Rameswaram is situated south-east of India and the state of Tamilnadu. Rameswaram is a town on Pamban Island. It is known for the temple called Ramanathaswamy temple and also famous for being one of the twelve jothirlingas in India.
Distance to Rameswaram
You can reach Rameswaram from Madurai airport which is 149kms to Rameswaram. And 325kms from another famous place Kanyakumari. The Capital of Tamilnadu, Chennai is far 600kms from Rameswaram. We can reach Rameswaram Railway station by Train and to Madurai by Air and take a cab to Rameswaram.
Weather in Rameswaram
The Climate of Rameswaram is dry-tropical with low humidity. October to January rainfalls from the northeast monsoon. Summer between April and July with Min 27 degrees Celsius and Max 40 degrees Celsius.
Stay in Rameswaram
Nearby Ramanatha Swamy Temple, there are many Hotels with the price range of Rs 900/- to Rs 1500/-. This hotel is better if you planned for a day trip. If you planned for more than a day. you can find some good hotels like JKR Resort. I personally liked this hotel. The hospitality, food, and cleanliness, and staff are friendly to guests and the chief personally takes care of guest’s food choices.
Temples to Visit in Rameswaram
- Ramanatha Swamy Temple
- Ramar Padam (Lord Rama’s footprint) – Gandhamadhana Parvatham
- Agnitheertham
- Villoondi Theertham
- Lakshmana Theertham
- Ram Mandir (Lord Rama’s Temple)
- Sri Panchmukhi Hanuman Mandir & Floating Stones
- Sita Theertham
- Kothandaramaswamy Temple
Ramanatha Swamy Temple
Ramanatha Swamy temple is one of the oldest pilgrimages of India. And one of these Char Dham. The History of this temple dates back from the Ramayana period. In Hindu Belief, it is being said that Kasi Yatra is complete only after worshipping the Ramanathaswamy in Rameswaram.
Ramanatha Swamy temple’s lingam is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas and all are from north India and only one is in south India at Ramanatha Swamy temple.
This temple was built during the 12th century by Pandya Dynasty. The temple has the longest corridor among all the Hindu temples. The history of this temple goes like this When Rama killed the King of Sri Lanka Ravana, Rama prayed to god shiva to absolve him of the sin of killing Ravana. Rama asked Hanuman to bring lingam from himalaya and it got delayed and then Sita created a Shiva Lingam out of the sand and they Worshiped that lingam. And After the worship, Hanuman brought the large lingam from the Himalayas too. Both lingams are now there in the Ramanatha Swamy temple.
It is believed that your sins are washed away when you bathe from all the 22 Wells in this temple. Officially Rs. 25/- charged to take bath in these wells and Unofficially local people who charge Rs. 200/- and they will take you to every well and pour the water on you.
Agnitheertham
In Sanskrit, Agni means fire and theertham means holy water. The Agnitheertham is mentioned several times in the ancient texts hence The devotees visit this place every day to offer their prayers to the deity and atone their sins by taking a dip in this holy water. It is located east side of the temple and it is the only theertham in India where theertham is located outside of the temple.
People take a dip in this holy water before the darshan of Ramanatha Swamy.
Ramar Padam (Lord Rama's footprint) - Gandhamadhana Parvatham
Rama’s footprint can be seen at Gandhamadhana Parvatham. This temple is situated on the hilltop and it is the highest point of the island Rameswaram. You can enjoy a beautiful view from this hilltop and it is also famous for its sunset and sunrise attraction.
Villoondi Theertham
The word ‘Villoondi’ means “the place pierced by an arrow” and the word ‘theertham’ means holy water. When Sita was thirsty and only seawater was available around them. At that time Rama pierced an arrow into the sea and the water became sweet clean water and quenched the thirst of Sita.
Currently, the long well has been made and water is too deep inside. You require rope to bring the water out. You can also enjoy the beach nearby there and if you are lucky enough you can get some good shells like me.
Lakshmana Theertham
According to legends, Lord Lakshmana installed a lingam here and worshiped to shiva for the atonement of his sins. It is believed that before the prayer, Lakshmana had taken bath in this pond.
Ram Mandir (Lord Rama's Temple)
Ram Mandir where the Rama was resting with peace after the war. In this temple, you can find the “Spadigam Lingam” which looks transparent and glow in the darkness. Unfortunately, Photography is not allowed in this place.
Sri Panchmukhi Hanuman Mandir & Floating Stones
Most of us remember how Rama and his Vanara sena (Army) also Hanuman constructed the bridge to Lanka to kill Ravana and rescue Sita Devi. And we all were surprised when we were told that these stones were floating. The Mythological story of Ramsethu is found to be very old and unproven scientifically or archaeologically. At the same time, they could not explain the reason for floating stones found in Rameshwaram.
Some pieces of Ramsethu bridge evidence still exist. You can visit Sri Panchmukha Hanuman Temple (Five-headed Hanuman) to see these floating stones used by “Nala” and “Neela” who were the two engineers of the vanara sena to build this stone bridge to Lanka.
The floating stones are similar to other stones and have the same feature, physical orientation, and same chemical composition. These stones can be found only in the coastal regions of Rameshwaram.
Sita Theertham
It is believed that Sita Devi worshiped a shiva linga all alone to the atonement of her sins. Dharmarajan vanished his sins of uttering a lie by this Sita Theertham and also Indra freed himself of Brahmahatthi Dosham by taking a dip in this Holy water.
Kothandaramaswamy Temple
Konthandaramaswamy Temple history goes like this: After slaying Ravana. Rama performed the “Pattabhishekam” (Ascension to the king of Lanka) for Vibhishana at this place and resting spot for Rama, Vanara Sena, and Vibhishana after the war. You can find the paintings related to this here in the temple. Vibhishana is the younger brother of Ravana and he advised Ravana to return Sita Devi to Ram but he didn’t agree. After that Vibhishana surrendered himself to Rama and took Rama’s side to fight with Ravana.
Other Attractions in Rameswaram
- Pamban Bridge
- House of Kalam
- Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial
- Lost City – Dhanushkodi
- Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal meet.
- Beach in Dhanushkodi
Pamban Bridge
Pamban Bridge is India’s first sea bridge which connects the Mandapam in mainland India with Pamban Island and Rameswaram. It was inaugurated on 24th Feb 1914. It got its tourist attraction for its foldable bridge. When a Cargo Ship or any large Ship passes bridge gets folded to allow a path for ships.
House of Kalam
India’s beloved former president, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was born and raised till his teenage years in this house located at Rameswaram Temple Town. Currently, the house has a small museum and has Kalam’s articles. You can also do small shopping above the museum.
Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial
After the sudden demise of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam at Shillong on 25th July 2015. He was laid to rest at Pei Karumbu, Rameswaram. The government has built a memorial at his burial place. You can see all the things of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and miniature models of missiles etc.
Lost City - Dhanushkodi
Dhanushkodi is a town destroyed in the 1964 Rameswaram cyclone and uninhabited after that. It is located on the tip of Pamban Island of Tamilnadu state. You find a destroyed church and Dhanushkodi railway station. Also, you can enjoy the beach in Dhanushkodi. The place is open from 6.30 am to 5 pm. The best time to visit this place is in the morning.
Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal Meet
Here is the place where you can see both the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. Usually, the Bay of Bengal is calm and the Indian Ocean has more tides. Morning you can see a beautiful sunrise.
Beach in Dhanushkodi
There are more beaches in Dhanushkodi to fun and play
Shopping in Rameswaram
You can shop at the main temple or in Dhanushkodi. Personally, I liked Dhanushkodi there was beautiful jewelry, articles made out of seashells and you can find original pearls at a very low price. You can buy some auspicious stones.
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