Day 2 - Rameshwaram

We were ready by 7:30 AM sharp after packing our stuffs according to the itinerary given by Syeed, but we forgot that IST rules everywhere. The mini tempo was an hour late as there were some problem with its clutches in the vehicle sent day before, and so a different vehicle was sent. In the meantime while waiting, we went to Madana Gopala temple which was right opposite our hotel. It’s also a very old temple, and calm - no rush. We could clearly see the deities. Its temple tower was also colorful.

When our vehicle finally arrived, it was around 8:40 AM. We were again the first to get into it, and later he picked up other tourists from different hotels. Among the ones who joined us for the whole trip were 3 uncles from Lucknow who had come to Bangalore for Air Show, one couple from Bangalore, a Muslim family of 5 from Tripura, and a family of 4. We all finally set for Rameshwaram at 9 AM. Midway, we had our breakfast at some roadside hotel at around 10 AM. It took us around 3.5 hours to reach Rameshwaram, which is about 170 kms from Madurai.

On the way, we saw the famous Pamban bridge which connects the main land with the island. It’s a beautiful scene with sea on both sides, a railway track by the underside, and the bridge stretches for a good 5 kms long. We stopped in the middle to capture a few snaps.

By the time we reached Rameshwaram town, it was already 12:30 PM. The guide told us that the temple would close by 1 PM and so he will take to the temple at 3 PM when it reopens. Till then we would see the nearby places.

First we saw Sita Kund.

Opposite to it is the Panch-Mukhi Hanuman temple. There is also the Samadhi of Tulsi Baba. The floating stones, used to build the SethuBandanamor, the bridge between India and Lanka can be found in this temple.

Next to it, we went to Lakshman Theerth. All these Theerths are considered to be holy water sources. All these places were within 100 mts distance.

Having seen these, the guide took us to some Marwadi restaurant for lunch. We had a home-like food and it tasted good as we were hungry and tired. After lunch, he took us to a shopping store claimed to be that of the brother of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. The shop was big and a majority of items were of sea shells and conches. We bought shells with 'Rameswaram' etched on it to mark it as a memory of our trip.

By then it was 2:45 PM and the guide took us near Agni Theertham. He introduced us to a local Panda (priest) and told us to follow his instructions. The Panda told that whoever is interested can have bath at Agni Theertham, and come to main temple. There were 22 'kunds' or Theertham's inside the main temple and he will pour water on persons for bathing there. He charged Rs. 3 per 'kund' and Rs. 25 for entry ticket, making it Rs. 90 per head. At first we hesitated, but eventually paid him off.

The beach at Agni Theertham was calm and pleasant. We didn't want to have bath, so just touched it and sprinkled on ourselves. The uncles and the couple were full interested in having bath & fun. Agni Theertham is just about 100 mts from the main eastern entrance of the temple.

The Panda then took us inside the main temple. At the entrance to the right, there was a Hanuman temple, with 5 ft above & 5 ft below the ground. It is said that whoever visits this temple has to go to this Hanuman temple first and then go to see Lord Ramanatha Swamy.

According to the legend, upon the advice of Rishis (sages), Lord Rama along with Sita and Lakshmana, installed and worshipped the Sivalinga here to expiate the sin of Brahmahatya (killing of a Brahmin)(Ravana) while returning to Ayodhya. Rama fixed an auspicious time for the installation and sent Hanuman to Mount Kailas to bring a lingam. As Hanuman could not return in time, Sita herself made a linga of sand. When Hanuman returned with a Linga from Mount Kailas the rituals had been over. To comfort the disappointed Anjaneya, Rama had Anjaneya’s Lingam (Visvalingam) also installed by the side of Ramalinga, and ordained that rituals be performed first to the Visvalingam. This Visvalingam is just around the Prakara of Hanuman temple.

We then moved towards the huge door. On the top, a picture idol of the Rameshwaram shrine was built.

Inside the temple, there are 22 Theertham's and he told that water in each Theertham tasted different. And it was! We had a sip of water from all the 22 Theertham's - some were plain, some sweet, some salty & some very salty. The names of the Theerthams are:

Mahalakshmi Theertham, Savitri Theertham, Gayatri Theertham, Saraswathi Theertham, Sethu Madhava Theertham, Gandha Madhana Theertham, Kavacha Theertham, Gavaya Theertham, Nala Theertham, Neela Theertham, Sanku Theertham, Sakkara Theertham, Brahma Hatya Vimochana Theertham, Surya Theertham, Chandra Theertham, Ganga Theertham, Yamuna Theertham, Gaya Theertham, Siva Theertham, Sadhyamirtha Theertham, Sarva Theertham and Kodi Theertham. The last Theertham directly comes from the 'Abhisheka' of Lord Ramanatha Swamy.

Finally we entered the main shrine and had the Darshan of the Linga. With this, I saw the 7th Jyotirlinga of my life and I was very happy. Still there are 5 more to be covered and I hope to see them all in my lifetime. I gave the Gangajal I bought from Kashi to the priest and asked him to do 'Abhisheka' to the diety. With this, as the legend goes, I successfully completed the trip to Kashi. At Varanasi, I was a bachelor and over here, I came as a married man :)

Beside the main temple, there was a temple of Goddess Parvati too. After having seen both, we came out and saw the biggest temple corridor in India. All along the side of the corridor, there were 108 Linga's established.

We exited the temple and returned to the vehicle. Upon coming, we got to know that we need to come back to Madurai and then go to Kanyakumari from Madurai in a different vehicle. All along, we had thought that directly after leaving Rameshwaram, we would go to Kanyakumari for night halt. But it seemed that there was no route direct from Rameshwaram to Kanyakumari. With no option left, we travelled another 4 hours back to Madurai and reached at around 8:30 PM. There, at the railway station parking, another vehicle stood and we transferred our luggage to the new mini tempo. We had food at a nearby restaurant and finally started our journey to Kanyakumari at around 9:45 PM. We never knew that we would be doing a night journey in this trip and nothing had been communicated to us. It was a gruesome 4.5 hr journey to Kanyakumari and finally we reached at 2:30 AM. The driver took us to some under-construction hotel and dumped everyone there. The room was horrible, with dust everywhere, no curtains to the window and no proper washroom too. With great regret, we had to sleep there, only for 3 hours as we had to be ready by 6 in the morning for sunrise.

For more info on Rameshwaram, click here and here.