Rameshwaram Travel
Rameshwaram
(also spelt as Rameswaram) is a pilgrimage centre of nationwide importance,
as Rama is said to have worshipped Shiva here on his way back from SriLanka.
The temple is in the island of Rameshwaram, the Banares of the South ,
connected to the mainland by a bridge. The deity here constitutes one of the
12 Jyotirlingas of India.
The Sacred Pilgrimage To Rameshwaram
A pilgrimage to Rameshwaram is among the important injunctions laid on the
Hindu from time immemorial. The great temple of Sri Ramanatha is connected
by tradition with Kashi. A pilgrimage to Kashi is not considered complete
without a pilgrimage to Rameshwaram. In olden days groups of pilgrims, many
of them quite old, walked huge distances to the two temples, taking months
and years, and some failing to survive the rigours and dangers of such
incredibly long journeys. Men and women knew this cost might be exacted of
them, but they repaid it cheerfully.
The Rameshwaram pilgrimage has long been a tradition in South India,
particularly in Tamil Nadu, and has passed into folklore. Many kings of old
prided themselves on having planted columns of victory in
Rameshwaram-Krishna III the Rashtrakuta, in the 10th century; the Hoysala,
Vishnuvardhana, in the 12th century.
Temple Architecture - The
temple 264m east to west and 200m north to south, and with three Prakaras,
two big Gopuras and two more unfinished ones, faces east, a few metres from
the sea. It contains two Lingas under worship. There are innumerable other
shrines and twenty-two "Tirthas" (also spelt as Teerthas), or
sacred bathing places.
At the main eastern entrance stands a huge Gopura of nine storeys and 38.4m
high. The outermost, or third, corridor, 196m long and 120.4 wide, is one of
the achievements of the Hindu artist down the ages. There are about four
thousand pillars, each 3.7m high. All are located on a platform 1.5m high.
They look like an orderly, petrified forest.
A huge Nandi, 6.7m long and 5m high, stands beyond the second Prakara. It
is made of 'Sudai', a material used for sculptures on Gopuras. On either
side of it there are portraits of two of the Nayaks, Visvanatha and
Krishnappa.
The western Gopura is smaller than the eastern, but still impressive, being
24m high. On the northern and southern sides there are unfinished Gopuras.
Sethu - 5km south of the temple is Sethu, where there is
a celebrated temple of Sri Anjaneya, and where, tradition holds, Sri Rama
built a bridge to Sri Lanka. In Devipatnam, or Navapashanam, also by the
sea, there are nine stones visible at low tide. It is believed that they
were set up by Sri Rama to represent the nine planets, the Navagrahas.
How to get there ?
Air - The nearest airport is at Madurai, at a distance of
154-km.
Rail - Rameshwaram is well connected by trains from all
the major cities of India.
Road - State transport buses are available from the
railway station to the various places in and around Rameshwaram. For local
transportation taxis, auto-rickshaws, cycle-rickshaws and tongas are
available. Also city bus service is available in the island.
- The driver Krishna was outstanding, polite, well-dressed and very patient. The road conditions were hazardous at times, but he negotiated them very capably. This is the second time I have used your company and I am extremely satisfied with your service. I will continue to recommend your company to colleagues visiting India and will be in touch for my next trip.......said Randy Bindra, USA travelled through us from 04 Mar. to 09 Mar. 2013
- We would like to thank you and your colleagues for a very well organised three week holiday. We thoroughly enjoyed it and everything worked very well. The overnight on the houseboat was a wonderful experience, it was such a change from being on the busy road, and to have the peace, silence and tranquillity for nearly 24 hours was indeed very nice. So, we can also recommend that and the two crew were very good indeed, and we thoroughly enjoyed the meals they provided for us. It was really good experience..........said Ketty Tomes, UK travelled through us from 28 Jan. to 17 Feb. 2013
- Thank you very much for great trip in India. My 4th trip to India has made that I’m more addicted to India than I was before (I thought that I couldn’t be more addicted but I was wrong). I tell only positive things to all my friends about my trip and TSI. Maybe my girl friend decides to visit South India with 3 other girls. I also look forward to visit Ladakh and Kashmir.........said Robert, Poland travelled through us from 29 Jan. to 13 Feb. 2013
- Dear Manoj,
Everyone is safely home again after our spice discovery tour, and we can definitely consider it one of our successes. Once again you won everyone’s hearts with your thoughtfulness and thoroughness in all our activities. I don’t know how we would have coped with the flight cancellations between Udaipur and Madurai if you had not been there to sort it out! ..............said Liz and Ian, Australia travelled through us from 13 Jan. to 29 Jan. 2013
- Dear Manoj,
Our tour of your wonderful country was fantastic. I was returning, after 36 years, but it was Helen’s first time and she loved every minute of the amazing journey. Our precious eighteen days seemed to stretch—there was so much to see and do! Each night we went to bed tired, and occasionally exhausted. And so, we really appreciated the extra effort made by all the Indian hotels to provide us with additional length in our double beds. Thanks you for making those arrangements. We were always very comfortable at night so we woke up refreshed, ready to enjoy the delights of the next day.........said Helen & Richard Walker, Australia travelled through us from 13 Jan. to 29 Jan. 2013
-
We just want to thank for the amazing service provided to us. We are very happy and impressed with all assistance and support you gave us during the whole trip......said Manha Cleusa, Brazil travelled through us from 22 Oct. to 02 Nov. 2012
-
We have enjoyed our trip to India and will certainly recommend TSI to any friends who wish to visit your beautiful country.....Dr. Chanvit, Thailand travelled through us from 11 Feb. to 20 Feb. 2012
India Tour Packages
Scroll