One of the most popular temples in the country is situated on the small island called Rameswaram island, Chennai. It is the main temple of your entire pilgrimage journey of Rameshwaram. The temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples of India dedicated to lord Shiva. This temple is not just famous because of 12 Jyotirlingas, but also famous for its incredible architectural form, the Hindu highly sacred temple is known for its intricate works on the walls. The temple has 22 theerthams, a dive into that is believed to stone all the sins of the devotees and it is one of the four main pilgrimage sites called Char Dham which includes Dwarka, Badrinath, and Puri.
If you are on a pilgrimage journey, then without visiting the Rameshwaram temple your journey is incomplete. The temple got its religious importance of this temple that can be seen, and thousands of people are visiting every day to offer their prayers and seek the blessings of Lord Shiva throughout the year.
History & Significance
Let’s talk about the history of the temple, some of us are aware of that, but some people don’t know. According to the legends, Lord Rama had worshiped Lord Shiva. While coming back to save his wife Sita, Rama had to kill the Ravana to save his wife. Lord Rama came here to offer his prayers to Shiva. Well, Lord Ravana was the Brahmin King, but Lord Rama had to kill him to put an end to his cruelty, Lord Rama was guilty of killing a Brahmin, to seek his atonement or punishment by Lord Shiva. To offer his prayers, Lord Rama asked Hanuman to get one Lingam from the Himalayas, but Hanuman couldn’t get it on time, so that time Goddess Sita built a lingam by herself, and Lord Rama started worshipped Lord Shiva and offered his prayers. Lord Shiva was pleased by Rama’s worship and blessed Lord Rama, upon his request also manifested himself in the Lingam forever. It is said that it is the same lingam that is present in the temple, which was worshipped by Lord Rama, and Shiva manifested into the Lingam.
But the lingam that was brought by lord Hanuman from the Himalayas, has also been kept in the temple which is known as Vishwalingam or Hanumalingam. At that time, Rama said that the prayers will offer first at Hanumalingam before offering to the Lord Ramanathaswamy. So, the temple has significance, it is associated with Lord Rama and his successful rescuing of Goddess Sita after killing Ravana and while coming back to Ayodhya, Lord Rama worshipped Lord Shiva.
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However, the ancient holy temple is said to have been housed inside a tangle hut till the 12 th century. The rest of the temple was built by the Sethupathi rulers of Ramanathapuram and it was built in the 17th century AD.
You know, the Sri Ramanathaswamy temple is spread across 15 acres. Its majestic pillars, vast corridors, walls, and gopurams attract every visitor. The granite walls have intricate carvings that have been mounted on a raised platform. This temple is surrounded by huge walls on all four sides with approximate heights of 865 feet to 657 feet. The outer corridors are the temple considered the longest in the world with a total length of 3850 feet. There are Almost 1212 pillars in the outer corridor and 30 feet high, while the main tower of Raja gopuram that has a height of around 53 meters. It is also said that the rocks used to build the corridor are not from this region but were brought from somewhere outside Tamil Nadu. Another stunning feature is the paved way from western gopuram to Setumadhava shrine, which is in the form of a chess board and presents a unique and stunning view.
Timings-
The opening timings of Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple, which is popularly known as Rameshwaram Temple are from 5 AM to 1 PM, and 3 Pm to 9 PM 7 days a week.
How to reach the temple?
Once you reach Rameshwaram city, you can take an auto or cab or can use government transport, there are frequent transports available from the city to reach the temple. Rameshwaram Temple is centrally located in Rameshwaram City and can be accessed by all modes of transport.
