Ramanathaswamy Temple - Rameswaram | Famous Shiva Temple

Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram is considered to be an important and one of the foremost pilgrimage sites to visit for the followers of Hinduism. It is strongly believed and followed that a visit to this temple will wash away one's sins and bring salvation. Located on an island off the Sethu coast, Ramanathaswamy temple can be reached via Pamban bridge across the sea. This temple is closely linked with the great epic Ramayana. All the legends in unison mention that it was lord Rama, who installed this Lord Shiva’s idol (Lingam) here. Story holds that when lord Rama was on his way to Sri Lanka to bring back his abducted wife by demon king Ravana, he reached this place where he made a linga of sand and worshipped it. Rama got the blessings from Shiva and he also requested Lord Shiva to reside eternally here so that the entire mankind should benefit from him. This is how the Lingam developed.

According to yet another legend, while returning to Ayodhya, Rama worshipped Lord Shiva in the form of a Shiva Lingam with his wife Sita. It is said that Hanuman (monkey God) was entrusted with the task of bringing an image of lord Shiva from Varanasi. Since it took more time than scheduled for Hanuman’s return, Rama offered worship to a Shivalingam at a pre-chosen auspicious moment. It is said that the names Ramalingam and the town Rameswaram were thus obtained. The temple is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, the construction of the temple was believed to be around the 17th century. It houses the longest temple corridor in the World, which is 197 meters long and 133 meters broad and stands with 1200 massive granite columns. Encompassing nine levels, the eastern tower soars to the height of 126 feet. The temple comprises numerous sections having small shrines, dedicated to sub deities. The colossal image of Nandi (Bull) captures the attention, due to its size. It measures 12 feet in length and 9 feet in height.

At the beginning, the temple was just a thatched shed under the cover of a Sage and the present structure was the work of a number of people spread over a number of centuries but the pride of the place goes to the Sethupathi rulers of Ramanathapuram. In the 12th century, Parakramabahu, King of Sri Lanka constructed the Sanctum Sanctorum. In the 16th century, Tirumalai Sethupathi built a portion of the second corridor. His statue and that of his son Raghunatha Sethupathi are found by the side of the Southern entrance to the Ambal shrine. Udayan Sethupathi of Ramanathapuram and a Vaisya of Nagoor built the western stone tower of 78 feet high and the compound wall late in the 17th century. Early in the 18th century, Ravi Vijaya Raghunatha Sethupathi built the Palliyarai and the Mandapam in front of the Ambal temple. At the same time, the World famous III corridor was constructed by Muthuramalinga Sethupathi. His statue and those of his two ministers are found in the Western entrance in that corridor. A Pilgrimage to Rameswaram is among the important injunctions laid on the Hindu from time immemorial.