Every year, millions of visitors from all over the world travel to Rameswaram to see the revered Sri Ramanathaswamy temple. In South India, it is both the most revered and frequently visited pilgrimage site. Uncover many facts about Ramanathaswamy temple along the article. The temple is home to the southernmost Jyotirlinga, one of India’s 12 holiest Shiva Jyotirlingas. According to Hinduism, travelling to each of these Jyotirlingas frees a person from their miseries and the cycle of life and death, ultimately bringing about nirvana. Read this to know Rameshwaram jyotirlinga darshan timings, Ramanathaswamy temple history and how to reach Ramanathaswamy temple.
Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga Darshan Timings
The temple is open from 6 am to 9 pm. Various rites are carried out in the temple at this time. These rituals that are the morning, afternoon, and evening poojas, are open to believers.
Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga darshan timings are as follows:
- Palliyarai Deepa Arathana at 5:00 am
- Spadigalinga Deepa Arathana at 5:10 am
- Thiruvananthal Deepa Arathana at 5:45 am
- Vila Pooja at 7:00 am
- Kalasanthi Pooja at 10:00 am
- Uchikala Pooja at 12:00 pm
- Sayaratcha Pooja at 6:00 pm
- Arthajama Pooja at 8:30 pm
- Palliyarai Pooja at 8:45 pm
Story Of Ramanathaswamy Temple
According to Ramanathaswamy temple history, when Lord Rama returned to his dominion in Ayodhya after winning the tremendous war in Lanka, he yearned to worship Lord Shiva to be freed from the consequences of killing a Brahmana in battle. He requests that Hanuman deliver the Kashi Lingam, or image of Viswanathar, from Kashi.
Goddess Sita, the consort of Lord Rama, created a Shivalinga out of the sand with her bare hands and used it to perform the pooja (worship) when Hanuman was delayed in his mission. The Ramanathaswamy Ling revered at Rameswaram Temple is this Shiv Linga.
The Kashi Lingam also referred to as the Vishwa Lingam, presented by Lord Hanuman, is another Shiv Linga. The Vishwa Lingam must be worshipped before the Ramanathaswamy Lingam, as instructed by Lord Rama. The temple still follows this tradition.
Also Read- 12 Jyotirlinga List With Place In India And How To Reach
Ramanathaswamy Temple History
The temple construction was enlarged by Pandya Dynasty monarchs in the 12th century. The Sri Lankan kings also made contributions to the temple. Jeyaveera Cinkaiariyan and his son Gunaveera Cinkaiariyan, who belonged to the Jaffna kingdom, rebuilt the main shrines.
The Rameshwaram temple’s current design is the culmination of countless Lord Shiva devotees working together over many generations to create what we see today. The Setupatis of Ramanathapuram deserve the majority of the credit for building the temple.
Read below to know some interesting facts about ramanathaswamy temple and how to reach Ramanathaswamy temple.
Facts About Ramanathaswamy Temple
- When you first see the temple, you can mistake it for a massive concrete chessboard due to its peculiar construction. The primary building materials for its reconstruction were granite stones.
- According to legend, Goddess Sita created the primary God Ramalingam from sand. Lord Hanuman brought Vishwalingam back from Kailash.
- The Nandhi statue is composed of bricks, limestones and shells and is roughly 12 feet in breadth and 17 feet in height. The west gopuram has five storeys and is 78 feet tall. With nine storeys and a height of 126 feet, the East Gopuram is the gate tower.
- India’s Pamban Island in the Gulf of Mannar is home to the Rameswaram Temple. The prominent tourist landmark in India, the Pamban Bridge, is 10 kilometres away from the temple.
- The temple is noted for housing the well-known Hindu deity Ramanathaswamy. Its main deity is Lord Shiva.
- According to the Ramanathaswamy temple history, Gandhamadhanam was the previous name of Rameswaram. After Kasi, Rameswaram temple is regarded as one of the holiest pilgrimage sites in India.
- The 12 Jyotirlingas in Rameshwaram represent Shiva, the Supreme Hindu God.
- The temple’s passageways are 6.9 meters high and feature 1,212 pillars in total. The amazing feature is that the pillars seem to meet in a single dot when viewed from one end of the corridor to the other. This encapsulates the magnificent architecture of early Tamil monarchs.
- Rameshwaram temple’s herculean pillars are a crucial part of its sturdy foundation. Hindu carvings are stunning and artistically crafted into every pillar.
- The length of the interior corridors in the temple ranges from 400 to 640 feet in both the northern and southern directions.
Read here about other Jyotirlinga temples
How To Reach Ramanathaswamy Temple
Below are the details about how to reach ramanathaswamy temple by air, road or by train.
1. Reach Ramanathaswamy Temple By Air
The city does not have its airport, but visitors from all around the nation can fly to the nearby airport in Madurai. About 170 kilometres separate the center of Rameshwaram city from the airport in Madurai. One can easily take a taxi or a private cab from the airport to get to this holy city.
2. Reach Ramanathaswamy Temple By Railways
All of the important stations in Coimbatore, Trichy, Madurai, Thanjavur and Chennai may be reached immediately by rail from Rameshwaram railway station. Railway networks immediately connect Rameshwaram to major cities in Tamil Nadu. Superfast, express and mail trains are just a few of the different train kinds that travel to and from the city.
3. Reach Ramanathaswamy Temple By Road
Wondering how to reach Ramanathaswamy temple by road? Since the city is accessible to all of Tamil Nadu’s major cities, getting there by car is simple. To go to Tamil Nadu, there is a frequent bus service from Madurai and many other cities. The distance between Chennai and the centre of Rameshwaram is roughly 650 km. From Rameshwaram, one can drive to Madurai (169 km), Thanjavur (231 km) and Tiruchirappalli (271 km).
Conclusion
After learning such interesting facts about Ramanathaswamy temple, consider planning a trip to the Rameswaram temple during the winter and monsoon seasons. Summertime is not a good time to visit the temple because it is very hot. So, July to March is the ideal time to visit Rameswaram temple. Book your mode of transport on how to reach Ramanathaswamy temple and avoid the crowd on holidays as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why is Ramanathaswamy temple famous?
The sacred home of the Hindu deity Shri Ram (referred to as such with due respect and humility) is a spiritual sanctuary. No Hindu’s trip is complete without a pilgrimage to Varanasi and Rameswaram, which marks the climax of the epic “Ramayana’s” quest for salvation. After a 14-year banishment, folklore speaks of the presence of the God Ram in this region.
- Who built Ramanathaswamy?
The great Ramanathaswamy temple, which boasts the “Third Corridor”, was started by Sethupathy Maravar in the 12th century and finished by his successor, Maravar. The temple itself has been built by monarchs since that time.
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