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15 Historic And Famous Places To Visit in Rameshwaram

Rameshwaram is one of the most visited holy place in South India. People from all over India visit Rameshwaram.

As Rameshwaram plays an important role in the epic Ramayana, it is one of most sacred places in India too

Here is a list of 15 must visit places in Rameshwaram.

Ramanatha Swamy Temple Rameswaram

Ramanatha Swamy Temple - Rameswaram
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The Ramanatha Swamy Temple is one of the ancient temples and prime pilgrimage sites in India. Here the main deity is Lord Shiva in the form of Lingam.

There are two different lingams presents inside the temple. First, the main Lingam – Ramalingam is said to be created by Goddess Sita from sand and another one which is known as Vishwalingam is said to be brought by God Hanuman from Kailash.

  • Rameshwaram Temple Timings: 4:30AM–1PM and 3–8:30PM
  • Entry Fee: Free (for Camera: Rs 25)

Rameshwaram Tirthas

Agni Theertham - Rameswaram
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There are around 64 tirthas in Rameshwaram. Out of 64 tirthas, 24 tirthas are very important and all these 24 tirthas are located inside the temple. Before visitng Ramanathasamy, it is important to take bath in all these 24 tirthas. Each of these 24 tirthas has special healing capacities.

Rama Setu – Adam’s Bridge

Rama Setu/Adam’s Bridge - Rameswaram
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Rama Setu or Setubandhanam is otherwise known as Adam’s Bridge is another important place to visit in Rameswaram Island. According to the ancient epics, this bridge is built by the Vanara Sena (ape army) under the supervision of Nala to help Lord Rama to cross over the sea between India and Lanka to rescue his wife Goddess Sita from the demon king Ravana.

Rama Setu is 50 km long from the tip of Dhanuskodi city of India to Mannar Island in Sri Lanka. It separates the Palk Strait from the Gulf of Mannar.

Normally, the sea around Rameshwaram is not deep and has no waves. You can see the tip of Adam’s Bridge from Dhanuskodi as the depth is only around 1 to 10 meters.




Pamban Bridge

Pamban Bridge - Rameswaram
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When people talk about Rameswaram, one of the first thing people remember is the Pamban Bridge. This 100 years old Bridge is one of the prime attractions in Rameswaram. It is constructed to connect the Mainland India to the Pamban Island by Railways.

The bridge measures 2.345 km long and it takes 10 whole minutes to cross it. It was the longest Sea Bridge in India until Bandra Worli Sea Bridge opened in 2010.

The view of the sea with hues of green and blue while traveling on the train is one of its kind experiences to anyone.

House of Kalam

House of Kalam - Rameswaram
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House of Kalam is a must visit place in Rameswaram. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, The Missile man of India is a Former Indian President and also a Scientist, a visionary and an inspirational person.

He is known for his achievements, principles, and humbleness. House of Kalam is his ancestral home where he born, grew and lived with his family.

After his death, the two-story building is renovated and presented as a Museum in the first floor, where one can see Abdul Kalam’s childhood photographs, his younger age achievements, medals, awards, certificates, Doctorates and honors given to him.

Footwears and taking photographs are restricted inside the museum. And one can also visit Late APJ Abdul Kalam burial place – the memorial place in Rameswaram to pay tribute.

  • Timings: 8AM–7PM
  • Entry Fee: 5 Rs. per person

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial

Abdul Kalam Memorial
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The memorial of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 27/7/2017. This memorial was built in a plot of 2 acres. DRDO took the initiative to build this memorial and it was built in 9 months.

The memorial has documentary about Kalam’s life and has life size photographs of the former president. The memorial was build on the resting place of Dr kalam and it is located right on the road after you cross the Rameshwaram bridge and in the entrance of Rameshwaram.

Panchamukhi Hanuman Temple

Panchmukhi Hanuman Temple - Rameswaram
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Panchmukhi Hanuman Temple is dedicated to Lord Hanuman. Also you can see idols of Lord Rama and Sita which was brought to this place from Dhanuskodi during the 1964 cyclone.

Here the God Hanuman has five faces, which can be seen fully covered in senthooram (vermillion). The five faces are God Narasimha, Lord Adivaraha, Lord Garuda and Lord Hayagriva on the sides along with the Hanuman face in the middle.

The tale for this unique idol comes from the Ramayana itself. When God Rama along with his brother was in war with Demon Ranava, Ravana asked help from Mahiravana the king of Pathala Loka to kill them.

So the Pathala king kidnaps Lord Ram and lakshman by disguising himself as Vibhishana, brother of Ravana and took them to pathala loka. In search of missing lord Rama and his brother, God Hanuman reached Pathala Loka. To save the Lords, god Hanuman has to kill Mahiravana, he came to know that demon Mahiravana can only be killed by extinguishing all the five lamps situated in different places at once.

So Lord Hanuman took the form of Panchamuk (five face look) to lit the five lamps all at once. He extinguishes the lamps and then saved His lords from the demon.

Here the people come to worship God Hanuman to get blessings to protect them from bad eyes, evils, and enemies. And another main interesting thing here is you can be a spectator of floating rocks that are said to be used for formation of Rama Setu near Dhanuskodi by the Vanara Sena.

  • Temple Timings: 6:00 AM -7:00 PM
  • Entry fee: Free

Gandamadana Parvatham

Gandamadana Parvatham - Rameswaram
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Gandamandana Parvatham is another most visited place by the tourist and devotees in Rameswaram. It is also known as Ramar Padam or Rama Foot temple dedicated to Lord Rama. In this temple, you can see the Lord Rama’s Footprints in the chakra.

This small hill is the highest point in the whole of Rameswaram Island; from here you can see the whole Island in 360-degree view. The scenic beauty of sunset and sunrise, breathtaking aerial view of whole place makes it a great place to visit.

  • Timings: 7:00 AM – 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM / all days
  • Entry Fee: Free

Saatchi Hanuman Temple

Saatchi Hanuman Temple - Rameswaram
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It’s another famous Hanuman temple in Rameswaram. The folklore of this temple is; Hanuman explored Sri Lanka in search of Goddess Sita, he founded her and took some of her jewels as a proof to show and flew back to Rameswaram to tell the news that Sita is alive and safe to Lord Rama.

And this is the place where the Hanuman met Rama and that’s why this temple of Hanuman is called as Saatchi Hanuman Temple. People visit his temple to get the blessing for great health and life.

  • Timings: 6.00 AM – 7.00 PM
  • Entry Fee: Free

Kothandaramaswamy temple

Kothandaramaswamy temple - Rameswaram
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The Kothandaramaswamy temple is one of the ancient temples in Rameswaram, it is believed to be built more than 1000 years ago.

The main deity is Lord Rama with a bow and other idols are Lakshmana, Sita, Hanuman, and Vibhishana. It is located in Dhanushkodi, the abandoned town of Pamban Island. The 1964 cyclone completely devastated the whole town, but this ancient temple withstands the strong cyclone.

This is the place where Rama met Ravana’s brother Vibhishana after he is thrown out from the Lanka Kingdom. Before defeating Ranava, he made Vibhishana king here in this place. And also another part of the script says that this is the Nandavanam, where Lord Rama stayed with saint Bhringi for few days

  • Timings: 6.00 AM – 7.00 PM
  • Entry Fee: Free

Nambu Nayaki Amman Temple

Nambu Nayaki Amman Temple - Rameswaram
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Nambu Nayaki Amman Temple is a temple dedicated to Goddess Nambunayaki situated on the way to Dhanushkodi and 8 km far from the main temple of Rameswaram. This temple is built around the 14th century and maintained by the local people.

People believe that a blessing from this goddess will cure any kind of ailment and disease, and also get blessed with a child for childless couples.

Based on history, it is said that two saints named Dakshina Duruvan and Pachima Duruvan performed penance here for Goddess Parvadhavardhini blessings. Goddess pleased with their efforts graced before them.

After that, the two saints continued to live here and treat ill people. Another story states that king Sulodharan, the ruler of Sinhalese worshipped Nambunayaki Goddess to cure his ailments and by the grace of this goddess, he becomes healthy and built this temple.

This place is surrounded by beautiful gardens and a big banyan tree which offers a beautiful view and a cool breeze around the sand dunes.

There are many water tanks near to the temple, which is believed to have medicinal properties and helps in curing the ailments.

  • Timings: 6.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m
  • Fee: Free




Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park

Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park - Rameswaram
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Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park is a protected area consisting of 22 islands extending from Tuticorin to Dhanushkodi area.

The marine national park is full of rare and precious types of coral reefs chain. There are also different kinds of Seaweeds and seagrasses in the park.

This place is a paradise for Marine enthusiast and biologist to study the marine biodiversity.

The Reverse includes forest, beaches, estuaries, mudflats, and Islands. Several places in the park is restricted, but you can see the underwater world by using Glass bottom boat service provided by the tourism department.

If you are lucky you can get to see marine mammals like dolphins, Dugong (sea cow), whales and many kinds of fish species.

Sea World Aquarium

Sea World Aquarium - Rameswaram
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If you are a marine life lover and want to see different species of sea life then you must visit Sea World Aquarium located near to the main Rameswaram bus stand.

In this Sea World Aquarium, you can get to see different types of marine life such as rabbitfish, clown fish, snakefish, crab, lobster, shark, octopus, sea lizard.

  • Aquarium Time: 7:00 am – 8:00 pm
  • Entry Fee: N/A

CMFRI Marine Aquarium and Museum

CMFRI Marine Aquarium and Museum - Rameswaram
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CMFRI Marine Aquarium is another most amazing Marine life aquarium located in Maraikkaayar Pattinam, Rameswaram. Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute is a Research and development center to study the marine biosphere near the Palk Bay of India.

It is also one of the biggest aquariums in Southeast Asia. With huge commercial level glass, housing with different kinds of marine life and species, one can get a lifetime experience in this aquarium.

You can get to see the some of the marine life kept for research and study purpose. You can see different species of fishes, sponges, corals, worms, sea cucumber, and crabs; and also endangered marine species.

  • Museum Timings: 9.30 AM to 4.30 PM | Sunday closed
  • Entry fee: Rs. 20/- for adults

Bird Sanctuaries

 Bird Sanctuary - Rameswaram
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Rameswaram not only has various temples, but it also has some interesting tourist places . Water Bird Sanctuary is one such tourist’s attractions.

Arichamunai Bird Sanctuary which is located at Dhanuskodi is near to the Rameswaram town. Kanjirankulam and Chitrangudi Sanctuaries which is located near Ramanathapuram city offer a wide scope of sightseeing for bird lovers and nature lovers.

Due to the many water bodies and islands near Pamban islands, native birds and foreign avian birds find this place attractive.

Australian and European native birds come to this place during the migrating season. Some of the birds we can found there are Ibis, Storks, Pelicans, Herons, and Egret.

The paradise for bird watchers is best to visit during October to January when monsoons hit these places. Take the tour in the evening to experience a great live natural experience with flora and fauna around.

  • Timings: 7:00 am – 6:00 pm
  • Best Time: October to January
  • Fee: N/A

These are the must visit 14 places in Rameshwaram.

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