Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga

Rameswaram Jyotirlinga Temple is located in the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. Jyoti Ling located in the Rameswaram temple is one of the 12 Jyoti Ling of Lord Shiva and Rameshwaram is considered the eleventh Jyotirling. it is one of the main pilgrim centers of Hindus. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is one of the Char Dhams of Hindus. Rameshwaram is nearly four and a half miles southeast of Chennai. It is a beautiful conch-shaped island surrounded by the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal.

History

Lord Ram and Goddess Sita made a Shiva Lingam out of sand and water.
The history of Rameswaram Ramanathaswamy Temple dates back to the Ramayana period. Devotees strongly believe that Lord Rama made the Linga and installed it here. According to the legend, Lord Rama and his wife Sita were returning from Lanka after killing Ravana, who was half and half-demon Brahmin.

Because killing a Brahmin is a sin, Lord Rama desired to worship Lord Shiva and ask his pardon. He had sent Lord Hanuman to Mount Kailash to bring Lord Shiva’s idol. Lord Rama and Sita were living on the island and when they tried to drink the water, a magnificent and effective voice spoke to them.

The voice scolded Lord Rama that he was drinking the water without worshiping. Rather than waiting for Hanuman’s return, Lord Rama advised Sita to make a Linga with the sand and water from the seaside.

He worshipped Lord Shiva in this form and pleaded for mercy. Lord Shiva manifested himself as the Jyotirlinga blessed Lord Rama, and also accepted to stay here and bless mankind permanently. Since Lord Rama worshipped the Linga, the Jyotirlinga was called Ramanathaswamy, and the place was called Rameshwaram.

Importance

The significance of Rameswaram Ramanathaswamy Temple is that the holy place Sanctorum of the temple has 2 Lingas– the Ramalingam– constructed of sand by Sita, and the Vishwalingam– brought by Hanuman. Given that Hanuman had brought the Linga all the methods from Kailash, Lord Rama advised that one needs to worship Vishwalingam.

The whole island of Rameshwaram and nearby locations are in relation to Lord Rama. According to beliefs, numerous events from the Ramayana happened here, and therefore, this place is very important for both Vaishnavites and Shaivites. Rameshwaram has as numerous as 50 Teerths or holy wells, and 22 of them are inside the temple. The water from these wells is strongly believed to possess Medical properties. As per belief, the water from each Teerth tastes various and provides different solutions.

The Linga is made from Spatika. It is advantageous to bathe the Linga with the water from the Ganges. Devotees who go to Kashi, make it a point to bring the Ganges water and offer it to the Linga here.

Architecture

The architecture of the Rameswaram Ramanathaswamy Temple is devoted to a host of goddesses and gods sculpted on the walls of the temple.
The rulers of the Pandya Dynasty expanded the temple in the 12th century AD.

The Rameswaram Ramanathaswamy Temple has the world’s biggest temple corridor. They measure around 1220 meters and also consist of almost 1200 stunning granite pillars overall.

Legend Of Jyotirlingas

• According to the Shiva Purana, Brahma and Vishnu had an argument in terms of the supremacy of creation. In order to resolve the dispute, Shiva decided to pierce the 3 worlds as a countless pillar of light. Both Vishnu and Brahma started downwards and upwards respectively to discover the end of the light. Brahma lied that he had discovered the end while Vishnu accepted that he could not and accepted defeat. Shiva cursed Brahma and as punishment for lying to him, Brahma would not be part of any ceremonies while Vishnu would always be worshipped.

• The jyotirlinga is the supreme partless reality, out of which Shiva partly appears. The jyothirlinga temples, hence are locations where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light. Each of the twelve jyothirlinga sites takes the name of the presiding deity– each believed to be a various manifestation of Shiva. At all these sites, the main image is the jyotirlingam representing the infinite nature of Shiva.

12 Jyotirlingas of Shiva in India

1. Somnath Jyotirlinga – Gir Somnath in Gujarat
2. Somnath Jyotirlinga – Gir Somnath in Gujarat
3. Nageshwar Jyotirling – Daarukavanam in Gujarat
4. Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga – Pune in Maharashtra
5. Trimbakeshwar Jyotirling – Nashik in Maharashtra
6. Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga – Aurangabad in Maharashtra
7. Baidyanath Jyotirlinga – Deoghar in Jharkhand
8. Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga – Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh
9. Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga – Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh
10. Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga – Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh
11. Kedarnath Jyotirling – Kedarnath in Uttarakhand
12. Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga – Rameshwaram Island in Tamil Nadu
13. Mallikarjuna Jyotirling – Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh

Festivals

• Mahashivratri: This festival is in honor of Lord Shiva.
• Ramalinga Prathishtai: It is a 3-day festival celebrating the installation of the Ramalingam.
• Thirukalyanam: It is the celestial wedding ceremony of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. The festivities carry on for a fortnight.
• Navaratri & Dussera: It is a 10-day festival celebrated
• Aarudhira Dharshan: It is an important day in the Shaivite calendar when Lord Shiva indulges in a cosmic dance. Also, Lord Shiva’s avatar, Lord Nataraja, performs this ecstatic dance on a day that coincides with the longest night of the year.

Other Place Near Temple

• Satchi Hanuman Temple
• Panchamukha Hanuman Temple
• Badrakaliamman Temple
• Nambu Nayagiamman Temple
• Kothandaramaswamy Temple

How To Reach

By Road – This main pilgrim site is connected to all cities and towns in Tamil Nadu. many state-run and private buses are available.

By Train – Rameshwaram Railway Station is the nearby Railway Station and it is 1 km away from the temple.

By Air – The nearby airport is in Madurai and it is 174 km from Rameshwaram.

Temple Timings

Temple Darshan Timing

Morning	Evening
05:00 AM to 01:00 PM	03:00 PM to 09:00 PM

Temple Aarti and Pooja Timing

Aarti and Pooja	Timing
Palliyarai Deepa Arathana	05:00 AM
Spadigalinga Deepa Arathana	05:10 AM
Thiruvananthal Deepa Arathana	05:45 AM
Vila Pooja	07:00 AM
Kalasanthi Pooja	10:00 AM
Uchikala Pooja	12:00 PM
Sayaratcha Pooja	06:00 PM
Arthajama Pooja	08:30 PM
Palliyarai Pooja	08:45 PM

Temple Video