Rameshwaram Temple - Ramanathaswamy Temple, Tamil Nadu

Ramanathaswamy temple is a popular place of worship and prominent tourist attraction in Rameshwaram. The shrine is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the twelve jyotirlinga temples in India.

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Ramanathaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is located in the holy city of Rameswaram, an island town in South India, considered a holy pilgrimage site for Shaivites, Vaishnavites and Smarthas. The temple is also one of the twelve Jyotirlinga temples, where Shiva is worshiped in the form of a Jyotirlingam.

According to  the Ramayana, Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu, visited Sethubandh in order to be absolved of his sin of having killed a Brahmin in his war against the demon king Ravana. He decided to do so by building the biggest lingam there in order to appease Lord Shiva. He instructed his chief leutenant, Lord Hanuman to go to the Himalayas and get the biggest lingam possible. As it took very long for Hanuman to return, Lord Rama’s wife, Sita built a smaller lingam out of sand. Even today, there exist two lingams in the temple which are worshiped daily, a small lingam made by Sita out of sand and a larger one brought by Hanuman from the Himalayas. Lord Rama commanded that since Hanuman had got the larger lingam, it would be worshiped first and the smaller lingam would be worshiped second. That practice is followed even now.

Ramanathaswamy temple is known for its imposing structure, majestic towers, intricate sculptural  works and corridors, making it an architectural marvel. The main deity worshipped in the temple is in the form of lingam. There is also an idol of Nandi, which is a massive statue, about 17.5 feet tall. Other deities worshipped here include Goddess Vishalakshi, Parvathavardhini, Lord Vinayaka and Lord Subrahmanya, Utsava idol, Sayanagriha and Perumal.

The legend behind the temple is associated with Lord Rama from the Indian epic Ramayana. It is believed that Lord Rama, after defeating the demon king Ravana, wanted to worship Lord Shiva as part of atonement. He asks Hanuman to bring him a Linga from Kashi. When Hanuman delayed his return, Goddess Sita made a Shivalinga using sand so that Rama could offer his prayers. It is believed that the self-same Shiva Linga, known as Ramalingam, is now worshipped at the Ramanathaswamy temple. The lingam brought by Hanuman from Kailash is called Vishwalingam.

There are 22 Theerthams (holy water bodies) inside the temple where devotees bathe to atone for their sins.