Rameswaram

Around 570 km from Tamil Nadu’s Capital Chennai, Rameswaram is a tiny island with some awe-inspiring pullers. This well known holy place of South India in the Gulf of Mannar has a legendary history when numerous dynasties ruled here. It finds its mention in the mythological Hindu epic Ramayana as well. Today, it is counted as one of the Char Dhams and receives pilgrims from all over the world.

As per Hindu religion it is believed that the Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple here was established by Lord Rama himself. The temple has beautiful Dravidian style architecture and is solely dedicated to Lord Shiva. The imposing corridors and huge sculptured pillars of the temple are worth seeing.  During the 12th Century Pandya kings increased the site of the temple. It once had 112 ponds however today only 12 ponds are remaining.

At 12 kms from Rameswaram, the Kothandaramaswamy Temple in Dhanushkodi is also a popular one. Legends have that this temple is the place where the younger brother of Ravana surrendered before Lord Rama. The temple houses idols of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman and features numerous paintings narrating the chapters from Ramayana. 

The Panchamukhi or Five-Faced Hanuman Temple, just 2 kms from Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple, is also a popular one here with an idol of Lord Hanuman projecting five faces. It is said that the idols of Lord Ram, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman were brought here during the 1964 cyclone from Dhanushkodi. The most striking thing about this temple is that it still has numerous floating stones which were used to create a bridge between India and Lanka.

Pilgrims visiting Rameswaram never miss a chance to take a dip into the holy waters of the sea of Agnitheertham which is at a distance of 100 metres from Sri Ramanathaswamy temple. One can see pilgrims performing various rituals along the coastline of this tranquil sea.