Jyotirlinga 11 of 12
Rameshwaram
रामेश्वर
Rameswaram island · Tamil Nadu
On the shore facing Lanka, Rama worships a parthiva lingam, receives Shiva's permission for victory, and asks him to stay. Shiva remains as Rameshvara.
In the list of twelve (Shata Rudra Samhita)
Ramesha in Setubandha. The Shata Rudra list calls it the eleventh avatara, says it was loved and established by Rama, and that Shiva, satisfied by Rama, took the form of a lingam and gave him the boon of victory.
The story in the Shiva Purana
A condensed retelling, about a third of the source length, from Bibek Debroy's translation. The chapters linked below give the Purana's account chapter by chapter. Quoted speech is a close paraphrase, not a verbatim quotation.
On the shore
Suta tells how Vishnu took an avatara on earth and Ravana, using maya, abducted Sita and carried her to Lanka. Searching for her, Rama came to Kishkindha, befriended Sugriva and killed Vali. Hanuman went to Lanka and reported back, bringing Sita's crest jewel. Rama set out with Lakshmana, Sugriva and an army of vanaras numbering eighteen padmas, and reached the shore of the ocean in the south.
He stood there with his thoughts: where has Janaki gone, when will I meet her, how will this army cross the fathomless ocean? Ravana, who once held up a mountain, is immensely strong, Lanka is impenetrable, and his son is Indrajit. Angada and the other forest-dwellers comforted him.
Water, and a memory
Rama, supreme among Shiva's devotees, felt thirsty and asked Lakshmana to have a vanara bring water. The vanaras raced off in the ten directions and brought it, saying it was tasty and cool. Rama accepted it.
Because of Shiva's wish, he remembered something: "I have not yet seen Shambhu. How can I drink water?" In this edition's printed wording the next sentence says he drank the water, and then worshipped a parthiva lingam. The sentence is ambiguous as printed. The surrounding text suggests the point is that his first act was to remember and worship Shiva.
Rama's worship and prayer
He performed avahana and the other rites, with sixteen kinds of upachara, following the norms, and prayed with divine hymns. Rama said: "I have sought refuge with you. My mind is distressed. This water is fathomless and Ravana is immensely strong. How will my task be done and how will I get my beloved back? Without your help it is impossible. Ravana is one of your own, so in every way he is hard to defeat, and he is insolent because of the boons you gave him. I am your servant, subservient to you in every way, so please be partial to me." He praised Shiva with mantras and dhyana, bowed, and his voice choked with love.
Shiva appears
Shankara was greatly pleased and appeared on the shore with his companions as a mass of energy. All who saw the form were purified. Shiva told Rama, "All will be well. Ask for a boon." Rama worshipped him with joy, prayed for victory over Ravana, and Shiva granted permission: "O great king, may you be victorious."
Rama then asked, with his hands joined, "For purifying the worlds, please remain established here." Thus asked, Shiva took the form of a lingam there and became famous on earth as Rameshvara. By his power Rama crossed the ocean easily, killed Ravana and the other rakshasas, and got Sita back.
What the Purana says of Rameshvara
The Purana calls Rameshvara's greatness wonderful and unmatched on earth, and says that it bestows pleasure and emancipation. It states that a person who bathes the Rameshvara lingam with Ganga water becomes a jivanmukta, enjoys pleasures hard even for the devas to obtain, and at the end reaches supreme jnana and kaivalya. These are the text's own claims.
Read the source chapters
The temple today
From Wikipedia's article on the temple. Disputed or inconsistent items are marked as such, not resolved.
History
- 12th centuryThe Wikipedia article says the temple was expanded under the Pandya dynasty. Sri Lankan king Parakramabahu I (1153 to 1186) was involved in building the sanctum, and the Jaffna kings Jeyaveera Cinkaiariyan (1380 to 1410) and Gunaveera Cinkaiariyan contributed, including shipping stone blocks from Koneswaram in Trincomalee to renovate the sanctum.
- 1311Malik Kafur, a general of Alauddin Khalji, reached Rameswaram in the early 14th century and raided the temple. The loot was taken to Delhi in 1311.
- 17th centuryThe current form is believed to date from this century, with construction sanctioned by Kizhavan Sethupathi (Raghunatha Kilavan). Udaiyan Rakunatha Sethupathi ruled 1606 to 1621, and Dalavai Sethupathi built part of the main eastern gopuram.
- 1763 to 1795Muthuramalinga Sethupathi built the third corridor, known as Chokkattan Mandapam.
Architecture
The temple has the longest corridor of any Hindu temple in India, with a total corridor length of 3,850 feet and about 1,212 pillars in the outer corridor, which is about 6.9 m high. The outer corridors run about 400 ft each east and west and 640 ft north and south. The main tower (rajagopuram) is 53 m tall.
Features and practices
- Two lingams are in the sanctum. The Ramalingam, made by Rama from sand, is the main deity. The Vishvalingam, brought by Hanuman from Kailash, is worshipped first by tradition.
- Twenty-two of the 64 tirthas in and around Rameswaram are within the temple, said to represent Rama's 22 arrows. Agni Theertham, on the sea shore, is the first and most important.
Getting there
The temple is on Rameswaram island, Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu. The Wikipedia article gives no travel directions or timings, so check locally.
Before you go
- Darshan hours, special-ritual rules and access change over time. Confirm with the temple trust or the local authorities before you travel.
Source note
Story: Koti Rudra Samhita chapter 31 and Shata Rudra Samhita chapter 42, condensed to roughly a third of the source length (the linked Purana chapters give the account chapter by chapter). Temple facts: Wikipedia's Ramanathaswamy Temple article, which does not cover rituals, festivals, the Pamban bridge or timings, so they are not described here.