Rameshwaram the temple town of south india and home of the lord of rama

Rameshwaram ­ the temple town of South India and home of the Lord of Rama

Rameshwaram meaning "Lord of Rama" is a highly revered pilgrimage in India with a strong association with Lord Rama and Lord Shiva. It counts amongst the seven most revered holy places in the country and is situated on top of an island which is separated from Indian mainland by the Pamban Channel. According to Hindu mythology it is the place from where Lord Rama built a bridge to Lanka (now Sri Lanka) in order to rescue his wife Mata Sita who was abducted by Ravana, the demon lord. There exists an ornate, old temple at the centre of the place. It is called the Ramanathaswamy Temple and is the nerve centre of the town. The temple is dedicated to the Lord of Rama, referring to Lord Shiva. The prime deity is a lingam of Lord Shiva and is seen with utmost respect by the Shivates as well as Vaishnavites. Apart from that the place is also known for the sacred water tanks, called Tirthas or Theerthams that are spread all over the island. Taking a dip in the water tanks is considered to very auspicious as it is believed that doing that washes­off the sins.

Rameswaram

Rameshwaram is one of the most visited places in the country and there is hardly anytime in a year when it is not busy with tourists and pilgrims. The large number of tourists in the town has resulted in a large concentration of hotels and other lodging options. There are hotels of all kinds starting from the luxury equipped plush hotels to budget hotels to hotels in Rameshwaram with tariff best suiting travellers with constrained budget.

Being a spiritual destination majority of travelers visit the town with religious purposes. It is said that a pilgrimage to all revered Hindu sites is simply incomplete without a visit of the town. The Ramanathaswamy Temple is the prime attraction of the town. It is the main point of interest as it attracts every single traveler visiting the place. It is an ornate temple known for its massive sculptured pillars, a very long corridor (the longest in the world), and a 38.4 metres tall Gopuram.

Gandamadana Parvatham is perhaps the next most­visited place in the island. The site houses the imprints of Lord Rama's feet imprinted on a Chakra. The spot is also considered auspicious and there is almost always a horde of people trying to get a glimpse of the foot prints.

Additionally, the site is also the highest peak on the island and is known for offering panoramic views of island as well as the Bay of Bengal.

The other significant places and points of interest here that are must to visit include: Badrakaliamman Temple, Five­faced Hanuman Temple, Kothandaramaswamy Temple, Annai Indira Gandhi Road Bridge or the Pamban Bridge, Nambu Nayaki Amman Temple, Dhanushkodi, Agnitheertham, Satchi Hanuman Temple, and Sugreeva Temple.

There is a 2340 meters long rail and road bridge connecting the island with mainland India.

The good thing is that the town has its own railway station featuring a good concentration of hotels near Rameswaram railway station. The Rameshwaram Railway Station is a small terminus connected to Chennai and Madurai. Chennai is the most prefered transit point to access the holy town as the city houses excellent and state of art airport and railway station.

However, the nearest airport is the Madurai airport which is about 174 k.m. away.

About The Author: This post is submitted by Ravinder. Ravinder is a travel writer at ixigo and is passionate about writing on hotels in Rameshwaram with tariff. Apart from this he writes to guide travelers about hotels near Rameswaram railway station also.

Source: http://goo.gl/HxFK04