Like many places in Tamilnadu, Rameshwaram too has its share of famous temples. But the temples here are unique in many ways, some even one of a kind. But there is one common underlying thread that connects all the temples here The Ramayana. It is so wonderful to actually see the places which have references to some part of the great epic! Somehow wherever you go in this small town, there is some relic or a temple connected to Lord Ram. I am sure with the possible exception of Ayodhya, no other place in India can boast of so many references to the Ramayana.

Kodandarama swami temple

Legend behind the temple: Our first temple visit in this holy town was to Kodandarama swamy temple, situated between Dhanushkodi and Rameshwaram.Obviously as the name suggests this temple too has a connection with the Ramayana. The stala purana (legend behind any holy shrine) of this temple is that Vibheeshan met Rama here for the first time and pledged his allegiance to him. Lord Rama is said to have coroneted Vibheeshan as king of Lanka at this location.

The temple: This temple is a humble structure, built on an elevated platform. As soon as we entered the temple, the stala purana in pictorial form greeted us on the four walls. It was like seeing a very enlarged and life like Amar Chitra katha pictures all around us. Lord Rama, with Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman form the main deities here, with Garuda on the opposite side, looking at the Holy ones.

Nava Bhashanam, Devipattinam:

Legend behind the temple: Legend has it that before embarking on the voyage to Lanka to defeat Ravana, Rama made Nava graha idols out of sand in the sea and worshipped them, seeking their blessings. It is said that for any major dosha, a pariharam done to these Nava grahas is very powerful, as the Nava grahas themselves are doubly blessed with the privilege of being touched and worshipped by the Lord himself.

The temple: This temple is probably unique in many respects; it has the maximum deviation from the typical temple structures and rituals. The temple structure consists of a long platform leading to sea, for nearly 1 km, where there are nava grahas right in the middle of the sea. Again, like all places in Rameshwaram, the sea is only waist deep.

Here, all the nine planets are either fully or half immersed in sea water. Another unique aspect of this place is that the pilgrims themselves can touch and perform pooja to the Nava grahas. The Nava grahas are not in any sculptural form, but resemble stones coming out of sea.Really, a very humbling and awe-inspiring experience to touch these Gods and pray, where thousands of years ago Lord Rama would have prayed!

Ramanatha swamy temple, Rameshwaram:

Legend behind the temple: When Rama defeated Ravana and returned triumphantly with his consort Sita by Pushpaka Vimana from Lanka, he was sick and found strange things happening to him like two shadows following him. The wise sage Agasthya told him that he has Brahma hatthi dosha (curse that befalls someone who kills a Brahmin) and this dosha will only leave him if He prays to the Paramatma, Lord Shiva. So at Rameshwaram, Rama wanted to bring Lord Shiva from Varanasi, and sent his ever-reliable Bhaktha Hanuman to get Shiva Lingams. Hanuman meditated towards Lord Shiva to get the idols, but in the meanwhile the Muhurtham (auspicious time) was passing back in Rameshwaram. Sita made a lingam out of sand, and prayers were done to this idol, called Ramalingam, which is now one of the twelve Jyotirlingas in India.

The ever-faithful Hanuman returned with two idols and got angry that pooja was completed without the idols brought by him. He tried removing the sand lingam by dragging it by his tail, but what a miracle the great Hanumans tail got cut, but the sand Lingam didnt budge! Hanumans pride was thus taught a lesson by the great almighty (Garva bhangam), and Rama promised Hanuman that the deity brought by him (called Kasi Viswanathar) will be prayed to first for the generations to come. Rameshwaram is significant for the Hindus as a pilgrimage to Benaras is incomplete without a Pilgrimage to Rameshwaram.

The temple, history behind it: It is said that the ancient shrine was placed in a thatched hut until the 12th century. Parakrama Bahu of Sri Lanka built the first ever masonry structure here. The Setupathy rulers of Ramanathapuram completed the rest of the temple. Some of the templeVimaanas are similar to the Vimaanas of the Pallava period. Much more was added to the temple between the 12th and the 16th centuries. The long corridor (3rd prakaram) dates back only to the 18th century.

The temple is sprawled over an area of 15 acres. It has huge gopurams, monolithic walls and a stupendous Nandi. The eastern Rajagopuram has a height of 126 feet and has nine levels whereas the western Rajagopuram is not as tall as the eastern one. The huge image of Nandi is about 18 feet tall and 22 feet in length. There is a 4000 feet long pillar corridor with over 4000 pillars, considered the longest in the world. A unique feature about this corridor is that the rock used here is not found on the native island, it was brought in from elsewhere in Tamilnadu across the sea. Also, beautiful murals adorn the ceilings of this beautiful corridor.

Theertams (Holy water springs): Another unique aspect of Rameshwaram is its theertams. There are almost 36 Theerthams here out of which 22 are inside the temple. The water of these Theerthams are said to be therapeutic. A bath in these is regarded significant. The amazing fact about these theerthams is that every theertam is supposed to taste unique, though they are located very close to each other. True, we tasted them all, and the taste varied from very saltish sea water to very tasty mineral water!

Apart from these temples, there are a lot of other places like Gandamadana parvatam which houses a shrine that is said to bear the footprints of Rama. Due to time constraints we couldnt go there, but the over all experience about our visit to Rameshwaram was one of awe! The great Ramanatha swamy temple needs at least half a day to savour what it has to offer, and people from all over India come here to complete a pilgrimage cycle, so it is always crowded. In the Hindu mythology it is believed that one who visits Rameshwaram attains Moksha. I dont know about that, but I can vouch for a very moving experience for the spiritually inclined!

References:

http://www.indiantemples.com/Tamilnadu/s038.html

www.templenet.com/Tamilnadu/ramerame.html

www.pilgrimage-india.com/south-india-pilgrimage/rameshwaram

www.indiasite.com/tamilnadu/rameshwaram/rameshwaramtemple

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rameswaram