Rameshwaram is one of the four most important pilgrim centres (chaar dham) of the country, it is also one of the 12 Jyotirlingas. Lord Rama, worshipped Lord Shiva here after returning from Sri Lanka, to absolve himself of any sin committed during the war with Ravana. This is as per Valmiki Ramayan.
Out of the 64 tirtha kundas in Rameshwaram, 22 of them are within the precincts of Ramanathaswamy temple. Having your ablutions in these holy waters is a kind of spiritual cleansing, the water not only effects the physical body, but works on the subtle and causal bodies. While one does a full circuit of the kundas, within the temple, one can see priests standing at every tirtham to pour a pot full of water on each and every devotee. The names of the 22 tirthas are – Mahalakshmi, Savitri, Gayatri, Saraswati, Sakkara, Setu Madhava, Nala, Neela, Gavaya. Kavacha, Gandhamadhana/ Chakra, Brahmahathi Vimochana, Surya, Chandra, Satyamrita, Shiva, Sarva, Sankhu, Gaya, Ganga, Yamuna and Kodi tirtham.
One of the 64 sacred holy waters in Rameshwaram is Agni Tirtham . This is the eastern sea shore of the Bay of Bengal, opposite to the Ramanathaswamy temple. One has to take a dip in the Agni tirtham and then enter the temple. It here that Mother Sita had to prove her purity, her chastity by entering into an Agni kunda. Agni Dev, had to do ‘prayaschit karma’ and ask for forgiveness for engulfing Ma Sita, a married, sinless woman. It is on this eastern shore that Agni Deva took a dip in the ocean and prayed to Lord Shiva for forgiveness. Agni tirtha is mentioned in the Narada, Skanada, Setu Purana.
Villoondi, Jada, Jatayu, Sugreevar are some of Rameshwaram’s powerful tirthams. Ekanth Rama temple, where Lord Rama took rest on his way to Ayodhya, and the Gandhamadhana Parvatam tirtham, where there is an imprint of Lord Rama’s feet on a chakra, are places of spiritual significance.
And then the RamSetu, a bridge built by Lord Rama and his army, a chain of limestone shoals that starts from Dhanushkodi to Mannar Island, off the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka. There is geological proof that this bridge was actually a land connection between India and Sri Lanka. The temple records show that Rama Setu was completely above sea level until a cyclone in 1480 CE broke it. Valmiki Ramayan’s beautiful verses on the Ram Setu are a must read. Reciting the Vishnu Sahasranaam has special significance in this tirtham
Out of the 64 tirtha kundas in Rameshwaram, 22 of them are within the precincts of Ramanathaswamy temple. Having your ablutions in these holy waters is a kind of spiritual cleansing, the water not only effects the physical body, but works on the subtle and causal bodies. While one does a full circuit of the kundas, within the temple, one can see priests standing at every tirtham to pour a pot full of water on each and every devotee. The names of the 22 tirthas are – Mahalakshmi, Savitri, Gayatri, Saraswati, Sakkara, Setu Madhava, Nala, Neela, Gavaya. Kavacha, Gandhamadhana/ Chakra, Brahmahathi Vimochana, Surya, Chandra, Satyamrita, Shiva, Sarva, Sankhu, Gaya, Ganga, Yamuna and Kodi tirtham.
One of the 64 sacred holy waters in Rameshwaram is Agni Tirtham . This is the eastern sea shore of the Bay of Bengal, opposite to the Ramanathaswamy temple. One has to take a dip in the Agni tirtham and then enter the temple. It here that Mother Sita had to prove her purity, her chastity by entering into an Agni kunda. Agni Dev, had to do ‘prayaschit karma’ and ask for forgiveness for engulfing Ma Sita, a married, sinless woman. It is on this eastern shore that Agni Deva took a dip in the ocean and prayed to Lord Shiva for forgiveness. Agni tirtha is mentioned in the Narada, Skanada, Setu Purana.
Villoondi, Jada, Jatayu, Sugreevar are some of Rameshwaram’s powerful tirthams. Ekanth Rama temple, where Lord Rama took rest on his way to Ayodhya, and the Gandhamadhana Parvatam tirtham, where there is an imprint of Lord Rama’s feet on a chakra, are places of spiritual significance.
And then the RamSetu, a bridge built by Lord Rama and his army, a chain of limestone shoals that starts from Dhanushkodi to Mannar Island, off the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka. There is geological proof that this bridge was actually a land connection between India and Sri Lanka. The temple records show that Rama Setu was completely above sea level until a cyclone in 1480 CE broke it. Valmiki Ramayan’s beautiful verses on the Ram Setu are a must read. Reciting the Vishnu Sahasranaam has special significance in this tirtham