Rameshwaram - Beneath the Surface

In every village in Tamil Nadu, it is common to find a Shiva temple, a Vishnu temple and the gramadevata temple. There will be many other temples too, of course - dedicated to Ganesha, Muruga, and so on - some with historical significance and some that have just come up as a result of devotees' desire to see one in their neighbourhood. 

So, when visiting a place, it is up to us to choose to go to 1, 2 all 3 main temples based on our family's belief system. For instance, if you go to Kumbakonam, you have the Kumbeshwara temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, and Chakrapani, Sarangapani, and Ramaswamy temples for Vishnu. Uppiliappan is normally our first destination as He is our family deity. In Srirangam, there is the Vishnu temple that cannot be missed and Thiruvanaikkaval Shiva temple nearby is equally famous. 

Ramasya Ishwaram

A sand lingam made by a devotee
 in Agni Teertham
as part of rites for ancestors

In Rameshwaram, which I visited this week, Ramanathaswamy temple dominates the city, which is just a little more than a fishing village with lots of stay and food options for the pilgrims. Though it is really at the fag end of the city, by the beach, all roads lead to the temple. As many come here to perform pitru rites after taking a dip in Agni Teertham, in the sea closest to the temple, it was buzzing wth people, especially north Indians. The place has many hotels of different price range, but I don't think the city is quite prepared for the load. But people come with such devotion that they don't care. As this is located by the sea, there maybe abundance of fish food options. 

Anyway, my point was not about the food and stay but the vibe. The main temple is a Siva temple, but the lingam there was made by Sita using sand at Rama's behest. Rama worshipped Siva here before returning to Ayodhya after having defeated Ravana to be rid of Brahmahathi dosham. The name of the city is Ramasya Eshwaram - Rama's Lord, that is Siva.

There is also a Vishwanatha sannidhi with a lingam brought by Lord Hanuman for worship. With two lingams in one temple, the Siva vibe would have been strong. Should have been strong, I mean. But I felt something different. 

The temple throbs with Rama vibe. Of course, there are sannidhis for Rama and Hanuman, but in the crowd rushing to see the main deity, these two can be missed. We did miss it the first day. Despite that, there is a throb which seems to subtly chant, 'Rama, Rama...' In fact, the entire city seems to chant Ram. And why wouldn't it? There are many reminders to the fact that he walked on this land to crossover to Lanka. He walked all the way from near Hampi to Rameshwaram to cross the sea and reach Lanka.

The Army Moves

According to Google Maps, it will take 8 days and 10 hours to complete this walk. With breaks in between, it would have taken longer for the army to move. The terrain would hardly have been pleasant. Rameshwaram itself is hot with barely any rains. The trees look like the thorny variety and even today cover most of the beaches. No wonder then that 64 teerthams or water tanks came up here. Twenty two of them are inside the main temple and people throng there after the dip in the sea to be purified by the well water.

Outside the sea, spread across several kilometers are many other teerthams - 

* Villoondi, where Rama pierced the land with his arrow to find water for Sita who was thirsty. This is on the sea shore and gives drinking water.

* Lakshmana Teertham, where Lakshmana created a water tank and worshipped Siva for self-purification. The self was in focus here, and it was not about a selfie (couldn't resist that!).

* Jada Teertham, where Rama washed his hair before worshipping Siva

Rama Teertham, Seetha Teertham, Jatayu Teertham, etc. are some of the other water bodies found outside the temple.

Then there is the Gandhamadana hillock, the only elevated body in the town from where one can see the entire surrounding city on one side and the see on the other. 

At every step, therefore, one can feel his presence. Did he stand on this hillock and survey the land around, or the sea, in this case? And probably, he gazed in the direction of Lanka longingly, thinking of and pining for his beloved. Padukas are kept on this hillock for worship. 

Then there are other locations commemorating various significant moments. In Thirupullani, he prayed for the sea to part and give his army the way. When the sea did not obey, he was angered and raised his bow and arrow. Varuna Bhagavan rushed to stop him and recommended that a bridge be built on the seabed for the army to cross. Sethu Karai has a simple Hanuman temple facing the water and people come here too to offer prayers to their forefathers and atone for their sins. 

Devipattinam, which is 70 kms from Ramanathapuram, houses a temple dedicated to Devi (Ulaganayaki Amman), who is said to have killed demon Mahishasura. But we made a beeline for the Navabashanam Navagraha temple on our way back home. Lord Rama is said to have calmed the sea and install the Navagrahas. Only 5 of the vigrahasa, rocks really, were visible above water. The rest were submerged. And during high tide, even the rest can't be seen. People visit this place to for atonement and do pradakshina in the water. A ramp has also been built around for pilgrims to have a darshan of the Navagrahas.

In Dhanushkodi, Kothandaramaswamy temple commemmorates Vibheeshana's surrender to Rama and Rama coronating him as the king of Lanka. 

I also saw one Ekantha Ramar temple in Rameshwaram. It looked neglected and apparently it is a family run temple. The place really provides Ekantham - solitude, except for the occasional train that passes nearby. 

Ramaha Iswaro Yasya

As we came out of this temple, feeling refreshed from the silence and peace, we wondered - Did these events really happen in those specific spots? Who recorded them at the time? Though Sage Valmiki may have described those events, the exact spot maybe hard to assert. But, that these events could have happened in those places seems immensely possible. 

As we cruised down the roads in our car, feeling oppressed by the heat, it was hard to imagine the vanara army following Rama here from the western part of the country to reach this eastern tip. Really inspires awe at what it must have taken to achieve such a feat. 

And questions arose. Were these places inhabited by people? What kind of people inhabited these places then? Did Rama avoid them entirely and prefer desolate places in this journey? Did it have the Amman temples that we saw during our visit, celebrating some festival with great fanfare? Was it cleaner back then, devoid of the mess people create today? 

Thoughts crowded the mind but, constantly, the eyes followed the mesmerizing image of a battle-ready Rama, full of purpose and drive, love and compassion, as he prepared for a momentous event in his life. His self-assurance, self-reliance, and intelligence seemed palpable even today if we but care to see beyond the heat and the dust. The city throbbed with just one chant. Rama.

I was reminded of this beautiful story I heard recently. Sage Narada was intrigued by the name Rameshwara, which lends itself to a couple of interpretations. He asked Lord Rama what it meant, and the Lord replied: 

Ramsya Ishwaram = Rameshwaram - the lord of Rama.

But Lord Siva, when asked the same question, said with a smile: 

Ramah Ishwaro Yasya: Rama who is the Ishwara 

Ishwaro vacha:

Sri Rama Rama Rameti, Rame Raame Manorame

Sahasranama tat tulyam, Rama Nama Varanane...

Jai Shree Ram.