Rameshwaram,the island. Review on Rameshwaram

Rameshwaram is a place I frequently heard from my father and its stories of religious and intriguing importance, but I got a chance to visit this place last year.Its not only about mythological importance but its an interesting place too.

We left from Kanyakumari in night by Varanasi-Rameshwaram Express and reached early morning. Train journey wasn't very pleasant as possibly rain had entered the rail compartment and there was water all over. Also mosquitoes and cockroaches added the woes. I saw a new thing in train that there were rented pillow and bedsheet vendors who as soon as the journey completed asked back their stuff. Mostly there were pilgrims who started singing bhajans as soon as the train reached Rameshwaram.

We luckily came across a young doctor couple and we shared the van with them to Gujrat Bhawan which was near the temple luckily.I thought it must be ok as they displayed photographs of Murari Bapu but the rooms and toilet were pathetic, I have no idea its such a buzzing place full of tourists, even then why there was such apathy towards hygiene.

As no other place was available and it was within walking distance with temple, we thought lets bear with it. We had some tea and snacks and changed into our waterwears of Water kingdom as you have to bathe in sea and then in 22 wells of temple before the main prayers. Rameshwaram's sea is unique in a way that it doesn't have waves, it's a somewhat still sea.

We bathed in sea and I found out that some cloth like things were clinging to my feet, I soon found out that there is a custom that people leave their clothes there. We had a great time there and proceeded towards the temple. It's an ancient temple with high ceiling and big pillars, its in off white color from outside and stone color from inside. All the premises of the temple were wet with water as people were going to one well to another in wet clothes. We too started the ritual and a person started pouring one bucket of water from each well.

Initially three wells had cold water, but soon it was warm and even much warmer water from other wells. Each well had a specific name like nal, nil, ganga tirth etc. When all wells were completed, we proceeded towards changing room and changed in dry clothes.We then proceeded towards the main central part of temple where a huge Nandi statue was placed near entrance with tongue outside. There are lot of queues to see the main shivling but we went more close to it to perform a puja.

It's said that its that shivling which Sitaji made upon returning to Ayodhya from Lanka. I had this misconception that it was that shivling that Lord Ram made when the sea refused to go back. After having Lunch at Gujrat Bhawan, we took a van to visit other places in Rameshwaram which are of religious and touristic importance. First we went to see a Vibhishan temple which was ravaged in storm and only old pillars were visible, a new temple was erected there some time back. It started raining heavily there, we also saw the coastline of Srilanka from there, the place is called Dhanushkodi and its sea all over there. Then we proceeded towards a three storeyed temple where Lord Ram either rested or meditated, also nearby there was a Hanuman temple where he gave the hairpin to Lord Ram which he brought from Lanka from Sitaji as an evidence that he visited her.

Also we went to an unusual place called Ramteertham where a well in between the sea has fresh water and not salty water, the story goes like this that when Sitaji was thirsty, Lord Ram made a dig there with the bow and fresh water came out. We also went to a temple called Ekant temple where the couple lived for a while. It certainly had a certain serene feeling there.

Then we went on to visit a very interesting and unusual place, home of Ex President Dr APJ Abul Kalam. It has been converted into a tourist place buzzing with tourists, you can only see the house from outside. Its kind of colored glass house with written there "House of Kalam" and a logo of his unique hairstyle painted there. Nearby his nephew has opened a store having all kind of unique things with reasonable price.

We shopped a lot from there and went on to visit Laxman Kund, RamKund and SitaKund plus a temple where the famous floating rocks are displayed in a tank. It is said that when Lord Ram wanted to go to Lanka, then two brothers called Nal and Neel who knew the art of making bridge with floating rocks made a bridge with these rocks.

We then went to see the bridge between mainland India and the Island Rameshwaram, I did not know that Rameshwaram was an island.We also saw the metal bridge on sea on which our train came last night. Lastly we went to see the temple again where we saw a decorated elephant inside the temple.Also in morning we saw a wedding going on in temple in South Indian Style, all the marriages in Rameshwaram are conducted in the temple only.

We bought some beautiful rangoli making pipes in the evening, had dinner in Gujrat Bhawan and left for Chennai by train. Luckily this time we got neat and clean train. All in all, it was a good visit, knowledge increasing visit minus the boarding arrangements.

Please check the boarding arrangements before going to Rameshwaram otherwise the place is worth visiting.

Thanks for reading my review.Hope it helps you in some way.