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Location
: Island Of Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu
Deity Worshipped: Linga Of Sri Ranganatha
Famous Tradition: A Pilgrimage To Kashi Is
Not Considered Complete Without A Pilgrimage To Rameshwaram
Significance: One Of The 12 Jyotirlingas Of
India
Rameshwaram (also
spelt as Rameswaram) is a pilgrimage centre of nationwide importance, as
Rama is said to have worshipped Shiva here on his way back from SriLanka.
The temple is in the island of Rameshwaram, the Banares of the South ,
connected to the mainland by a bridge. The deity here constitutes one of
the 12 Jyotirlingas of India.
The Sacred
Pilgrimage To Rameshwaram
A pilgrimage to
Rameshwaram is among the important injunctions laid on the Hindu from
time immemorial. The great temple of Sri Ramanatha is connected by
tradition with Kashi. A pilgrimage to Kashi is not considered complete
without a pilgrimage to Rameshwaram. In olden days groups of pilgrims,
many of them quite old, walked huge distances to the two temples, taking
months and years, and some failing to survive the rigours and dangers of
such incredibly long journeys. Men and women knew this cost might be
exacted of them, but they repaid it cheerfully.
The Rameshwaram
pilgrimage has long been a tradition in South India, particularly in
Tamil Nadu, and has passed into folklore. Many kings of old prided
themselves on having planted columns of victory in Rameshwaram-Krishna
III the Rashtrakuta, in the 10th century; the Hoysala, Vishnuvardhana,
in the 12th century.
Everything in and
near Rameshwaram is traditionally connected with incidents in the
"Ramayana". The Kashi pilgrimage is considered complete not
only after worship in the Sri Ramanatha temple but also after a bath in
Dhanushkodi, a tip of the island where the Bay of Bengal, called the
"Mahodadhi" in ancient times, joins the Indian Ocean, or
Ratnakaram, its beautiful old name "Dhanushkodi", in Tamil the
"end of the bow", takes its name from a tradition that Sri
Rama, at the request of Vibishana, his friend, destroyed the bridge to
Sri Lanka with the end of His bow. Dhanushkodi was affected in a cyclone
a few years ago.
The Great
Temple Of Sri Ramanatha
The temple of Sri
Ramanatha, which has over the centuries grown into its present gigantic
dimensions, stands on the eastern shore of an island, which is shaped
like a conch, which Lord Vishnu bears in one of His hands. No field is
ploughed or oil presses any where in the island. A magnificent railway
bridge, over a kilometre long and constructed at the beginning of the
twentieth century, connects it with the mainland.
To help the
pilgrims walking incredible distances, philanthropists used to construct
rest houses at intervals along the way. The last of them before
Rameshwaram was Thangachimadam, a few kilometres away on the island.
Modern means of transport have made these rest houses superfluous. But
in their time they were most useful, even vital. The Sethupathis of
Ramanathapuram, of which the district Rameshwaram is an administrative
part, were called the "guardians of the Sethu", the bridge
which, according to tradition, was built for Sri Rama to cross over into
Sri Lanka when He set out to recover Sita.
About The
Temple
Since it was Sri
Rama Himself who, in time honoured tradition, built the temple, it is
held in particular reverence. After killing Ravana, He returned to India
and, in Rameshwaram, offered worship to Lord Shiva to expiate the sin
incurred in destroying him. Intending to set up a Linga, He directed
Hanuman to bring one from Kailasa within a certain time. Hanuman was
delayed. Meanwhile, the propitious hour for the installation having
arrived, Sita Herself prepared one of sand, and offered it worship. This
is the Linga of Sri Ramanatha in the temple.
When Hanuman
returned with a Linga, He found that it was too late. He was angry and
attempted to uproot the Ramalinga. But He failed. To pacify Him Sri Rama
directed that his Linga, the "Visvalinga", should also be set
up and that worship should first be offered to it. This is the second
Linga under worship in the temple.
Temple
Architecture
The temple 264m
east to west and 200m north to south, and with three Prakaras, two big
Gopuras and two more unfinished ones, faces east, a few metres from the
sea. It contains two Lingas under worship. There are innumerable other
shrines and twenty-two "Tirthas" (also spelt as Teerthas), or
sacred bathing places.
At the main
eastern entrance stands a huge Gopura of nine storeys and 38.4m high.
The outermost, or third, corridor, 196m long and 120.4 wide, is one of
the achievements of the Hindu artist down the ages. There are about four
thousand pillars, each 3.7m high. All are located on a platform 1.5m
high. They look like an orderly, petrified forest.
What is truly
remarkable, apart from the sheer artistry of it which has so
magnificently conquered problems of proportions, height and such like,
is that all these stones must have been transported here over long
distances and across the sea by a causeway. In Nayak times there was a
kind of ford. How the huge stones could have been carried across a
turbulent sea is a question the answer to which proves that old Indian
engineers were quite advanced in technology.
A huge Nandi,
6.7m long and 5m high, stands beyond the second Prakara. It is made of 'Sudai',
a material used for sculptures on Gopuras. On either side of it there
are portraits of two of the Nayaks, Visvanatha and Krishnappa.
The western
Gopura is smaller than the eastern, but still impressive, being 24m
high. On the northern and southern sides there are unfinished Gopuras.
Shrines Within
The Temple
In the principal
sanctum there is the Linga of Sri Ranganatha. This is the one, which
Sita made and Sri Rama sanctified. There is much delicate artistry in
many parts of the sanctum. The Vimana, of three storeys, contains images
of Hanuman, the Gandhamadhana Linga, and the Agastya Linga. The Linga of
Visvanatha (also spelt as Vishvanatha), which Hanuman brought, is
enshrined in another sanctum to the north. Worship is offered to it
first.
In yet another
shrine there is an image of Visalakshi, the Consort of Visvanatha,
Ramanatha's Consort, Parvathavardhani, is enshrined in a sanctum to the
right of His. Usually, in Shiva temples, the Goddess is enshrined to the
left of the Lord. But here, as in Madurai, this location has not been
followed.
Behind the Sri
Ramanatha shrine, and between the second and third prakaras, there is a
sanctum for Lord Vishnu as "Sethumadhava". Strictly speaking,
the name should be "Svetha Madhava". The first word is
Sanskrit for "white". The name derives from the fact that the
image is of white marble.
An Interesting
Story Is Told Of The Origin Of The Shrine
A Pandya of
Madurai, Punyanadhi, once came to Rameshwaram on pilgrimage and
performed a sacrifice to propitiate Lord Vishnu. The Lord, in order to
test his faith, sent Goddess Lakshmi as an orphan girl.
The Pandya,
having no daughter of his own, adopted her and lavished affection on
her. One day Lord Vishnu, in the guise of an old ascetic, made his way
into her apartment. When the king heard of this, he loaded him with
chains and had him imprisoned in the Rameshwaram temple. That night he
dreamt that the old man appeared as Lord Vishnu and the girl as Goddess
Lakshmi. When he went to the princess apartment, he saw the same sight.
On coming to the Rameshwaram temple, he found an image of Vishnu in
shackles. Then he realised the enormity of what he had done. But the
Lord consoled him and said that He, with Goddess Lakshmi would remain in
the temple in shackles. The tradition is that he who bathes in a tank
near the shrine and offers worship in that shrine will receive all the
benefits of the Kashi pilgrimage.
Thirthas
Within The Temple
There are no less
than twenty-two "thirthas" (also spelt as Teertha or Tirtha),
or bathing places, mainly within, but a few also outside, the temple.
According to time-honoured tradition, the pilgrim bathes first in Agni
Tirtha (also spelt Theertham), as the sea to the east of the temple is
called (nearby there is a Shankara Matha), and finally in the Kodi
tirtha, which is within the temple. The importance of bathing in these
"thirthas" derives from the tradition that Sri Krishna Himself
did so.
SACRED SITES
OUTSIDE THE TEMPLE
Gandamadhana
Parvata
Outside the
temple, on the island, there are a few sites also held sacred. About
2.5-km west of the temple, on a hillock, stands the Gandamadhana Parvata.
In this Mandapa footprints of Sri Rama are enshrined. From the top of
the Mandapa there is a fine view of parts of the island. 8-km from the
temple, on the way to Dhanushkodi, there is a beautiful temple of Sri
Kodandarama where, tradition says, Vibishana was crowned when he joined
Sri Rama.
Tiruppullani
Outside the
island, there are three other sites traditionally connected with Sri
Rama's expedition to Sri Lanka. A big temple in Tiruppullani
commemorates the tradition that there the Lord obtained a bow and arrows
to use in the impending war from its presiding Deity and also that the
Lord of the Ocean who had refused to help Him finally submitted.
Sethu
5-km south of the
temple is Sethu, where there is a celebrated temple of Sri Anjaneya, and
where, tradition holds, Sri Rama built a bridge to Sri Lanka. In
Devipatnam, or Navapashanam, also by the sea, there are nine stones
visible at low tide. It is believed that they were set up by Sri Rama to
represent the nine planets, the Navagrahas.
Uttarakosamangai
16-km southwest
of Ramanathapuram stands the renowed Shiva temple of Uttarakosamangai.
Manikkavachagar has sung of it. The Lord is Mangaleshvara and the
Goddess Mangalesvari. The temple has inspired many Tamil works of
devotion. So, of course, has the Ramanatha temple in Rameshwaram.
To the making,
expansion and preservation of these and many other temples in the
district, the Setupathis of Ramanathapuram contributed magnificiently.
Originally a ruling power in these parts, they were made zamindars by
the British. The Sethupathi's proud boast was that he was the guardian
of the Sethu. The family is closely connected with the temples in
Rameshwaram, Tiruppullani, and Uttarakosamangai.
HOW TO GET
THERE
Air: The nearest
airport is at Madurai, at a distance of 154-km.
Rail: Rameshwaram
is well connected by trains from all the major cities of India.
Road: State
transport buses are available from the railway station to the various
places in and around Rameshwaram. For local transportation taxis,
auto-rickshaws, cycle-rickshaws and tongas are available. Also city bus
service is available in the island.
WHERE TO STAY
Accommodation is
available at the moderate and economy class hotels, devasthanam cottages
and choultries in Rameshwaram.
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