Exploring Rameshwaram in its Temples and Holy Water Tanks

Rameshwaram is one of the most revered holy cities in India. To be precise the city is not exactly on the Indian mainland, it is situated on an island located at the southernmost tip of India. Nonetheless, the city is one major part of the country and is home to some of the most revered Hindu temples. Head to the city to explore its dominant attribute of religion. For accommodations, there and plenty of good hotels in Rameshwaram to choose from.

Rameshwaram is probably seen more as a sacred religious site in India rather than as a beautiful island that is perfect for holidaying. The reasons why the town is more inclined towards religion is that, there is a popular belief that the place was the very site where lord Rama, along with his brother, lord Hanumana, and the rest of monkey army set their camp before crossing the vast sea and then headed to Lanka. Besides, legends also state that it is the place where lord Rama underwent penance and prayed to lord Shiva along with mata Sita.

Rameshwaram is a city with immense religious significance. The fact that it was visited by the almighty himself makes it a city of utter importance, particularly to the Hindus. It is believed that it is necessary to visit the holy city in order to attain moksha, the final attainment in a human’s life. Other than being a site of utter significance to the Vishnuvates, the city is also important to the adherent followers of lord Shiva. The city of Rameshwaram is amongst the 12 religious sites in India that are home to the Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. It is believed that the goddess Sita herself built a lingam on the island which is one amongst the most revered 12 Jyotirlingas that are dispersed all across India.

Religion brings large number of visitors to the city. The Ramanathaswamy Temple complex is the most prominent attraction of the city, which also covers most of the part of the island. The whole city is built surrounding the temple, that makes the temple the very core of the city. There is not a single day when the temple is not busy with the devotees and pilgrims. Being a major landmark in the city, the temple is easy to access from anywhere in the island. Besides, there also exist a couple of hotels in Rameshwaram in the vicinity to the temple. Apart from the temple there are several holy water tanks dispersed all over the island. These water tanks are also considered to be sacred; it is believed that taking bath in these tanks is equal to taking dip in the holy banks of Sangam or the banks of Ganges in Haridwar.

In addition to the prime temples of lord Rama and lord Shiva, there are several other temples on the island. Amongst these include the temples of lord Hanumana, of which the Five-Faced Hanuman Temple is quite popular. It is believed that on the site of the temple, the lord revealed his five faces. The faces include: the face of lord Hanuman, and faces of lord Narasimha, lord Adivaraha, lord Hayagriva, and lord Garuda. The site of the temple is about 2 km from the Ramanathaswamy Temple. There are excellent roads connecting the two temples. Other than that, some hotels in Rameshwaram with tariffbest suiting wallets of budget travellers, also offer transportation services to the Five-Faced Hanuman Temple. There is also a belief that states that the magical rocks that were used to build the stone bridge that connected the island to Sri Lanka, are lying in front of the temple, which simply makes the temple more sacred.