South India - Pilgrimage of Tamilnadu - Rameshwaram

» Location : Island Of Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu
» Deity Worshipped : Linga Of Sri Ranganatha
» Famous Tradition : A Pilgrimage To Kashi Is Not Considered Complete Without A Pilgrimage To Rameshwaram
» Significance : One Of The 12 Jyotirlingas Of India


Tamilnadu Pilgrimage
» Kanchipuram
» Kanyakumari
» Madurai
» Mahabalipuram
» Rameshwaram
more South India Pilgrimage


Rameshwaram (also spelt as Rameswaram) is a pilgrimage centre of nationwide importance, as Rama is said to have worshipped Shiva here on his way back from SriLanka. The temple is in the island of Rameshwaram, the Banares of the South, connected to the mainland by a bridge. The deity here constitutes one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of India.

The Sacred Pilgrimage To Rameshwaram
A pilgrimage to Rameshwaram is among the important injunctions laid on the Hindu from time immemorial. The great temple of Sri Ramanatha is connected by tradition with Kashi. A pilgrimage to Kashi is not considered complete without a pilgrimage to Rameshwaram. In olden days groups of pilgrims, many of them quite old, walked huge distances to the two temples, taking months and years, and some failing to survive the rigours and dangers of such incredibly long journeys. Men and women knew this cost might be exacted of them, but they repaid it cheerfully.

The Rameshwaram pilgrimage has long been a tradition in South India, particularly in Tamil Nadu, and has passed into folklore. Many kings of old prided themselves on having planted columns of victory in Rameshwaram-Krishna III the Rashtrakuta, in the 10th century; the Hoysala, Vishnuvardhana, in the 12th century.

Everything in and near Rameshwaram is traditionally connected with incidents in the "Ramayana". The Kashi pilgrimage is considered complete not only after worship in the Sri Ramanatha temple but also after a bath in Dhanushkodi, a tip of the island where the Bay of Bengal, called the "Mahodadhi" in ancient times, joins the Indian Ocean, or Ratnakaram, its beautiful old name "Dhanushkodi", in Tamil the "end of the bow", takes its name from a tradition that Sri Rama, at the request of Vibishana, his friend, destroyed the bridge to Sri Lanka with the end of His bow. Dhanushkodi was affected in a cyclone a few years ago.

The Great Temple Of Sri Ramanatha
The temple of Sri Ramanatha, which has over the centuries grown into its present gigantic dimensions, stands on the eastern shore of an island, which is shaped like a conch, which Lord Vishnu bears in one of His hands. No field is ploughed or oil presses any where in the island. A magnificent railway bridge, over a kilometre long and constructed at the beginning of the twentieth century, connects it with the mainland.

To help the pilgrims walking incredible distances, philanthropists used to construct rest houses at intervals along the way. The last of them before Rameshwaram was Thangachimadam, a few kilometres away on the island. Modern means of transport have made these rest houses superfluous. But in their time they were most useful, even vital. The Sethupathis of Ramanathapuram, of which the district Rameshwaram is an administrative part, were called the "guardians of the Sethu", the bridge which, according to tradition, was built for Sri Rama to cross over into Sri Lanka when He set out to recover Sita.

About The Temple
Since it was Sri Rama Himself who, in time honoured tradition, built the temple, it is held in particular reverence. After killing Ravana, He returned to India and, in Rameshwaram, offered worship to Lord Shiva to expiate the sin incurred in destroying him. Intending to set up a Linga, He directed Hanuman to bring one from Kailasa within a certain time. Hanuman was delayed. Meanwhile, the propitious hour for the installation having arrived, Sita Herself prepared one of sand, and offered it worship. This is the Linga of Sri Ramanatha in the temple.

When Hanuman returned with a Linga, He found that it was too late. He was angry and attempted to uproot the Ramalinga. But He failed. To pacify Him Sri Rama directed that his Linga, the "Visvalinga", should also be set up and that worship should first be offered to it. This is the second Linga under worship in the temple.

Shrines Within The Temple
In the principal sanctum there is the Linga of Sri Ranganatha. This is the one, which Sita made and Sri Rama sanctified. There is much delicate artistry in many parts of the sanctum. The Vimana, of three storeys, contains images of Hanuman, the Gandhamadhana Linga, and the Agastya Linga. The Linga of Visvanatha (also spelt as Vishvanatha), which Hanuman brought, is enshrined in another sanctum to the north. Worship is offered to it first.


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