Ramanathaswamy temple is located in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu, which is considered to be the holy pilgrim place for Smarthas, Shaivites and Vaishnavites. Here, lord Shiva is worshiped in the form of Jyotirlingas and hence it is counted amongst the twelve Jyotirlingas. The primary deity of the temple is lord Shiva (Ramanathaswamy) in the form of Jyotirlinga which means the pillar of light. The other two main deities inside the temple are Ramalingam, which means the lingam made of sand of goddess Sita and the other Vishwalingam which is brought by lord Hanuman from Kailash Mountain.

Legend

The temple is a monument of Rama’s victory and has a close connection with Ramayana. It is believed that as per Ramayana, lord Rama committed the misdeed of killing evil spirit ruler Ravana who was a Brahmin. When he killed Ravana, he returned with Sita and his first step was on the shores of Rameshwaram. It is said that Rama was seventh incarnation of lord Vishnu, who wanted to pray to lord Shiva to forgive his sins. Rama wanted the largest lingam to worship lord Shiva, hence he sent Hanuman to Himalayas to get one. As Hanuman took longer time to return, Sita, wife of Rama created a small lingam of Lord Shiva from the sand available from the nearby seashore. The lingam created by Sita is believed to be available in the temple of Ramanathaswamy.

History

The Ramanathaswamy temple was expanded by Pandya Dynasty in the 12th century. The temple is one of the 275 sthala where three most honored saints Tirugnana Sambandar, Sundarar and Appar have sung songs and hyped the temple. The Ramanathaswamy temple has the longest hallway as compared to all Hindu temples.

Architecture

The Ramanathaswamy temple is spread in 15 acres of land having long corridors and gigantic walls. The temple is an example of Dravidian architecture and culture. The Ramanathaswamy temple is an ancient temple with towering compound walls and long hallways inside. Around the temple, there are 64 tirthas which means there are sacred water bodies near the temple. It is believed as per the Skanda Purana 24 out of 64 tirthas are very important and 22 tirthas are present in the Ramanathaswamy temple. The important tirtha is Agni Theertham (Bay of Bengal). It is said that bathing in these tirthas is an important feature of sacred pilgrimage is identical to penance.

Festivals

The Ramanathaswamy temple is one of the sacred temples in the Char Dham yatra. The other temples include Dwarka, Puri and Badrinath. The visit to these temples is believed to be most divine and all Hindus should visit these temples once their lifetime. The worship of Rama is celebrated in the months of Aani – from June to July. Other than this festival two yearly festivals are celebrated known as Bhrammotsavams in the months of Aadi and Maasi.

Temple Rituals

The temple carries out six worships during the day, where first puja starts at 5:00 am. There are special worships and puja’s conducted every Friday.

Best time to Visit

The temple can be visited during summer season which starts from April till July, where temperature can go up-to 40 degrees Celsius. The morning and evening time is pleasant to explore the town, afternoons are sunlit.

Rameshwaram can also be visited during monsoon season which starts from July and lasts till September. The climate during this time is insignificantly humid but it does not rain heavily.

How to Reach

Rameshwaram is well connected to all major cities in India.

By Train

Regular trains ply from metro cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Tiruchirappalli and Bangalore to Madurai.

By Air

The nearest airport is Madurai; daily flights take off from Chennai to Madurai. Other major cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore are well connected to Madurai through airways.

By Road

Madurai is connected to all major towns in southern part of India. Local buses, taxis, auto, cycle rickshaws and even horse carts are available to travel close by. Daily Rameshwaram to Tirupathi bus service is operated by Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation.