The Magnificent #Temple to Lord #Shiva at #Rameshwaram in #TamilNadu #templestories 5

      

Since ages, a journey to the temple city of Rameshwaram has been the starting point and culmination of the holy Kashi Yatra. Hindus believe that their life is incomplete without undertaking this Kashi-Rameshwaram Yatra at least once in a lifetime. We have done the yatra twice, but this time we went to Rameshwaram as part of our pilgrimage to some important temples in Tamil Nadu. We touched down at Madurai airport at around 11 am and proceeded directly to Rameshwaram in a cab. The four hour long drive via Ramanathapuram, to cover the distance of approximately 174 km. was made easy by the well maintained roads, except for a small patch where road widening work was in progress. We breezed through villages with intriguing names like Thangachimadam (home of younger sister) and Akkamadam (home of elder sister) and reached the Pamban Bridge, which connects the conch shaped island of Rameshwaram to mainland India. The beautiful sight of the bridge across the expansive blue waters of the sea drew our breath away, and we could not but stop to get down, savour the magnificent view and take photographs.

A view of the Pamban Railway bridge

Panoramic view of Pamban Island

On reaching the temple town, we were impatient to visit the magnificent Ramanathaswami temple, but the vadhyar (priest) advised us to visit the temple in the morning, after taking bath in the holy Agnitheertham and the 22 theerthams in the famous third prakaram of the temple. He also advised us to take a change of clothing as entrance into the main temple sanctum is not allowed in wet clothes.

Agnitheertham

At dawn, we were ready to take a dip in the Agnitheertham. The magical allure of the deep blue sea beckoned us to step into the clean shallow water and immerse ourselves. The taste of salt on our lips and the light burning sensation in our eyes reminded us that this holy water is not called Agnitheertham for nothing. An old man, who was taking a bath alongside, told us that Hanuman had dipped his burning tail in the sea after the epic Lankadahan and hence the burning sensation in our eyes. I don’t know how far this is true, but it seemed to be a logical explanation, and one which I had not heard of before. However, I have read somewhere that Lord Rama took a bath in the Agnitheertham to absolve himself of the sin of killing Ravana, who was a learned Brahmin. 
We then walked towards the temple in our wet attire which dried by the time we reached the temple premises. The priest had arranged for a guide, who bought the tickets and led us to the 22 theerthams in the prescribed chronological order starting with the Mahalakshmi theertam and ending with the Koditheertham. The guide was mentioning about the significance of each theertham but in the noise and crowd, I could fathom only a few. The Koditheertham is where the Lord Sri Krishna was redeemed of the sin of killing his uncle Kamsa.

Devotees doused in water walking along the corridor from one Theertham to another

We gave ourselves up to the pure joy of being doused with buckets of water from the theerthams one by one, which culminated in the Kodi theertham inside the temple. The water of the theerthams varies in taste, some sweet, some salty, some cold, some warm.  This is an exhilarating experience, definitely not to be missed by anyone who visits Rameshwaram. Apart from the 22 theerthams inside the temple, we heard that there are supposedly 31 theerthams in the vicinity of Rameshwaram, Navabhashanam in Ramanad and Dhanushkodi. Some of these are well maintained, whereas others are neglected.  

A view of the Gopuram from the corridor

The temple itself is a massive structure with a majestic gopuram, three prakarams or enclosures and a magnificent corridor believed to be the longest temple corridor in India. The visual impact of this famous third prakaram is extraordinary, appearing as though the pillars are progressively shorter and thicker, gently receding into the darkness.

The magnificent third prakaram

The Ramanathaswami temple is believed to be as old as the Ramayana. Legend goes that Rama was returning from Lanka with a heavy heart as he had vanquished Ravana, who was a great Shiva bhakt. To atone for this sin, he wanted to worship Lord Shiva. He requested Hanuman to bring a Shivaling from Kailas. But when the auspicious time arrived, there was no sign of Hanuman. So Sita made a Shivaling of sand from the seashore. As Rama was completing his worship of the Lord, Hanuman arrived with a Shivaling. Seeing the disappointment and sorrow on Hanuman’s face, Rama instructed that the Shivaling brought by Hanuman would be worshipped first. The Shivaling made by Sita is called Ramalingam or Ramanathaswami, the Lord of Rama. The Shivaling brought by Hanuman is called Vishwalingam, the Lord of the world. The practice of worshiping the Vishwalingam before Ramalingam is still followed.

Another story, again connected to Ramayana, says that Rama and his monkey army were trying to build the sethu (bridge) across the sea but failed every time, as the bridge they would construct during the day would be destroyed by Ravana and his men during the night. It was then that Rama was advised to worship a Shivalingam in the midst of the sea, as it was felt that Ravana being a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva, he would not destroy a Shivaling. This is believed to have worked and Rama could build the sethu without any further hindrance. 
I have also heard of an interesting folk tale about Rama searching for a learned Brahmin to perform a yagna to worship Lord Shiva, but could not find one. Vibhishana, the younger brother of Ravana, suggested that Rama send a message to Ravana as he was a learned Brahmin. It is said that Rama sent an invitation to Ravana and he not only accepted, but knowing that Rama could not perform the yagna without his wife, Ravana brought Sita Mata also along with him. After the yagna was performed when Rama and Sita sought his blessings, Ravana blessed Rama to be victorious and Sita to have a long married life. I don't know whether this is true or not, though.

As we enter the main sanctum we find a huge Nandi over 15 ft. in height, in a grilled enclosure. Ramalingam, made by Sita, is worshipped in the main sanctum as Ramanathaswami. To the left, there is a separate shrine to Parvathavardini, the consort of Ramanathaswami. The sanctum to Vishwalingam, brought by Hanuman, is to the right. Worship to Vishwanathaswami is offered first. There is a shrine to Goddess Vishalakshi also. Behind the main sanctum there is a shrine to Lord Vishnu as Sethu Madhava, the God of the Sethupatis, who ruled here. He is also considered the guardian of the Sethu. There is a separate shrine to Nataraja or the dancing Shiva, decorated with rudrakshams and surrounded by offerings of Naga images.

It is said that only a structure with a thatched roof existed over the sanctum for a long time until the 12^th century. Most of the pillars and designed structures were built by the Sethupati rulers of Ramanathapuram between the 12^th and 16^th centuries. The world famous third prakaram was built as recently as the 18^th century by Muthuramalinga Sethupati.  

Inscription describing the dimensions of the third prakaram built by Muthuramalinga Setupathi

We heard that renovation of the inner prakarams took place in the 20^th century and further work may be undertaken to finish construction of the unfinished North and South towers or gopurams.

The importance of the temple is enhanced by the fact that the shrine of Ramanathaswami is one of the 12 sacred Jyothirlingas. Apart from the usual special darshan and abhishek, we were fortunate to have a darshan of the Spatikalingam pooja conducted only early in the morning. Our minds purified and our souls satiated, we reluctantly left the temple premises, promising ourselves to make a visit again whenever possible.

Some important information: The temple is open from 5.00am to 1.00pm and 3.30pm to 9.00pm. The Spatikalingam pooja is held at 5.00 am daily. Special entry tickets of Rs. 50/- per person, are available for all the other poojas. There is a token fee for Ganga jal abhishekam, which is very important for people who are coming to Rameshwaram as a part of the Kashi Yatra. Ganga jal is also available at the temple for a charge of Rs. 50/- per litre. If you happen to visit on a Friday, you can see the procession of the Goddess Parvathavardini in a golden palanquin at around 7.00 pm.

The most important festivals are Shivaratri (Feb-March), the Thirukalyanam or wedding celebration of Lord Ramanathaswami with Goddess Parvathavardini in (July-August).

#Rameshwaram #Temple #Shivaratri #LordShiva #RameshwaramTemple #RameshwarKashiYatra, #GoddessParvatavardhini #worldfamous  #Ramanathaswami