Pamban Beach is located near the fishing port and it is in the starting point of Pamban island. You can get to see a wonderful view of Pamban Bridge and also Indira Gandhi Roadway Bridge from this beach.
But this beach is not suitable for bathing, swimming or diving as it is full of rocks.
Kunthukal Beach is situated in a small village in Pamban Island called as Kunthukal Village. This beach is located at 12 km from Rameswaram town. The main occupation of the people here is fishing.
Near to this beach there are amazing places like Vivekananda memorial and Marine museum cum interpretation center. And also one can indulge in swimming, bathing and playing around the calm seashore. Boating and water sports activities service is yet to start.
Ariyaman Beach which is also known as Kushi Beach, it is a popular beach near Rameswaram. It is located in the Sattakkonvalasai Village in Mandapam Block, Ramanathapuram.
The main attraction of this beach is that is the part of the Palk bay of India and it’s a 2.5 km long beach. This would be the perfect place to hang out with your friends, family and loved ones to have a nice weekend and picnics.
This place offers a lot to its visitors like water sports activities, children’s park and museum along with tasty foods in the stalls. From here you can see visit nearby places like Erwadi, mandapam beach, and some other local temples.
Undoubtedly, Rameswaram Island is a paradise with many beautiful beaches. And one such exotic beach is Olaikuda Beach near to the main Rameswaram town. Olaikuda is a fishing village in Rameswaram.
Though it is a fishing place, you can see the beach has a very clean and calm atmosphere making it the best place to spend some time. This beach is surrounded by coral reef and seaweeds & eel grasses along the shore.
Here in this beach one can see Australian birds such as Seagull, flamingos, etc at the season time.
Next to the Olaikuda Beach, you can find this another small beach called Sangumal Beach. This place is also well known among the locals as a great place for fishing. And tourist especially foreign tourist visit here and enjoy the amazing sunrise and sunset.
Though this place is not fit for bathing or any other activities, one can find boating facilities here to see coral reefs present in the Palk Strait.
People who visit Rameswaram will never let a chance to visit this deserted place called Dhanuskodi often known as the Ghost town in Rameswaram Island.
This town is declared as an uninhabitant place by the government of Tamil Nadu after it was devastated by the high-intensity cyclone in 1964.
Now Dhanuskodi is one of the hot spots in Pamban Island that attracts many tourists and visitors every day. It is located in the Palk Strait region. From Dhanuskodi, Sri Lankan border is just 15 Kms away.
Though the sea is not safe to bath or for swimming you can enjoy the tranquility and fell off the sea and breeze.
And this place also has some mythology significance as stated in Indian Epic – Ramayana. It is the place where Lord Rama with his Brother Lakshaman, God Hanuman and army built the bridge known as Ram Setu.
After the victory over Ranava and saving his wife, all returned to this place and Vibishana, the new king of Lanka requested Rama to destroy this Bridge. On his request, Lord Rama broke the bridge using his bow. This is the reason why this place got its name as “Dhanush means Bow and Kodi means end”
Timings: 6:00 am – 6:00 pm
Entry Fee: Free (but transportation cost is applied and depends upon use type of service)
Kurusadai Island is a small uninhabited island. This island is surrounded by various kinds of precious Coral reefs and marine biodiversity. This island is a part of the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park.
Civilians are generally not allowed in this region as it is well protected for its marine life importance. This island is a great place to explore for marine biologists and nature lovers.
Even though it is restricted for civilians, people can visit this place after getting permission from the fisheries department.
Sometimes you can also see dolphins and sea cow known as Dugong along the shore. Sea life museum at Kunthukal Island is also another place to visit to know about the marine biosphere .
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
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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
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.
There are around 64 tirthas in Rameswaram, among the 64 tirthas, there are 24 tirthas that are considered to be very important and all of them are located inside the Ramanathasamy temple.
Here is the list of 5 important tirthas one should visit when they go to Rameswaram.
Agni Theertham is one of the most visited holy water bodies of 64 Theerthams in Rameswaram Island. People who want to visit the Main Ramanathapuram Temple and bath in 22 Theertham inside the temple has to bath in this Theertham first.
The belief is that Goddess Sita set fire herself to prove her purity to her husband Lord Rama, the Agni god( The God of Fire) appeared in that place and confirmed that the Sita is pure and sinless.
But this made Agni God make a sin by touching a married and sinless woman, so he worshipped Lord Shiva here and took bath in the nearby theertham to clear up his sins. And so this place is referred to Angi Theertham.
Taking a holy bath at this theertham is believed to clear off the sins and bad karma of a person. Besides the holy bath, here people do rituals like prohithams, yangnya and tharpanam to the dead people in order to offer them Moksha.
And another belief in this place is if childless couple bath in this theertham and visit the temple for blessings, they will be blessed with a child.
Jada Theertham is another well known holy water body from 64 theertham in Rameswaram. Pilgrims also visit this Theertham to take holy bath in their tour.
The name Jada Theertham came from its connection with the Mythology history- when Rama returned to Rameswaram after killing Ravana, he washed his hair (Jada) in this water tank before going to the Shiva Temple to perform rituals.
People also believe that this is the place where the mighty Bird Jatayu died after Ravana chopped the wings of Jadayu when it was fighting to Save Sita.
There is a temple dedicated to Lord Rama in this place. There is another temple called Kaveri Theertham dedicated to Lord Kapardis Vara near to this place.
This small temple is filled with interesting sculptures and paintings which give the devotees a great experience and also the temple is built below a Huge Peepal tree which is believed that Goddess Sita and Lord Lakshmana took rest.
Sugreevar Theertham or temple is another temple nearby Gandamandana Parvatham dedicated to Lord Sugreevar, the king of vanara sena.
According to the legends, the vanara sena King Sugreevar has great importance in the War between Rama and Ravana as he helped Rama with his army to defeat Ravana.
And near to this Theertham, there is a pond named Sita Kund, which is full of beautiful Pink Lotus dedicated to Goddess Sita.
The Viloondi Theertham is located in the Thangachimadam village in Pamban Island, a 6.8 km from Rameswaram town. It is one of the 64 Theertham in Rameswaram.
This theertham is a well near the coastal line of the sea. Though sea water is present near the well, the water inside the Theertham tastes like pure sweet water. It is said that while returning to the Ayodhya after all the rituals and Shiva pooja in Rameswaram,
Lord Rama’s wife Sita felt thirst and asked him to arrange water to drink to her and whole army. So Lord Rama released an arrow from his bow and created a spring with sweet water near the sea to quench their thirst.
There is a small shrine near to this Theertham for God Shiva as Thrayambakeshvarar. And the other temples near to this place are Ekantha Ramar temple and Sri Balathandayuthapani Swamy temple.
Lakshmana Theertham is one of the 64 Theerthams in Rameswaram and sacred place to take bath by the devotee. As the name suggests, this shrine is dedicated to Lord Lakshmana.
Here the Lord Lakshmana installed a Shiva linga to workship to remove his sins and took bath in the pond. The sculpted and painted temple with beautiful bond near to it makes it a great place to visit.
Rameswaram is a well known Temple town in Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu. This town is a part of Pamban Island which is also known as Rameswaram Island. The whole island is connected by the Pamban Bridge to the Mainland India.
Not only it is a temple town, this place has a lot of significance in terms of History and theological status and also has many kinds of ancient mythology stories with it. One can see the reference of Rameswaram in one of the biggest and ancient Hindu epic ‘Ramayana’.
Rameswaram also called as south Kasi, it is one of the prime sacred places for Hindu people. It is one of the Char Dham followed by Badrinath, Dwaraka, and Puri in India.
Best Time to Visit Rameswaram
The summers are not advisable time to visit Rameshwaram.The best time to visit Rameshwaram is during the winter season. The winter season starts from October and lasts till February. During this period the climate is quite pleasant. The weather will be perfect to visit all the holy places in and around Rameshwaram.
Rameshwaram Temperature and Weather
Rameshwaram being a coastal town, the temperature might not vary much throught the year. However, the summers starting from March to June are harsh and it will be quite humid.
The temperature in Summer can cross 40 degree Celsius. And in winter the temperature in Rameshwaram will be around 28 to 30 degree Celsius.
Planning a trip to Rameswaram? You can check Makemytrip.com for the best discount on hotel prices in Rameswaram.
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 formed by Goddess Sita from sand and another one which is known as Vishwalingam is said to be brought by God Hanuman from Kailash.
The Temple is a thatch hut until the 12th century and then the concrete temple is constructed by Sethupathy rulers from 12th to 16th century. But it is believed that the main temple architecture is completed by the 17th century and then extensions like corridors and other parts are completed by the 18th century.
The Temple interiors and architecture is one of its kinds. The majestic Raja Gopurams at the east and west wing and the Huge Gate Towers at the north and south wing and the longest corridors with magnificent pillars and beautiful sculptures, make this temple a fascinating place to visit.
More than 15 acres of land is used for the construction of the temple. There are three corridors in the temple. The First and oldest corridor is housed with the main deity Shiva and his consort Parvathavarthini Amman.
The second corridor is housed with 108 shiva lingas and a Ganapathi idol. The third corridor which is also the second largest corridor in the world, has 1212 pillars at the height of 22 feet with beautiful carvings.
For Hindu people, this temple has great significance in their religious belief. It is one of the Char Dham places in India, where a Hindu needs to visit at least once in their lifetime to attain mokhsha.
Rameshwaram Temple Timings: 4:30AM–1PM and 3–8:30PM
Rama Setu or Setubandhanam is otherwise known as Adam’s Bridge is another mythology and geographically defined site 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.
Still today, this Bridge has always been in the debate of whether it is a man-made bridge or naturally formed one.
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.
Agni Theertham is one of the most visited holy water bodies of 64 Theerthams in Rameswaram Island. People who want to visit the Main Ramanathapuram Temple and bath in 22 Theertham inside the temple has to bath in this Theertham first.
The belief is that Goddess Sita set fire herself to prove her purity to her husband Lord Rama, the Agni god( The God of Fire) appeared in that place and confirmed that the Sita is pure and sinless.
But this made Agni God make a sin by touching a married and sinless woman, so he worshipped Lord Shiva here and took bath in the nearby theertham to clear up his sins. And so this place is referred to Angi Theertham.
Taking a holy bath at this theertham is believed to clear off the sins and bad karma of a person. Besides the holy bath, here people do rituals like prohithams, yangnya and tharpanam to the dead people in order to offer them Moksha.
And another belief in this place is if childless couple bath in this theertham and visit the temple for blessings, they will be blessed with a child.
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. It has another specialty is that the center part of the Bridge opens up for big ferry movement.
The view of the sea with hues of green and blue while traveling on the train is one of its kind experiences to anyone. People who visit Rameswaram will try to travel at least once in the train to fascinate the Pamban Bridge and its view.
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.
This place of the house turned into a museum is an epitome for inspiration and full of memories and service of Late APJ Abdul Kalam to India and world.
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 in his respect.
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.
Jada Theertham is another well known holy water body from 64 theertham in Rameswaram. Pilgrims also visit this Theertham to take holy bath in their tour.
The name Jada Theertham came from its connection with the Mythology history- when Rama returned to Rameswaram after killing Ravana, he washed his hair (Jada) in this water tank before going to the Shiva Temple to perform rituals.
People also believe that this is the place where the mighty Bird Jatayu died after Ravana chopped the wings of Jadayu when it was fighting to Save Sita.
There is a temple dedicated to Lord Rama in this place. There is another temple called Kaveri Theertham dedicated to Lord Kapardis Vara near to this place.
This small temple is filled with interesting sculptures and paintings which give the devotees a great experience and also the temple is built below a Huge Peepal tree which is believed that Goddess Sita and Lord Lakshmana took rest.
Sugreevar Theertham or temple is another temple nearby Gandamandana Parvatham dedicated to Lord Sugreevar, the king of vanara sena.
According to the legends, the vanara sena King Sugreevar has great importance in the War between Rama and Ravana as he helped Rama with his army to defeat Ravana.
And near to this Theertham, there is a pond named Sita Kund, which is full of beautiful Pink Lotus dedicated to Goddess Sita.
The Viloondi Theertham is located in the Thangachimadam village in Pamban Island, a 6.8 km from Rameswaram town. It is one of the 64 Theertham in Rameswaram.
This theertham is a well near the coastal line of the sea. Though sea water is present near the well, the water inside the Theertham tastes like pure sweet water. It is said that while returning to the Ayodhya after all the rituals and Shiva pooja in Rameswaram,
Lord Rama’s wife Sita felt thirst and asked him to arrange water to drink to her and whole army. So Lord Rama released an arrow from his bow and created a spring with sweet water near the sea to quench their thirst.
There is a small shrine near to this Theertham for God Shiva as Thrayambakeshvarar. And the other temples near to this place are Ekantha Ramar temple and Sri Balathandayuthapani Swamy temple.
Lakshmana Theertham is one of the 64 Theerthams in Rameswaram and sacred place to take bath by the devotee. As the name suggests, this shrine is dedicated to Lord Lakshmana.
Here the Lord Lakshmana installed a Shiva linga to workship to remove his sins and took bath in the pond. The sculpted and painted temple with beautiful bond near to it makes it a great place to visit.
Planning a trip to Rameswaram? You can check Makemytrip.com for the best discount on hotel prices in Rameswaram.
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.
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
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.
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
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
Pamban Beach is located near the fishing port and it is in the starting point of Pamban island. You can get to see a wonderful view of Pamban Bridge and also Indira Gandhi Roadway Bridge from this beach.
This beach is well organized and having recreational things such as Huts, Swimming pools, swings and a children’s park for entertaining purpose. But this beach is not suitable for bathing, swimming or diving as it is full of rocks.
Kunthukal Beach is situated in a small village in Pamban Island called as Kunthukal Village and 12 km from Rameswaram town. The main occupation of the people here is fishing.
Kunthukal Beach is counted as Paradise to beach lovers, the crystal clear water with green and blue hues in low tides and amazing seashores with fishing boats around make it the best place to hang out and have fun.
Near to this beach there are amazing places like Vivekananda memorial and Marine museum cum interpretation center. And also one can indulge in swimming, bathing and playing around the calm seashore. Boating and water sports activities service is yet to start.
Vivekananda memorial is situated in Kunthukal Beach. This memorial hall is dedicated to the Saint Swami Vivekananda; the orange colored building has a 6 feet high Swami Vivekananda statue along with King Baskara Sethupathi inside the main hall.
Around the hall, you can see the different portrait, speeches and whole life history of Swami Vivekananda. And there is a meditation hall in this building available for the visitors.
When Swami Vivekananda reached this place during his padayatra in India, inspired by his knowledge and personality the king of Ramanathapuram King Baskara Sethupathi sent him to the Parliament of Religions meeting at Chicago in 1893 to give religious addressing in behalf of India.
And after the successful speech in the US meeting and attending some other US lectures and meeting he came back to this same place after 4 years.
Before this memorial, there was a pillar in honor of Swami Vivekananda, but now government inaugurated the memorial hall in remembrance of great saint Vivekananda, along with interpretation cum museum and aquarium.
Ariyaman Beach which is also known as Kushi Beach is a popular beach near to the Rameswaram. It is located in the Sattakkonvalasai Village in Mandapam Block, Ramanathapuram.
The main attraction of this beach is that is the part of the Palk bay of India and it’s a 2.5 km long beach. This would be the perfect place to hang out with your friends, family and loved ones to have a nice weekend and picnics.
This place offers a lot to its visitors like water sports activities, children’s park and museum along with tasty foods in the stalls. From here you can see visit nearby places like Erwadi, mandapam beach, and some other local temples.
Undoubtedly, Rameswaram Island is a paradise with many beautiful beaches. And one such exotic beach is Olaikuda Beach near to the main Rameswaram town. Olaikuda is a fishing village in Rameswaram.
Though it is a fishing place, you can see the beach has a very clean and calm atmosphere making it the best place to spend some time. This beach is surrounded by coral reef and seaweeds & eel grasses along the shore.
What you can expect here? It has all the elements to be enjoyed by any kind of person, the calm beach to spend nice time, scuba diving for water sports enthusiast, boating and sunbathing along the shore for beach lovers.
And even one can see Australian birds such as Seagull, flamingos, etc at the season time for bird lovers.
Next to the Olaikuda Beach, you can find this another small beach called Sangumal Beach. This place is also well known among the locals as a great place for fishing and tourist especially foreign tourist visit here and enjoy the amazing sunrise and sunset.
Though this place is not fit for bathing or any other activities, one can find boating facilities here to see coral reefs present in the Palk Strait.
People who visit Rameswaram will never let a chance to visit this deserted place called Dhanuskodi often known as the Ghost town in Rameswaram Island.
This town is declared as an uninhabitant place by the government of Tamil Nadu after it is severely attacked by the high-intensity cyclone in 1964.
Now Dhanuskodi is one of the hot spots in Pamban Island that attracts many tourists and visitors every day. It is located in the Palk Strait region and it is the land border between India and Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka is just 15 km away).
The endless blue sky meeting with the vast sea is just an amazing view to experience in this place. Though the sea is not safe to bath or for swimming you can enjoy the tranquility and fell off the sea and breeze.
And this place also has some mythology significance as stated in Indian Epic – Ramayana. It is the place where Lord Rama with his Brother Lakshaman, God Hanuman and army built the bridge known as Ram Setu.
After the victory over Ranava and saving his wife, all returned to this place and Vibishana, the new king of Lanka requested Rama to destroy this Bridge. On his request, Lord Rama broke the bridge using his bow. This is the reason why this place got its name as “Dhanush means Bow and Kodi means end”
Timings: 6:00 am – 6:00 pm
Entry Fee: Free (but transportation cost is applied and depends upon use type of service)
Kurusadai Island is a small uninhabited island. It is a protected Island as this island is surrounded by various kinds of precious Coral reefs and marine biodiversity as it is in the Gulf of Mannar area. And also this island is a part of the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park.
Civilians are generally not allowed in this region to wander as it is well protected for its marine life importance. This island is a great place to explore for marine biologists and nature lovers. Here one can see the most precious living fossils in the earth known as balanoglossus organism is present near this Island.
Even though it is restricted for civilians, people can visit this place after getting permission from the fisheries department.
Kurusadai Island never misses to give a visual treat to its visitors. From here you can see the beautiful and colorful coral reefs chains in the sea, the beautiful site of Rameswaram Island and Pamban Bridge.
Sometimes you can also see dolphins and sea cow known as Dugong along the shore. Sea life museum at Kunthukal Island is also another place to visit to know about the marine biosphere in here.
Planning a trip to Rameswaram? You can check Makemytrip.com for the best discount on hotel prices in Rameswaram.
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.
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.
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
Rameswaram not only has various temples, but it is also having some of the other interesting places to lure the tourists. 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, tanks 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
How to Reach Rameswaram
Rameswaram town is well connected from all the major cities in Tamil Nadu. You can reach this Island through the very famous Pamban Railway Bridge or by Indira Gandhi Road Bridge.
The major cities near Rameswaram are Ramanathapuram (59 km), Madurai (169 km), Tiruchirappalli (230 km), Thanjavur (246 km), Tirunelveli(226 km) and Kanyakumari (309 km).
Nearest Airport to Rameswaram
There is no Airport in Rameswaram. The nearest airports to this town are Madurai International Airport in 175 km and the domestic Tuticorin Airport in 195 km.
One can take a flight to Madurai or Tuticorin airport from any place in India to reach Tamil Nadu and then can reach Rameswaram by car or bus.
Rameswaram Railway Station
Rameshwaram is well connected with major metro cities through train. The nearest major railway station to Rameswaram is Madurai.
There are several direct trains to Rameswaram from major cities like Madurai, Chennai and Kanyakumari. You can visit the IRCTC website for reliable train timing and booking.
Rameswaram By Road
Rameswaram is easily reachable from major cities like Chennai, Madurai, Trichy, Kanyakumari and Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu by road.
Rameshwaram To kanyakumari
Many people who visit Rameswaram from North India do go to Kanyakumari, as both are very important Hindu pilgrimage center.
if you are traveling by road, then the best route to take is the East Coast Road. From Rameswaram, you need to travel via Sayalkudi and Vembar. Before Tuticorin, you need to take a diversion to Tirunelveli and from than you can take the regular National highways.
You can reach here either by Private vehicle/transport or by using Public Transport of state government. You can check for tickets in private buses at Goibibo.com
Food and Restaurants in Rameshwaram
The pilgrimage Town Rameswaram has a lot to offer to satisfy our food palate. There are more vegetarian restaurants here as this is prime religious place for Hindu people.
Here you can find high end to small Restaurants, messes, and roadside eateries in every nook and corner of the Rameswaram streets.
Here you can get South and North Indian cuisine. You can eat popular traditional Indian dishes like Idly, dosa, vada, upma and Pongal.
There are also some local restaurants here that serve seafood.
Some of the Famous Restaurants in Rameswaram are,
Ahaan – The Restaurant
Category: Vegetarian & Non-vegetarian
Shabari Restaurant
Category: Pure vegetarian
Hotel Guru
Category: Pure Vegetarian
Ram Nivas Restaurant
Category: Vegetarian
Ambika Marvadi Bhojanalaya
Category: Pure Vegetarian
Hospitals in Rameswaram
Some of the best hospitals located in Rameswaram are,
Government Hospital, Rameswaram
Address: Madurai-Rameswaram Road, Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu 623526
Government Malaria Hospital
Address: Madurai-Rameswaram Road, Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu 623526
Sankara Nethralaya
Address: NH 87, Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu 623526
Phone: 04652-225392
Raj clinic
Address: GP Rd, Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu 623526
We have tried our best to provide you with authentic information. If you have more information to add, kindly use the comment box below. Like our blog? kindly care to share.
