A. Sutherland  – AncientPages.com – Ramanathaswamy Temple (or Rameshwaram Temple) is a famous Hindu shrine dedicated to the god Shiva and situated on the island of Rameshwaram, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.

Image credit: Vinayaraj – CC BY-SA 3.0

One of the most important temples in India, the Rameshwaram Temple, is also one of the twelve Jyotirlinga temples, which symbolize the infinite nature of Lord Shiva. This religious landmark – ᴀssociated with the history of the Ramayana period – is one of the country’s oldest and most popular pilgrimage centers.

Another interesting fact is that Rameshwaram is the only south Indian Shiva Temple of the four Dhams (sacred pilgrimage places). The others are Dwarka in the west, Badrinath in the north, and Puri in the east of the country.

The temple’s primary deity is Ramanathaswamy (Shiva) in the form of a lingam, the sacred object that symbolizes the god Shiva and is revered as an emblem of generative power.

Delivery Of Lingam To Worship Lord Shiva

Ramayana says that Rama, who is the seventh avatar of the god Vishnu, prayed to the god Shiva to absolve him of the sin of killing a Brahmin (son of a Vedic Rishi) committed during the war against the Rakshasa king Ravana. 

In Hindu beliefs, the Rakshasas were a terrible danger to all living creatures, and especially to their enemies. As master magicians, the Rakshasa warriors were equipped with psychic and magical abilities, additionally fueled by divine and powerful energy known as kundalini.

Rameswaram Temple’s corridor. image source 

Their greatest Rakshasa – Ravana, will also someday return because as Ravana foretold before his last battle, he would be reborn one more time into the world.

Rama wanted to have a large lingam to worship Shiva, so he sent Hanuman, the lieutenant in his army, to bring a lingam from the Himalaya Mountains. He did it but was delayed in delivering the lingam, so Rama built a small lingam out of the sand available in the seashore, which is believed to be the lingam in the sanctum.

So, in the Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple, there are two lingams inside the sanctum. Rama instructed that the Vishwalingam should be worshipped first since it was brought by Hanuman. The worshipers continue this tradition even today.

The Temple’s Spectacular Corridors

The present Ramanathaswamy Temple, built by Pandya Dynasty during the 12th century, has long corridors in its interior, running between mᴀssive colonnades on platforms more than five feet high.

There are three huge corridors, of which the first one is the oldest and dates back to the 12th century, but has been renovated over various time periods and houses the main deity.

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The second corridor has 108 shiva lingas as well as a statue of Ganapathi. The third corridor is something extraordinary as it has 1212 pillars set on an elevated platform.

These spaces – the world’s longest corridors with a height of 6.9 meters – have more than  4000 pillars, are 4000 feet (1219 m) long (total of all four corridors). They are running between huge arcades on five feet high platforms. The total length of these corridors is thus 3850 feet.
One of them is known as the Corridor of 1000 Pillars.

The North and South corridors are the longest and flanked on each side with numerous pillars, beautifully decorated by artisans and master architects. The long corridors were built during the 18th century. The second corridor has sandstone pillars, beams, and a ceiling.

The junction of the third corridor on the west and the paved way leading from the western gopuram to the Setumadhava shrine forms a unique structure in the form of a chessboard, popularly known as Chokkattan Mandapam.

The temple’s 22 theerthams (tanks) are still important for devotees, who used them for bathing to purify their souls before they start worshipping inside the temple. It is worth mentioning that the presiding deity of the temple – the Lingam of Ramanathaswamy (Shiva) – was established and worshiped by Rama before crossing his bridge to Lanka.

Written by – A. Sutherland  – AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer

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