directly above the garbhagṛha (inner sanctum) where the mūlavar resides. While the rājagōpuram is the entrance tower visible from outside, the vimānam is directly over the Lord Himself — it is the Lord's own crown.
Āgamic Significance
In Pañcarātra and Vaikhānasa Āgamic tradition, the vimānam's form (shape, proportions, stories) is prescribed according to the deity enshrined below. Different deities have different prescribed vimānam forms. The vimānam of Śrī Raṅgam (Praṇava-vimānam) is considered especially sacred — it is said to be in the shape of Oṃ.
The Most Sacred Point
The space directly below the vimānam — where the mūlavar stands — is considered the holiest point in the temple, indeed in the universe. Standing in this space and receiving darśana of the mūlavar is the peak of the pilgrimage experience. The vimānam is literally the cap of the Lord's presence on earth.
[From alternate entry: vimana-temple]
Vimāna — The Sacred Tower Crowning the Deity's Dwelling
Vimāna (Sanskrit: vimāna = 'divine vehicle', 'measured out', from vi = apart, specially + māna = measure; the divine chariot or vehicle that carries, the tower that marks) is the vertical superstructure (śikhara in Sanskrit architectural terminology, vimanam in Tamil) rising directly above the garbhagṛha (the inner sanctum/womb-chamber) of a South Indian Āgamic temple. The vimāna is architecturally and spiritually the most important element of the temple structure: it marks the precise point on earth beneath which the consecrated deity (mūlasthāna mūrti) resides, and it serves as the vertical axis (brahma-daṇḍa) connecting the earth to the divine realm of Vaikuṇṭha above. This distinguishes it from the rājagopuram (the main entrance tower), which though often much taller and more visible, is less sacred than the vimāna — because the rājagopuram is a gateway, while the vimāna is the crown of Bhagavān's actual abode.
In Āgamic symbolic theology, the vimāna is the 'chariot' (vimāna = divine vehicle) on which Bhagavān 'rides' through the vertical cosmos — His presence descending from Vaikuṇṭha through the axis of the vimāna into the garbhagṛha below, and the worship of the devotees ascending upward through the same axis. The Āgamic texts (Mānasāra, Mayamata, Viṣṇudharmottara Purāṇa) prescribe multiple styles of vimāna — Nāgara (North Indian), Drāviḍa (South Indian), Vesara (hybrid), and various sub-types — each with a specific Āgamic name. In Śrī Vaiṣṇava divya-deśams, the vimāna is not merely architectural but receives its own sacred name and specific worship: at Śrī Raṅgam the vimāna is called Praghaṇa Vimāna; at Tirumalā it is Ānaṇdanilayam; at Kāñcīpuram (Varadarāja) it is Aṭṭhabhuja Vimāna.
In Śrī Vaiṣṇava theology, the vimāna's role in the ritual topography of the temple reflects the broader Viśiṣṭādvaita truth that the arcā-mūrti is Bhagavān's personal, gracious descent into the material world for the sake of His devotees. The vimāna marks that descent — a physical declaration that here, at this spot, Bhagavān has chosen to dwell. The prescribed ritual of vimāna-darśana (viewing the vimāna from outside the temple, even before entering) is considered highly auspicious: the Āgamas and Purāṇas state that the sight of the vimāna dissolves accumulated sins. Devotees performing pradakṣiṇa (circumambulation) around the temple effectively circle the vimāna — keeping Bhagavān's dwelling at their right hand as an act of reverence.