Rameshwaram Temple Tamil Nadu

Spiritual belief in the hearts of worshippers is something that keeps them going through thick and thins of life. And this temple here in Tamilnadu, is not just any temple, it is one of the holiest Hindu Char Dham sites. Rameshwaram along with Badrinath, Puri and Dwarka are the famous temples of India that are visited by pilgrims to attain salvation. Talking about this spiritual pilgrimage site of Tamil Nadu, it finds its place in the town of Rameshwaram and is one of the 274 Paadal Petra Sthalams which finds its special mention in the songs of the three famous Nayanars, Sundarar, Appar and Tirugnana Sambandar. With the coming of 12th century, Rameshwaram temple saw its days of evolution by the hands of Pandya Dynasty and is revered as a sacred site for Vaishnavites, Shaivites and Smarthas. The Indian epic Ramayana is associated with this temple where the Lord Rama worshipped the lingam of Lord Shiva to get rid of the sins he committed when he fought with Ravana, the king of Lanka.

STORIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE TEMPLE

Legend has it that this popular temple of Tamil Nadu is related to Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu and talks about the Indian epic Ramayana. It it believed that Lord Rama worshipped the lingam of Lord Shiva sculpted out of sand of the sea shore by Sita, the consort of Lord Rama. Lord Rama wanted to absolve himself of the sin he committed by killing a Brahmin during his face off with the King of Lanka, Ravana. To do so, Lord Rama asked Hanuman, his devotee to bring one lingam from the Himalayas. As Human gets delayed in bringing the lingam for Lord Rama, Sita his consort carved a lingam for him which is said to be present in the sanctum of the temple.

ARCHITECTURE

Apart from the many reasons that worshippers come for a pilgrimage tour to Rameshwaram, the one main reason is that this temple houses one of the 12 jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. This famous temple of Tamil Nadu is blessed with the presence of two lingams where one was sculpted by Sita, Ramalingam and the other being the one brought by Hanuman from Kailash which is known as Viswalingam. The ritual of worshipping the Viswalingam first in the morning is still followed in the temple. It is one of the famous temple that add more glory to the Dravidian style of architecture with the presence of its finely crafted high compound walls, Gopurams and the longest corridor out of all the Hindu temples all over India.

OPENING/CLOSING/ARTI TIME

5:00 AM to 01:00 PM; 3:00 PM to 09:00 PM

LOCATION/ADDRESS

Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu 623526

BEST TIME TO VISIT

The town as a whole is known for its tropical climate and hence the best time to visit Rameshwaram temple is between the months of October to April. Besides, you can also choose to plan a vacation in Rameshwaram in the monsoon months of July to September.

HOW TO REACH?

Regular service by state run buses from other parts of Tamil Nadu to Rameshwaram are available for travellers.

NEARBY TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

• Jada Tirtham
• Water Bird Sanctuary
• Gandhamadhana Parvatham
• Adam’s Bridge
• Nambu Nayagiamman Temple
• Five Faced Hanuman Temple
• Dhanushkodi Temple
• Ariyaman Beach