Rameswaram

Rameswaram is an important pilgrimage center for Hindus. It is considered important because of the belief that it is here that Lord Rama built the bridge to Sri Lanka with the help of Lord Hanuman to defeat Ravan. Lord Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, built a Shiva temple named Sri Ramanatha Swamy. It is important shrine for both Shaivites and Vaishnavites. India’s most sacred temples in four directions are four viz. Badrinath ( North),Puri Jaggannath( East), Dwaraka ( West),and Rameswaram

( South). It is to be noted that except, Rameswaram, the rest are Vishnu temples.

The Hindu customs say that one should go to Rameswaram, take bath in the sea near Danushkodi( 15kms away,if the sand road is open), take bath in 22 tirthas, take sand from here, put it in Sangamam at Allahabad, take Ganges water from there, bring it to Rameswaram, do abhisheka with it to Sri Ramanatha Swamy, and thus complete your life cycle.

It is believed that if one does this action, it washes of all past and future janma karmas, pithru runas, so that one has no rebirth.

Myself and my wife Nirmala plan to visit Varanasi, Allahabad, Gaya in July 2008.We decided to go to Rameswaram before going to Varanasi. The travel details are given below to help anyone who wants to visit Rameswaram.

The best option is to take a train from Chennai.Egmore- Rameswaram express (train no 7613) leaves Egmore at 17.00.hrs and reaches Rameswaram next day at 05.15hrs. It leaves Rameswaram( train no. 7614) at 16.45 hrs and reaches Chennai the next day at 07.15 hrs.

However we were going from Bangalore. So, we went by Mysore –Tuticorin express on 22nd June to reach Madurai at 7 a.m.and took a taxi from there( Rs 1800/-.to Rameswaram and back- Royal tours-Babu-cell 09791392717).

The 3-hour drive from Madurai is very pleasant through Manamdurai,Paramakudi( actor Kamala Hassan’s birth place),Ramanathapuram. We reached at 11 A.M. and straightaway went to Kanchi Ashram and met Sri S. Sivarama Sastry ( cell 09443685075),who organized a room for us to change. He did a pooja for us in the ashram and led us to the sea called Agni Teertham. We had three holy dips in the very salty sea water. There were hundreds of pilgrims doing the same thing, including new born children. We prayed to cleanse ourselves of all our past and future janma papams while taking the dips.With the wet clothes, we were guided by his assistant to the not far temple premises. Here there are 22 tirthas in the form of springs. Each tirtha is of different type of water, very pure, hot/cold/salty/sweet etc. His assistant guided us from tirtha to tirtha and poured water from each tirtha on our heads by drawing water with a rope/bucket. There were many devotees going through this procedure. After this ritual, we dried ourselves, and went for Darshan of Sri Ramanatha Swamy. Goddess is Sri Parvatha Varshini Amman. There many small temples within the complex for various gods. The huge bull Nandi is special here made up of Lime stone. The temple itself is an architect marvel with the world’s longest corridor. After temple visit, we came back to Kashi Ashram, did Shrardham for ancestors, gave dhanams to five Brahmins, collected sea sand in plastic containers to be put in Allahabad sangamam. They had organised a lovely home meal next to ashram in a house. As we ate the nice meal, it was a great sight , like in a time warp, to see an old grandmother( 80+) with her two grand children playing games with dice on a chalk drawn checks on the floor of the house. It was a unforgettable scene with the old patti rolling the dice with passion and fighting with grand children over movement of shells pieces. We gave Sivarama Sastry, a dakshina of Rs 1500/-.( package deal including a new dhoti for me, poojas,Shrardham, gifts to brahmins, meal etc). I felt that it was quiet reasonable for his services. We visited other temples in Rameswaram on our way back to Madurai. The interesting ones were Rama Padams on a hill, Hanuman temple( where heavy stones supposedly touched and used by Hanuman to build the bridge to Srilanka float in water). We reached Madurai back by 6 P.M. to catch the train to Bangalore.

It is the faith which makes one do these rituals. The peace of mind one gets is worth the effort. It prepares one for the journey beyond this present life into the unknown.

Jay

Train Journey- 3 Tier Sleeper

I reach Cantonment station half an hour early, since I have given too much allowance for the traffic chaos in Bangalore. The chart near the station Master’s office shows where in the platform my S6 –three-tier compartment is likely to arrive. As I walk towards the coach position, I have to avoid people with lots of luggage waiting for trains expected to arrive. All benches are occupied with some passengers putting their luggage also on the benches denying seats to others. There is a group of musicians with their instruments waiting for Chennai train , with pan chewing and spitting on the track. There is one large family talking loudly and laughing as if there is no tomorrow, with one of the youth trying to make young girls giggle with nonsensical jokes. One woman police has just caught three middle-aged, very recently confident looking men for smoking on the platform, slapping Rs 100 fine on each. They look sheepish now with the watching crowd enjoying the show. They have changed from princes to beggars, appealing to the police. Suddenly you hear Hi’s and Long –Time- No- See conversations of friends who meet only once in 5 years in railway platforms, exchanging news.

The train is announced. Nobody can hear the train number in the noise. As the train slips into the platform, all rush to see the board in the second compartment to find that it is not theirs. By the time they come back , the benches they sat are occupied by people , who look the other way now. There are two familiar stray dogs in the platform which bark and run along a short distance with every arriving train. Were they train drivers in their last janma?

There is the lady with a child in the hand with lots of luggage rushing and pushing people in the opposite direction to reach her compartment. The travelling sales executive having wait listed ticket, with his I-know-my way -expression, rushes to the Ticket Examiner with Rs. 100 folded in his palm as bribe, to get a seat.

Luckily I find my compartment S6 in front of me. It is the smell from toilet that hit me first as I board the three tier sleeper in Kanyakumari Express. Invariably, as per Murphy’s law, the person with a maximum luggage has to get into the wrong end of the bogie. How is that every time, there is always two people with the same seat number of S6 and S7 fighting for the seat? We settle down and push all our baggage under the seat and look at co-passengers and give a smile. Vendors start their job shouting coffee/tea etc. Slowly I start talking to co-passengers. After half an hour, I realize it is a small world. TTE comes tagging along with at least two persons with their wait listed tickets in hand and a sullen, lost expression. TTE tells them, “ please wait, let me finish checking!”

As soon as checking is over, senior co-passenger announces all that he is tired and sleepy. It is only 8 P.M. We all get up and help him to put his middle berth in place and sit like Hunch back of Nottredame. By 8 .30, our backs cannot take anymore. We get into our berths and try reading a book. By 9 P.m. old man requests someone to switch off the lights. I look at the ceiling close to my face in pale blue night lamp light.

Train cockroaches seems to know that it is party time with disco blue lights. Mind you they never grow big like our house roaches. They are a special breed growing to a maximum of only half an inch. I push two of them from the side panel, full of love symbols drawn with a ball-pen by a frustrated youth, who could not sleep. The train sways me to sleep.

There is always an important station at 2 A.M. The lights are put on, the number of the berth discussed in high decibels by TTE and the passenger, with screeching noise of the luggage being pushed in. The lights are off again. I am back in my blue world again. I have lost my sleep. The man who got in settles down very fast and starts snoring loudly in 5 minutes flat. I try to sleep dreaming of train with no cockroaches.

Jay