Rameshwaram Dham : Whom Ram considered as his God! God of Ram! One of the 12 Jyotirlingas, one of the four Dhams!
Rameshwaram is a small town situated in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, which is a main pilgrimage place for Hindus and a famous tourist place. Rameshwaram, located on Pamban Island, is at the end of India. Pamban Island is also called Rameshwaram Island after the name of Rameshwaram. This island is spread in the shape of a conch.
Apart from being a major pilgrimage site, Rameshwaram is also famous as a tourist place. Apart from the main temple of Char Dham, there are other temples of Ramayana period present in Rameshwaram which are related to Lord Rama and his wife Sita, Hanuman and Vibhishana.
रामेश्वरम धाम | Rameshwaram Dham Hindi
History – Rameshwaram Dham
Till the 15th century, Rameshwaram was ruled by the Pandya dynasty of the South. After that, till the 17th century, this place remained under the control of the Nayak kings of Vijaynagar Empire. At that time, the influence of architecture like that of Madurai can be seen on the construction of temples here. After the Nayak kings, it was ruled by the Sethupati kings.
Setupati
Sethupati means the protector of the bridge. It was his duty to protect the bridge built by Rama and he helped in every way for the grand construction of the temples of Rameshwaram. The main Ramanathaswamy temple building of Rameshwaram and other temples were also constructed during the Sethupathi rule. After that this city came under British control.
Rameshwaram Dham – Ramayan Connection
According to ancient texts, Lord Rama built a bridge from here to cross the sea to reach Lanka to rescue his wife Sita from the Lankan king Ravana. It was in Rameshwaram that Vibhishana was crowned as the king of Lanka by Rama. It was at this place that Rama worshiped Lord Shiva in the form of a Shivalinga to absolve himself of his sins after the Lankan war.
That is why Rameshwaram is considered the main pilgrimage for both Vaishnavas and Shaivites.
Tourists Attractions – Rameshwaram Dham
RamnathaSwami Temple
Ramanathaswami Temple, one of the most famous and Char Dham of India, is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas. This temple has the longest corridor among Hindu temples which was built by Sethupati Raja.
According to ancient texts, after winning the war in Lanka, Ram worshiped Lord Shiva here on the advice of sages so that he could be freed from the sins committed during this war. For this he asked Hanuman to go to the Himalayas and bring Shivalinga. Due to all this taking a lot of time, his wife Sita made a Shivalinga from the sand here and then the same Shivalinga was worshiped by Ram, Sita and Lakshmana. It is said that that Shivaling is still located in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
According to Adhyatm Ramayana, this Shivling was built by Ram himself before going to Lanka and worshiped Shiva.
Four Dhams of Hindus: Jagannath Puri in the east, Shri Rameshwaram in the south, Dwarka ji in the west and Shri Badrinath in the north.
Ramanathaswamy Temple is revered as a pilgrimage site for the devotees visiting Rameshwaram and is visited by lakhs of devotees and tourists from India and abroad every year. There are a total of 22 ponds in this temple and only after taking bath in the water of these ponds, the devotees can go inside the temple and have darshan.
Pamban Bridge – Rameshwara Dham
Pamban Bridge is a rail bridge that connects Pamban Island to Mandapam on mainland India. This bridge is the first sea bridge of India which was built in 1914 during the British rule. Before the construction of Mumbai Sea Link, this bridge was the longest sea bridge in India and now it is the second longest sea bridge.
The train journey across this bridge is an adventurous experience in itself.
Ram Setu – Rameshwaram Dham
Only 18 kilometers away from Rameshwaram is the Ram Setu Bridge in Dhanushkodi, which was built by Lord Rama to cross the sea to Lanka and for this he took help from the monkey army. Although a large part of this bridge is submerged in water, but according to the records of Ramanathaswamy temple, it was possible to walk on it till the 15th century.
According to geologists, this bridge earlier used to connect India and Sri Lanka.
Vilondi Teertham – Rameshwaram Dham
It is said that at this very place, Lord Rama, to quench the thirst of his wife Sita, wet the tip of his arrow in sea water and released it from the bow, from which a source of sweet water emerged. Now a small well is built here and devotees come here and drink water from this well.
Dhanushkodi – Rameshwaram Dham
Known as a ghost village, Dhanushkodi is the last tip of India. The distance from here to Sri Lanka is only 24 kilometers. From here begins the Ram Setu which was built till Sri Lanka. It is said that after winning over Ravana, Vibhishana became the king of Lanka and on his request, Lord Rama broke this bridge with his bow, hence this place was called Dhanushkodi.
Sangam – Rameshwaram Dham
On one side of Dhanushkodi is the Bay of Bengal and on the other side is the Indian Ocean. It is very special to see these two great geographical creations meeting at the end. The water of both is of different color and also of different nature. Here the water of the Bay of Bengal is completely calm and there are no waves, whereas in the Indian Ocean, waves of water are seen rising.
Vibhishan Mandir – Rameshwaram Dham
Kothandaramaswamy Temple, also known as Vibhishana Temple, is the only temple to survive the 1964 cyclone that hit Dhanushkodi. This temple has idols of Lord Rama along with his wife Sita, brother Lakshman, Hanuman and Vibhishana. It was at this place that Ram himself declared Vibhishana the king of Lanka and inaugurated his kingdom.
Rameshwaram Dham – Ram Padam Mandir
Situated at the highest part of Rameshwaram, this temple has the footprints of Lord Rama. That is why the name of this temple is Ram Padam Temple. The entire Rameshwar city can be seen from this temple.
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Memorial – Rameshwaram Dham
This memorial built at Pei Karumbu (1 km away from Rameshwaram) is dedicated to the 11th President of India, Dr. Kalam. Here, photos of Dr. Kalam, some paintings and small models of missiles are kept for the visitors. This museum remains open from 9 am to 5 pm. There is a statue of Dr. Kalam at its gate itself in which he is shown playing the Veena.
House of Dr. Kalam
Dr. Kalam was born in Rameshwaram and spent his childhood here also. The house where he used to live with his family has been converted into a museum by his family and things and photos related to his childhood are kept here for the visitors.
Famous T.V. Tower
This tower of Rameshwaram is the tallest TV tower in India. This tower can be seen from any part of Rameshwar city. The height of this tower is 323 meters.
Boating
Here you can also go boating in the sea. You get some boats on the beach/shore which take tourists for boating for some distance inside the sea.
How to reach – Rameshwaram Dham
By Flight
There is no airport in Rameshwaram. Madurai is the nearest airport which is about 165 kilometers from here. You can also come from Madurai to Rameshwaram by train or taxi.
By Train
Rameshwaram station is connected to Madurai, Coimbatore, Trichy, Thanjavur and Chennai stations.
By Road
If you are traveling by road then Rameshwaram is well connected to other cities and the roads are also well maintained. You can easily travel here by your car or taxi.
Rameshwaram Dham – Roaming Around
Car, bike and scooter are easily available on rent to roam in Rameshwaram. Because it is a small town and also a famous pilgrimage, it is often very crowded here. In such a situation, one can easily roam around the city and its surroundings by bike or scooter.
Shopping
In the market here you can buy necklaces and bracelets made of conch shells, Rudraksha rosaries and sea shells. You can also buy decorative items made of shells like chandeliers, mirrors and other items from here at reasonable prices.
Food in City – Rameshwaram Dham
Rameshwaram has both South Indian and North Indian hotels and restaurants. Here you will get Marwari thali and also Punjabi parathas. You will find South Indian food in every hotel here. The food is often very tasty and simple.
Stay in the City – Rameshwaram Dham
Hotel options for every budget will be available to stay in Rameshwaram. Before coming here, you can check hotel rates online and can also book in advance. If for some reason you want to make some changes in your trip, then in some hotels changes can be made without any cancellation fee. You will also find pet friendly hotels here.
Best weather to visit – Rameshwaram Dham
The best time to visit Rameshwaram is from October to March when there is little winter weather. During the summer season, the weather here is very hot and the sunlight is also very strong.
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