An island where a god asked forgiveness. Pilgrims come wet from twenty-two wells to do the same.
- Deity
- Shiva as Ramanathaswamy
- Where
- Rameswaram ராமேஸ்வரம்
- Known as
- One of the twelve Jyotirlingas, and one of the four Char Dham
- Oldest record
- Ancient
௧ The legend
The lingam of sand
Returning from Lanka after the war, Rama wished to atone for the lives taken in battle and to worship Shiva on the shore. He sent Hanuman to Kailash to bring back a lingam.
The auspicious hour came and Hanuman had not returned. So Sita shaped a lingam from the sand of the beach, and Rama worshipped it. That is the Ramalingam in the sanctum.
When Hanuman arrived with the lingam from Kailash, he was hurt to find the rite done without him. Rama installed his lingam beside the first, the Vishwalingam, and ordained that it be worshipped first. Pilgrims honour that order to this day.
As the story is told at the temple. Legends vary in the telling.
௨ Across the centuries
Built by many hands, tier upon tier
Ancient
The pilgrim road
Rameswaram is already the southern end of the great pilgrimage that begins at Kashi.
12th century
Pandya and early rulers
The sanctum is built in stone and the first enclosures take shape.
17th–18th century
The Sethupathis of Ramnad
The island’s guardian kings build the outer walls and, under Muthuramalinga Sethupathi, complete the great third corridor.
Today
A living temple
About twelve hundred pillars line corridors said to be the longest of any temple in India.
௩ What to look for
When you stand inside
The third corridor
A straight colonnade that runs to a vanishing point, its ceiling painted with medallions end to end.
Twenty-two sacred wells
Each theertham has its own taste and temperature, though all lie within a few metres of the sea.
Agni Theertham
The sea itself, at the temple’s door, where pilgrims bathe first.
௪ The temple’s year
The festivals that fill it
- சித்திரைChithiraiApr–May
- வைகாசிVaikasiMay–Jun
- ஆனிAaniJun–Jul
- ஆடிAadiJul–Aug
- ஆவணிAavaniAug–Sep
- புரட்டாசிPurattasiSep–Oct
- ஐப்பசிAippasiOct–Nov
- கார்த்திகைKarthigaiNov–Dec
- மார்கழிMargazhiDec–Jan
- தைThaiJan–Feb
- மாசிMaasiFeb–Mar
- பங்குனிPanguniMar–Apr
Maasi Feb–Mar
Maha Shivaratri
The night of Shiva, kept awake with worship until dawn.
Aadi Jul–Aug
Thirukalyanam
The wedding of Shiva and Parvathavardhini, celebrated over many days.
Aani Jun–Jul
Ramalinga Prathishtai
The installation of Rama’s lingam, remembered each year.
Festival dates follow the temple’s own calendar and change each year. We confirm them before you travel.
௫ Going there
Journeys that bring you here
- Most Tamil Nadu temples close around midday and reopen in the late afternoon. Each day keeps temples for the morning and evening and puts the road in between.
- Dress traditionally and modestly. Footwear is left outside every temple.
- Darshan arrangements differ from temple to temple and can change on festival days. We confirm what is possible at each one before you travel.
To stand here yourself, with the car, the stay, the guide and the darshan arranged, ask us to plan your journey. We call you back and listen first.
Draft Legends and history are retold from widely published sources and await review. Timings, dress code and special-entry arrangements are published once each fact has a source and a review date.