Rameshwaram is one of the popular religious pilgrimage destinations of India located in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. It lies on Pamban Island and is connected to India by Pamban Bridge. There are a lot of beautiful places to visit in Rameshwaram. The place holds its religious importance due to covering most of the important incidents from epic Ramayana. One among them is the famous bridge used by Lord Rama to save Goddess Sita from Ravana.
The bridge is believed to be a connector from Rameshwaram to Sri Lanka. It also has many important religious temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and Vishnu. This place is perfect for the devotees of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu.
Popular Places To Visit in Rameshwaram
Best Places To Visit in Rameshwaram (Temples & Holy Places)
Ramanathaswamy Temple
Ramanathaswamy temple is one of the popular places to visit in Rameshwaram, which is built on a small Island connected by Pamban Bridge to the mainland.
This temple reflects one of the finest architecture with its detailed work in the interior and exterior, Huge Towers, and corridors. It is a sacred Hindu Temple, one among the 12 jyotirlingas of India. It is visited by millions of Hindu devotees every year.
The famous attraction of the Temple is the “Theerthams” which is believed to wash away the sins of anyone bathing in it.
The theme of the temple is dedicated to Lord Rama saving Goddess Sita after defeating Ravana while returning back to Ayodhya. It is believed that in this place Lord Rama worshipped Lord Shiva. The religious importance of this temple is immense.
Dhanushkodi Temple Or Kothandaramaswamy Temple
It is a 500 to 1000 years old temple also popularly known as Kothadaramaswamy Temple. The temple is named as such because here we get to see a shrine of Lord Rama holding a bow or “Dhanush”. According to Ramayana, it is believed that in this place Vibhishana broth of evil Ravana joined hands with Lord Rama for the defeat of his brother.
It is also believed that Lord Rama crowned Vibhishana as the King of Lanka after defeating evil Ravana. Hence in the interior of the temple shrine depicting Abhishek of Vibhishana as the royal king can be found.
The mysterious fact here is, in spite of entire Dhanushkodi town being washed away in 1964 the temple structure remained as it is only its complex getting destroyed.
Jada Tirtham
Jada Theertham is another popular holy place of Rameshwaram which comes in the way to Dhanushkodi. The place consists of a large pond which is highly sacred. It is believed that after killing Ravana in war, Lord Rama decided to wash his sin as Ravana was also a Brahmin.
He decided to worship Lord Shiva by creating a Shiva Linga by himself and it is in this pond where Lord Rama washed his hair. Hence this place is known as Jada Theertham as Jada signifies hair.
Also, this place is considered as the birthplace of sacred bird “Jatayu” whose was killed by Ravana. This place is located about 3.5 km from Ramanathaswamy Temple and is easily accessible for the tourists by any kind of transport service.
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Five Faced Hanuman Temple
Popularly known as the Panchamukhi Hanuman Temple this place belongs to Lord Hanuman. The temple has the famous shrine of Lord Hanuman with 5 faces. In the shrine, Lord Hanuman is in the middle along with Lord Narasimha, Lord Adivaraha, Lord Garuda and Lord Hayagriva.
The Saints have covered the statue of Lord Hanuman here with Seenthooram. This temple is also known as Panchamukha Anjaneya.
This place is a must visit for all the devotees coming in Rameshwaram. We all know about the famous Sethubandhan by Lord Hanuman with the help of stones for Lord Rama and Lakshmana to make them reach Lanka.
Here in this temple, we get to see those floating stones which were originally used by Lord Hanuman for Sethu Bandana to Lanka. This again is one of the most sacred places to visit in Rameshwaram.
Nambu Nayaki Amman Temple
This is a famous temple of Rameshwaram based on the majority of people who have Nambu in their name in Rameshwaram. Nambu Nayaki Amman is a goddess name and considered to the one protecting the southern area.
It is believed if the couples who don’t have children pray to this goddess and tie a cradle with a baby doll in the tree and worship her they are soon blessed with children. This is the reason which increases the religious importance of Temple in Rameshwaram.
It is also believed that if married couples who have problems in their relationship, pray to the Goddess Nambu Nayaki Amman, their disputes will get resolved soon. Patients with mental illness or depression get cured if they take a bath in Theertham of this temple.
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Lakshmana Tirtham
As the name suggests the place is dedicated to Lord Lakshmana. It is located at a distance of 1 km from Rameshwaram Temple and is beside the temple dedicated to Lord Lakshmana. You can reach Lakshmana Theertham through main Lakshmana Temple.
It is a pond which has a small mandap at its centre. The mandap has stairs with the help of which the water of the pond can be reached which is considered as highly sacred.
It is believed Lord Lakshmana in order to free himself for the sins worshipped Lord Shiva here by building Shiva Linga and took a bath in this pond before worshipping Lord Shiva. Many devotees wash their sins by taking a bath in this holy pond during their visit to Rameshwaram.
Jatayu Tirtham Temple
The temple is dedicated to Jatayu – the holy bird in epic Ramayana and is a major tourist attraction in Rameshwaram. It is believed when Goddess Sita was kidnapped by evil Ravana Jatayu, who was the loyal devotee of Lord Rama fought hard with Ravana to free Sita from his grips but it failed as its large wings were cut by evil Ravana and it fell down to the ground and died soon.
After Jatayu died Lord Rama took his dead body to bury in a place on which the famous Jatayu Temple has been built. The bird was so holy that after it died its ashes were similar to the holy ones from Yagnas.
The best time to visit Jatayu Temple is from October to April. I would highly recommend adding this place to your bucket list of places to visit in Rameshwaram.
Thiruppullani
Thiruppullani is dedicated to Lord Vishnu located 66km from Rameshwaram. It is known as the resting place of Lord Rama due to which it is also known as Dharbasayanam. The god residing in this place is Aadi Jagannatha.
There is also a peepal tree in the surrounding where a number of stone carved Naga serpents are visible followed by the statues of Aadi Jagannatha and Lord Rama is resting on a grass couch.
From the statue of Lord Rama three lotus branch have been aroused from his navel on which different idols of Lord Brahma, Siva, and Moon, Sugabrahmar, Charapar, Brigu Maharishi are seen seated near lord Rama’s Feet. Also, there is a statue of Vibhishana and his wife praying to Lord Vishnu. It is a highly religious site and a must-visit.
Gandhamadhana Parvatham
It is a holy place for pilgrimage located on the north-west side of Rameshwaram. Gandhamadhana has the highest peak on Pamban Island. It lies between the western part of the island and the lost town Dhanushkodi.
The site offers beautiful sunrise and sunset. This hill has the famous Ramjharoka temple with holy footprints of Lord Rama. The main importance of Gandhamadhana parvat is the holy footprints of Lord Rama.
Visitors from a different part of the country come to this temple to have the pleasure of seeing these footprints. Also from the temple, a majestic view of Rameshwaram is visible with the sea on the other side. This place does not have many things to see but the holy importance of epic Ramayana and Lord Rama makes this destination one of the best places to visit in Rameshwaram.
Other Popular Places To Visit in Rameshwaram
Adam’s Bridge
Adam’s bridge also known as Rama Sethu was the connecting bridge to Sri Lanka from Rameshwaram built from Dhanushkodi to Manner Island. It has a total length of 30 km made of limestone shoals. It is believed that due to a famous cyclone in 1480 the bridge got destroyed and half of it went underwater.
It is an important site for the tourists and now the bridge is just for show with 3 to 30 ft. underwater which is not of any use currently. This historical bridge gains its importance due to various incidents associated with Lord Rama and Ramayana.
It is 20 km away from Dhanushkodi town and can be reached from there. It is a holy place for the devotees to worship Lord Rama. It again is one of the most popular places to visit in Rameshwaram.
Ariyaman Beach
It is located at a distance of 21kms from Rameshwaram in Palk Bay. The 2 km long beach is an excellent place for relaxation. It is also a good picnic spot with its cleanliness and green trees surrounding the beach. The calm gentle shimmering waves offer a fantastic scenic beauty.
Another name of this beach is “Kushi Beach”. The beach has various water sports activities like water scooter, windsurfing, and parasailing from a moving boat.
Other attractions are a swimming pool, boating, and Thundershower. There is also a watchtower from where you can enjoy the ocean view and its surrounding areas.
The beach has Children Park too with rides for the kids to enjoy. This family place attracts more than 5000 visitors at weekends and special festivals. It is one of the best places to visit in Rameshwaram with family and friends.
Water Bird Sanctuary
If you are a bird lover you will love this place. This place has a variety of bird species with greenery and flowering plants blooming around. As there are a number of water tanks in Rameshwaram it attracts birds a lot. This sanctuary has birds from Europe and Australia for breeding purpose as well as native birds.
The best time to visit this place is between the months of October to January as a number of migratory birds fly to this place during this season.
Some of the popular birds found here are Ibis, Storks, Pelicans, Herons, Egret and many more. The evening time is the most beautiful time here as all the birds return to their places and the atmosphere sparkles with their chirping. It is one of the best places to visit in Rameshwaram for all bird watchers and photography lovers.
Annai Indira Gandhi Road Bridge
It is among the most popular bridges in the world. It connects NH 47 highway to Rameshwaram. It has a total length of 2,345 km. The construction of the bridge took 14 years and it is the largest bridge in South India.
The bridge is often called a dangerous highway as it is located in the highly cyclone-prone area. Big ships also move under this bridge easily making it a highly effective communication point.
This bridge was the first sea bridge of India standing in the middle of the blue water. This bridge is also known as Pamban Bridge which has a religious importance as it is believed in Pamban Lord Rama shot an arrow towards the ground to fetch water as Goddess Sita was thirsty.
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Best Time to Visit Rameshwaram
Rameshwaram is considered as the village built by Lora Rama to get to Lanka. So this place has a high religious importance in India. The best time to have the pleasure of this holy place is between the months of October to March. The season during this time is winter and the weather is cool and perfect to do the sightseeing during the daytime and also comfortable.
Monsoon season is also not bad as there is average rainfall in Rameshwaram so tourists can come during this time also. It is not preferable to come here in summers due to the high temperatures that are between 20-40 degrees.
How to Reach Rameshwaram
Visiting Rameshwaram By Air
Nearest airport to Rameshwaram is Madurai. We need to reach Madurai and from there travel to Rameshwaram which 149 km in distance. It can be also reached from Tuticorin Airport covering a distance of 142 km.
Visiting Rameshwaram By Train
Trains to Rameshwaram are available from all major cities of India like Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, and Trichy.
Visiting Rameshwaram By Bus
Tourist bus services are available to Rameshwaram from cities like Kanyakumari, Pondicherry, Trichy, and Chennai. It ensures a comfortable journey for the tourists.
Visiting Rameshwaram By Road
A road trip is also a good option connected with cities likes Chennai, Pondicherry, Kanyakumari, and Madurai through NH 49.
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