Ramanatha Swamy Temple

Ramanatha Swamy Temple is located in the holy town of Rameshwaram which holds sheer importance? for Hindus. It is said that the pilgrimage to Banaras is incomplete without a pilgrimage to Rameshwaram.? Ramanatha Swamy Temple is the most important temple of the town. It is believed that a visit to this temple helps you attain salvation. It is also one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Being one of the four major pilgrimage centre of Hindus, the temple attracts a lot of tourists throughout the year. It is said that Lord Rama offered his appreciation to Lord Shiva at the place where temple stands today. You can easily reach the temple by Air. The nearest airport is at Madurai. Taxies and buses are also available form Tamil Nadu, Madurai, Trichy and Chennai.

The temple is dedicated to the Lingam known as? Ramanathaswamy and other idols present here are of Viswanatha Naicker and Krishnama Naicker. The foundation of the temple was laid in the 12th century and several rulers of that era made their individual contributions to it. The temple covers an area of 15 acres and was built in a typical Dravidian style of architecture. Its sky-high Gopurams(spires) look very attractive. It has the largest temple hall in India. Its corridor is 4000 feet in length and have around 4000 pillars. The carvings on these pillars are notable. Several mandaps here are the abodes of different shrines.

The legend goes that Rama, Sita and Lakshmana established and worshipped the Shivlinga at this place. It was believed that killing a brahmin was a sin and Rama had killed Ravana who was a brahmin. Hence in order to expiate the sin the Shivlinga was installed here. The devotees come to the temple in early morning to have darshan of a 'Mani' which according to Ved belongs to 'Sheshnag'. The ceremony is held only during early morning so make sure you reach at the shrine on time.

Ramarpadm

Gandamandana Parvatham is a hillock located at a distance of 3 km from Rameshwaram. The place houses a Chakra which has the footprints of lord Rama. The hillock offers picturesque view of the entire island Rameshwaram.

Sita Kund

It is a pond named after goddess Sita, the consort of lord Rama.