Rameswaram Travel Guide
Rameshwaram, the holy town has associated with the Mythological tales of Rama. The name of the city itself has been derived from Rameshwara, which was an ‘Iswara’ that was installed by Lord Rama. According to the Puranas, Rama along with Sita and Lakshman came to the town to perform a sacred Puja in order to do penance for the sins for Bhramahatya. It is believed that Rama had fixed an auspicious time for conducting the Puja, and sent Anjaneya to get the lingam from Mount Kailash. However, Anjaneya could not return in time. Thus, Sita caricatured a lingam of sand and they performed the Puja on time.
Rameshwaram is one of the holiest places in southern India. It is one of the most renowned pilgrim places in the region and is located on a beautiful island in the lower side of India. It is separated from Sri Lanka by a small Pamban channel. Rameswaram is the holiest pilgrimage place for the Hindus. Every year several people visit the place with holy intentions of offering sacred prayers to Lord Rama.
It falls in the Gulf of Mannar and is a peninsula. According to the Hindu mythology, this is the place where Lord Rama created a bridge across the sea to Sri Lanka. Lord Shiva too is worshiped in this place. It’s a place where Ravana was killed and hence it has a great historical foundation. It is also known as Varanasi of southern India. It has one of the famous Jyotirlings in the place which one would like to worship as a part of Hindu culture.
The place has several wonderful temples, which are a great master piece of creativity. The place has highest number of wells as well. It is a holy place to perform several rituals and people from all across the globe come at this particular place to worship Lord Rama and offer sacred prayers to the holy deity. The place has wonderful sculpture of Lord Rama engraved in several walls of the temples and the statues of the lord are made with great artistic essence.
How to Reach Rameswaram
- Air – Nearest Airport is In Madurai. The major cities of Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai have regular flights to this airport.
- Rail – Rameswaram is well connected to all South Indian cities like Chennai, Coimbatore, Thanjavur and Trichy.
- Road – Buses run by the APSRTC connect the city to all other nearby cities.
Distance of Rameswaram from Below Places:
| Place | Distance (KM) |
|---|---|
|
Madurai |
173 |
|
Thiruvananthapuram |
380 |
|
Chennai |
600 |
|
Bengaluru |
608 |
|
Hyderabad |
1175 |
Weather
Rameswaram Temperature
- Summer (Mar to May) – Temperatures are high and range between (25°C) to (34°C)
- Monsoon – (Jun to Oct) – With heavy rainfall happening at regular basis, this is not a good season for tourists
- Winter – (Nov to Feb) – Temperatures are mild and range between (23°C) to (29°C)
- Best Time to Visit – Nov to Feb is the best season for tourism
What to See In rameswaram
It is a village most recognized for its splendid temple located at the southern most tip of Rameswaram. The term Dhanushkodi means the tip of the bow. It used to be a very important site of the Rameswaram island. When the 1964 cyclone hit the site, it became deserted.
It is a beautiful temple in southern India which was created for worshiping lord Rama as Hindu mythology has a great history for the place and it has been a great pilgrim place for the people who have the wish for achieving salvation in life. There are seven such places in India where one would like to offer prayers for achieving salvation in life and Rameswaram temple is one of those. Whole Ramayana has been conceived in this place and it has a great mythological importance. The place is wonderful with good climatic condition and the temple is located near the sea. The whole temple is built on strong pillars and it has the longest corridor in whole of India.
Five faceted Hanuman temples is the most renowned temple in Rameshwar. It has mythological evidence where Hanuman showed his profile with five faces. He is believed to be adorned with senthooram at this particular place. When hanuman showed revealed his five faceted profiles. The statues of all Rama, Laxman, Sita and Hanuman are placed in the temple and all have been sacredly worshiped as if they have lives in them. The actual soul of the Gods is supposed to have been put into the idols and the temple indeed has great historical evidence. There is floating stone outside the temple which was used to create the bridge on the sea as prescribed by our Indian mythology.
Agnitheertham is a pilgrim place where in people believes that taking bath in the place washes away their sins. The temple is constructed facing the eastern direction and there is a large lake in the temple whose water is considered to be holy enough. There are about 22 wells in this place and it is one amongst the 12 jyotirlings of India. The water of all the 22 wells has different taste and one can taste the waters of all of them so as to have all flavors of life in it. It is believed that the water has several medicinal properties too and several different life threatening diseases can be cured by taking water from the different wells from this place.
Gandamadana Parvatham
As the name suggests this site is like a parvat or hilly in topography. Located at a minor distance of 3 km from the Rameswaram temple, the hillock forms an ideal spot to get a panoramic view of the enchanting Rameswaram island. There is a sacred wheel or chakra with the imprints of Sri Ram, the incarnation of Vishnu.
Other Details
What to Do
- Glass boat ride at Pamban Bridge
- Car Festival During February- March
- Thiru Kalyana during July-August celebrating the marriage of Shiva And Parvati
Where to Eat
- Ashok Bhavan — Street West Car St. A veg restaurant with the focus being on South Indian Delicacy.
- Ram Nivas — Street West Car St. Vegetarian lineup of the north Indian Dishes.
What to Buy
Being mostly a seaside destination, all that Rameshwaram has to offer in terms of shopping are seashells and handicrafts made of seashells.
Get Around
Buses, Auto-rickshaws and taxis are the means to travel within the city.
Top Destinations - Tamil Nadu
– Chennai
– Kanyakumari
– Kodaikanal
– Madurai
– Ooty
– Rameswaram
Popular Tour Plans - Tamil Nadu
1-3 Days
1. Ooty (2N/3D)
2. Kodaikanal (2N/3D)
4-6 Days
1. Ooty-Kodaikanal-Munnar (6N/7D)
2. Bangalore-Mysore-Ooty (6N/7D)
7-10 Days
1. Alleppey-Kovalam-Kanyakumari-Thiruvananthapuram (7N/8D)
2. Munnar-Alleppey-Periyar Sanctuary-Kovalam-Kanyakumari (10N/11D)
>10 Days
1. Chennai-Pondicherry-Kodaikanal-Madurai-Rameswaram-Kanyakumari (12N/13D)
2. Chennai-Pondicherry-Madurai-Rameswaram-Kanyakumari-Kovalam (12N/13D)