Arulmigu Ramanathaswamy Temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines, where Shiva is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlinga meaning “pillar of light”. It is located in the Rameswaram island in the state of Tamil Nadu.
The temple and also the island of Rameswaram have noninheritable this name as a result of, Lord avatar adored Lord Shiva, the God of Gods here on come back from Sri Lanka.
Temple History says that after killing Ravana Lord Rama(incarnation of Lord Vishnu) returned with his consort Goddess Seetha to India first stepping on the shores of Rameswaram. To expiate the “dosha” of killing a brahmin, Lord Rama wanted to offer worship to Lord Shiva. Since there was no shrine within the island had despatched Sri Hauman to Kailash to bring associate idol of Lord Shiva
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Lord Rama had asked Hanuman to urge lingam from Himalaya Mountains. However, Hanuman couldn’t return with lingam on time owing to which Goddess Sita has created a lingam herself. Lord Rama then adored Lord Shiva at the pre determined auspicious moment. Pleased, Lord Shiva blessed Lord avatar and upon his request additionally manifested himself within the lingam It is the believed that the same lingam is now present in the sanctum of the temple.
As per the legend, the lingam brought by Hanuman from Kailash has also been kept within the temple. The lingam is thought as Vishwalingam or Hanumalingam. As per the directions of Lord Rama, prayers ar offered at Hanumalingam initial before providing prayers to the Lord Ramanathaswamy.
This temple has twenty two theerthams, bathing during which is believed to atone sins of devotees. Sri Ramanathaswamy temple is regarded with high significance even in holy scripture of Hindu religion
Quick Facts:
- Address: Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu 623526
- Architectural style: Dravidian architecture
- Phone: 04573 221 223
- Deity: Ramanathaswamy (Shiva)
- District: Ramanathapuram
- Function: Hindu Temple
- Dress Code: Dhoti for men and Sari for women(Decent clothes will also be fine with Dupatta)
- Temple Timings: 5:00 am – 1:00 pm , 3:00 pm – 9:00 pm
- Entry Fees: No entry fee (25 rupees for Still Camera)
For holy bath in the 22 well you need to buy a separate ticket.(Important note:- You will also have to take bath in the sea before taking a bath in the holy wells).
Beware of the Touts:
When you visit the temple you will come across these touts who will pretend to be from the temple trust and will lure you for VIP darshans and they will ask for good sum of money. Please do not fall in their trap. But also note that touts will not allow you to take bath in the holy wells if you are not accompanied by a pandit.
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Pooja Timing:
| S.no | Poojai | Timing |
| 1) | Palliyarai Deepa Arathana | 05:00 A.M |
| 2) | Spadigalinga Deepa Arathana | 05:10 A.M |
| 3) | Thiruvananthal Deepa Arathana | 05:45 A.M |
| 4) | Vila Pooja | 07:00 A.M |
| 5) | Kalasanthi Pooja | 10:00A.M |
| 6) | Uchikala Pooja | 12:00 NOON |
| 7) | Sayaratcha Pooja | 06:00 P.M |
| 8) | Arthajama Pooja | 08.30 P.M |
| 9) | Palliyarai Pooja | 08:45 P.M |
Interesting Facts:
- The temple corridors have a height of 6.9 meters it consists 1,212 pillars. The impressive fact is when we look the corridor from one end to another end the pillars appear to meet in one single dot. Which defines the brilliant architecture of ancient tamil kings.
- These herculine pillars are extremely helpful a strong foundation of the Rameshwaram Temple. Each pillar is carved with magnificent and artistic Hindu carvings.
- The temple has two ‘Lingam-s’ presiding, which are ‘Ramalingam’ and ‘Viswalingam’.
- The main deity (moolavar) of the temple, the Shiva linga installed by Lord Rama is kept inside this shrine. Ramanathaswamy shrine is built using dark black granite stones, and the Vimana (rooftop tower) was coated with gold. Within the temple, there are separate shrines for Ramanathswamy, Visalakshi, Parvathavardhini, Santanaganpathi, Mahaganapathi, Subrahmanya, Sethumadhava, Mahalaxmi, Nataraja, and Anjaneya.
How To Reach?
By Air
The closest airfield is at Madurai, concerning 174 kilometre from Rameswaram. The airfield is well connected by flights to several Indian cities like Chennai, Trichy, Bengaluru and Mumbai. Pre-paid taxi services are offered from the airfield
By Rail
The Rameswaram train station is that the major railhead. Trains from Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, Trichy, Thanjavur, Palakkad and Bengaluru halt at the station. Taxi services are offered from the station.
By Road
Rameswaram is well connected by roads to different cities of Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu Road Transport Corporation buses ply often from , Kanyakumari, Madurai, Trichy and different cities to Rameswaram. Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation buses additionally ply daily from Tirupati to Rameswaram.
Infinite Corridors:
There are many architectural features in the Ramanathaswamy Temple that are worth admiring, none is as brilliant as its corridors. For a begin, the temple has 3 sets of corridors. The outer set of the temple’s corridors incorporates a height of almost seven meters and stretches for roughly a hundred and twenty meters in each the eastern and western directions. The corridors to the north and to the south, on the opposite hand, ar concerning 195 meters long. it’s usually claimed that this is often the longest set of temple corridors within the world. In addition to its length, the outer corridor is also remarkable for the number of pillars that support it, which is over 1200 in number. Moreover, many of these pillars are decorated by ornate carvings. It’s fascinating to notice that the temple is one of twelve Jyothirlinga temples that has Shive adored within the form of a Jyotirlingam, or “pillar of light
Within the area of the outer corridor is a second set of corridors. According to the historical sources, the construction of this set of corridors was initiated about seven centuries ago, when the area was under the rule of the Vijayanagara Empire. Unfortunately, the work was never completed, and the unfinished corridors have been left as such until today. In 2017, this set of corridors underwent an examination by a team of experts, which may allow the corridors to be completed in the future. Nonetheless, these corridors are better-known for their 108 lingams, also as its Mahaganapati (one of the thirty two styles of Ganesha) sculpture.
The innermost set of corridors is additionally the oldest of the 3 though these corridors were made throughout the twelve th century, they were restored repeatedly over the centuries. it’s here that the sanctum of the Ramanathaswamy Temple could also be found. The sacred symbol, who is that the main spiritual being of the temple, is housed within the sanctum, at the side of its consort, Parvathavarthini Amman.
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Where to Stay?
The temple has lodging facility. Details are as follows:-
Room Details :
| S.no | Room Type | Room Number | Room Rent |
| 1) | Double Bed | T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 | 500/- |
| 2) | Double Bed | D22, D23, D24, D25, D26 | 500/- |
Note: We don’t make any guarantees if the above-stated facts are not correct. If you think any information provided by us is wrong then contact us.