RAMANATHASWAMY TEMPLE

RAMANATHASWAMY TEMPLE

AT

RAMESHWARAM

The temple and the island of Rameswaram have acquired this name because, Lord Rama worshipped Lord Shiva, the God of Gods here on return from Sri Lanka. According to legend, after killing Ravana Lord Rama 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 in the island had despatched Sri Hauman to Kailash to bring an idol of Lord Shiva.

Located in the district of Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu, Rameshwaram is one of the renowned pilgrim centers in India. The place has great religious value in the heart of every devotee therefore a number of people come here throughout the year to worship their God. Rameshwaram is amongst the Char Dham pilgrimages in the country.

Nestled on the Rameshwaram Island, the religious city has a unique historical backdrop. According to Hindu Mythology, the place has one of the 12 Jyothirlingas of Lord Shiva. The medieval Dravidian architecture is something which will surely grab your attention. Rameshwaram temple which is seen as the major attraction of this holy place is believed to have been built by Lord Rama. The city had also witnessed many dynasties.

Besides the Rameshawarm temple, there are many ancient temples such as Agnitheertham, Gandamadana Parvatham, Dhanushkodi, and Kothandaraswamy Temple. The tranquil beauty of these temples will surely provide great pleasure to mind. The place also has various markets where you can go and buy different types of local and famous things of this religious place. This information and more can be taken from Rameshwaram travel guide. The place is also seen as ‘Varanasi of South’.

The religious city celebrates some of the common festivals such as Dussehra, Pongal and Diwali with high spirit. But, the major festival of the place is Arudhra Darshanam which is celebrated in the month of December every year. Many people come here during this period to be a part of the festival

The city does not have an airport of its own but tourists from different parts of the country can land at the approaching airport at Madurai. The Madurai airport is approximately 170 km away from the heart of Rameshwaram city. From the airport, one can easily hire private cabs as well as taxis to reach this religious city.

The Rameshwaram railway station is directly connected via rail to all major stations of Coimbatore, Trichy, Madurai, Thanjavur and Chennai. Major cities of Tamil Nadu are connected directly to Rameshwaram via railway networks. There are various types of trains that arrive and depart from the city such as super fast, express and mail trains.

Workship Timing :

S.no	Period	Opening Timing
1)	Morning	05:00 A.M to 01:00 P.M
2)	Evening	03:00 P.M to 09:00 P.M

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

FESTIVALS

S.No	Festival	Beginning	Ending	Durations
1	Mahasivarathri (To be seen) i. Rishaba Vaahana Dharshan ii. Mahasivarathri Abishekam iii. Silver Chariot	Mahasashti krishnapatcham Maasi (February, March)	Mahakrishna Amavasai	10 days
2	Vasanthotsavam	Vaikasa Sukkila Sashti Vaikasi (May - June)	Vaisaka Paurnami	10 days
3	Ramalinga Prathishtai	Jeshta Sukkila Suddha Sashti Aani (May - June)	Ashata Paurnami	3 days
4	Thirukkalyanam (To be seen) i. Rishaba Vaahanam ii. Silver Chariot iii. Thabasu Day iv. Sayanasevai on Golden Pallakku v. Thirukkalyana Day	Aashada Pagula Krishnashtami (July - August )	Siravana - suddham	17 days
5	Navarathri Festival Dasara (Vijayadasami Day)	Bathrabatha Suddha Sukkila Pradhami Purattaasi (September - October)	Dasami	10 days
6	Kantha Sashti	Aasveeja Suddha Sukkila Aippasi (october - November)	Aasveeja Suddha Sashti	6 days
7	Aarudhira Dharshna	Maarkka Seerisha Sudda Sashti Sadhaya Natchatram Maargazhi (December - January)	Maarkka Seerisha Sudda Paurnami	10 days