Rameshwaram – The land of temples and so much more
Rameshwaram is a tiny fishing town located in Tamil Nadu. It is on the Pamban Island separated from Indian Mainland by the Pamban channel and is about 40 kilometres away from Mannar Island, Sri Lanka. It is one of the holiest places in India, and part of the Char Dham pilgrimage. This tiny town is blessed with the beautiful Hindu temples, picturesque beaches, sanctuary of birds and so much more. This place is not only for the pilgrims, but for any and every traveler who would like to experience a new place.
I planned a two days trip to Rameshwaram with my family. We reached early morning 6am, and towards the end of our journey, we saw the amazing sea bridge, i.e., the Pamban Rail Bridge. The Pamban Rail and the Road Bridge run in parallel. We saw the rail bridge and the azure waters with the ships and boats floating by. The view from the bus was so pleasant, it was a reminder of a wonderful start to our travel.
The Ramanathaswamy Temple and Agni Tirtham were at a walkable distance from our Hotel. Agni Tirtham beach is one of the most visited Tirthams of Rameshwaram for a holy bath. As soon as we reached there early morning, we saw many people, men and women, elderly and children to take bath in the sea. It is an old custom to take bath first in the Agni Tirtham and then take bath in the other 22 tirthams.
In some time, we left for the Ramanathaswamy Temple. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It was 9 am and was flocked by the pilgrims. There is a special entry ticket for the Temple darshan, which can be bought if you want to avoid the long queues. Also, another ticket has to be bought to take bath in the 22 teerthams. The attendants seek the band tied to the faithful’s hand, before pouring the water from the temple wells into them. You will also find some attendants inside the Temple who will offer there service to the tourists for the teerthams and the temple visit against some fees. They will buy all the necessary tickets for you and take you around the temple.
Since, the temple was very big and crowded and we did not have much knowledge about the events, we took the service of an attendant in the Temple. He took us through all the 22 teerthams, and explained us about the importance of each of those teerthams. He poured little water on us in each of the 22 teerthams as we have not carried extra clothes for changing later, and it was not allowed to enter the temple completely drenched in the water. He also asked us to taste the water from some of the wells, and it was unbelievable that the water tasted different from those wells, somewhere it was sweet and somewhere salty, and the temperature of the water was also different, though they were located nearby.
The temple is an architectural wonder. It houses one of the longest and largest pillared corridors in the world, which is beautifully carved. The attendant also told us the legend behind the temple. It goes by that Rama decided to worship Lord Shiva to absolve him of the sin of killing a Brahmin, Ravana. Rama wanted to have a large lingam to worship Shiva. So, he sent Hanuman to bring a lingam from the Himalayas. When Hanuman was delayed in bringing the lingam, Sita built a small lingam out of the sand available in the sea shore, which Rama worshipped. Later, Hanuman also brought a lingam from the Kailash. Both the lingas are present inside the sanctum.
Then we went to the Temple for Darshan. You can also conduct any pujas, if you wish. We only visited the Temple, took some Prasad along with us for distributing later and left the temple. Also, we are not allowed to take photographs inside the temple.
It was almost 12 o’clock as we came out of the temple. There were many auto drivers waiting outside the temple, who would offer you to take around the major attractions in the town. You can choose either the cab or the auto service. Both are comfortable, only difference is that the auto service will be cheaper. We decided to have our lunch and then visit all the other nearby attractions.
Panch-Mukhi Hanuman Temple: This temple is 2 kms. away from the Ramanathaswamy Temple, and features a five-faced hanuman idol. The idol is carved out of large Senthooram Stone. It also houses the stones used to build the Ram Setu, which mysteriously floats in the water.
Gandhamadhana Parvatham: This is a Temple of Lord Rama situated in a hill. It is the highest point in Rameshwaram and so one can view the whole island from the peak. It is believed that Lord Rama visited this hill and designed the further course of action to attack Lanka. This Temple of Lord Rama’s houses the imprints of his feet in a chakra.
Lakshmana Tirtham: It is located close to the Panch-Mukhi Temple. It is a sacred pond with a mandapam in the center. According to legend, Lord Lakshmana had installed a lingam and offered prayers to Lord Shiva at this place for atonement of his sins. Next to the sacred pond is the temple of Lakshmana, which contains several instances of Ramayana engraved in the walls.
Jada Tirtham: It is believed that when Rama was about to worship the Shiva Lingam after killing Ravana, he washed his jata in the Jada Tirtham. There is a temple next to the pond of Jada Tirtham. It is believed to be the only place where Lord Kapardisvara is worshipped.
It was 5:30pm when we returned to our hotel. Later, we went for a walk near the Agni Tirtham, and the Ramanathaswamy Temple. It was peaceful with very less people around and no vehicles in the streets. We had some fast food and did some shopping from the street shops. It was a pleasant evening.
Next day we had plans to visit Dhanushkodi. We left our hotel by 9am. It was an wonderful drive towards Dhanuskodi. Our first destination was the Kothandaramaswamy Temple.
It forms the southernmost tip of the island and is surrounded by the sea. The road to the temple is beyond beautiful. It is surrounded by Bay of Bengal on one side and majestic Gulf of Munnar on another side. The Temple is the only historical structure to survive the cyclone that washed away Dhanushkodi. The temple has the deities of Rama, Lakshmana, Sita, Hanuman and Vibhishana. The walls of the temple have been carved with the paintings that depicts the instances from Ramayana. It is one of the major attractions in Rameshwaram.
Then we left for the Dhanushkodi beach. The beach is bordered by the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean on the either side. This is the perfect getaway to spend some time in solitude. In this beach, the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean merge which is known as Arichal Munai in Tamil, also commonly referred as Sangam. This is one of the most beautiful places with an enthralling landscape and endless blue waters touching the sandy shores. The water is crystal clear and so clean, there are very few places in India where you will find such beautiful blue color of the water. The main attractions of the beach are Ram sethu view point and the Adam’s Bridge, but those are under water now. When you walk towards the Sangam, the feeling is surreal and you feel amazed to witness something so beautiful. If you open the google maps, it will show you the location as in the sea, and not in the Indian mainland. The waves of the Bay of Bengal is calmer than the Indian Ocean and you can have a good time playing in the beach. The walk to the southernmost tip of India will only fill your heart with happiness. I feel this is the best place in Rameshwaram.
Later, after spending some beautiful moments in the beach, we went to the Dhanushkodi town. It was once a flourishing trade town with a police station, church, railway station, school and more than 600 homes. However, the cyclone in 1964 left the place abandoned with houses, roads, places of worship submerged below the sea. Many people lost their lives, and later the town was declared unfit for human habitation. One can still see the ruins of the post office, railway station, church, hospital and the old school. Few fisher folk continue to live there. We found some of the anglers with their boats collecting their catch for the day. There were also some shops selling various artifacts with comparatively lesser price than the shops in the Rameshwaram town. It is a different experience to visit the town.
It was evening and the sky was colored with the orange hue. We came back to our hotel. Our journey had ended but it brought some of the most beautiful moments and unforgettable memories.
I will remember the beautiful faces, the azure waters, the majestic temples, the coconut trees, the picturesque landscape, the humble houses. I will remember the land of temples which gave me so much more to cherish.
