Are You Game For A Holy Dip In Sethusamudram?. Review on Dhanushkodi

People consider Rameshwaram & Dhanushkodi the Holiest of all Holy Places! This was my Fifth Pilgrimage to Rameshwaram and so, I have such a fairly good personal knowledge and experience of the place that I'd love to share with you all in all religiosity.

I. Inroduction: (This Pilgrim's Progress!)

a) Throwing My Heavy Oppressive Baggage 'EGO' / 'ahankar' to the winds, on the 10th of February, 2006, I chose to travel light from Chennai to Rameshwaram. I took the Vaigai Superfast Express Train up to Madurai (5hr-dash) & from there, took a bus to reach the Temple City Rameshwaram at 2 a.m. (4hour-crawl) to be ready for the Early Morning Darshan at 4.30.

b) Finding Accommodation posed a big problem as I was single -- reasons: They say, 'High Alert Area, LTTE, Suicides, & other threats'. Later, using my reference & influence, around noon, I got a good Double-Bed Top-class Accommodation in The Sringeri Mutt Complexvery next to the Ramanathaswamy Temple.

II. First A Quick Darshan: Darshan of the Presiding Deities is the topmost obsession in every pilgrim's psyche. I too had this irresistible urge & readily & willingly, yielded to it. Had a bath, made myself clean & pure & got ready. Walked for a few minutes to reach the Eastern Gate of the Temple & rushed in with flowers. Had the VERY RARE Paid Darshan of the 'Spatika (Crystal) Lingam' & after a cursory darshan of other deities, pending some elaborate ones later, I walked back.

III. Why Is Rameshwaram the Holiest of the Holy?

a) The Temple Town Rameshwaram is said to be a Conch-Shaped Island (Symbolic of the Holy Paanchajanyam in Lord Vishnu's Hand)From Time immemorial, all the Hindus, the rich & the poor, have been considering it their life's mission to visit Rameshwaram & Varanasi at least once before they breathe their last. In olden days when the transportation facilities were primitive, they are said to have covered the places in months by foot & by bullock-carts wherever available.

b) The Legend:

According to the great Epic 'The Ramayana', Lord Rama waged a war against Ravana, the Asura king of Lanka, to retrieve his wife Goddess Sita cunningly abducted by him. He is reported to have stayed in Rameshwaram on both his onward & return journey to Lanka which is just 24 km by sea from there.After his conquest of Sri Lanka, Sri Rama prayed to Lord Shiva to forgive his sin of killing Ravana. It is said, Lord Rama & Devi Sita installed & desecrated the Jyotir Linga called 'Ramalinga', the Presiding deity of the temple. He also installed 'Vishvalinga', Anjaneya had brought from Varanasi.

IV. Recconnaisance Survey of the Temple:

a) TWO Imposing LOFTY TOWERS: After my noon meals & a short rest & a mandatory coffee in a good restaurant there, I came to the Eastern Entrance of the Temple. There stood a Massive 126 feet high Tower (Raja Gopuram) with 9 levels in all its Dravidian Architectural Brilliance, Beauty & Glory. On the opposite side, I saw the grand Western Gopuram around 78 feet high.

b) The Long Ornate Corridors That Take Our Breath Away if we are not dead inside: The Corridors: said to be the longest in the world with about 1000 pillars & columns. There is a Coridor, said to be 1220 metre long 22 feet high, with beautiful pillar-carvings and painted ceiling. A spectacle to see, admire & dream of!

V. Holy Bathing ('Snan' in Sacred Water Springs) The next morning, I decided to have the Darshan in the temple. Before purifying the 'soul' by darshan, we are required to get our body purified by bathing in the Sacred Theerthams inside the temple.These waters are believed to possess great Medicinal properties & Magical Purifying Powers on both body & mind & so, called Holy Theerthams each tasting different from the others. There are some 22 natural water wells inside the temple I engaged a paid Waterman with a bucket & rope to draw water from the Holy Wells & pour on my head. First, like all pilgrims, I had a holy dip in the Agnitheertham in the calm sea, just 100 metres in front of the temple Eastern Gates. With wet clothes, I proceeded to the temple. I had holy bath in all the 22 theerthams with the waterman's help.

Here are some Signifiant Theerthams: 1.Sethu Madhava Theertham: for wealth & purification of heart. 2.Kavatcha Theertham: to avoid going to the Hell. 3.NaLa Theertham: For getting into Heaven 4.Surya Teertham: For the attainment of Trikaala Gnan; 5. Jadaayu Theertham: Water as sweet as Coconut Water. 6. RaNavimOchana Theertham: To get rid of DEBTS.

VI. Darshan: b) After the snan (bathings), I changed clothes & went inside the Temple. After getting the permission from Nandikeshwara, I had a full darshan of Lord Vishwanatha & Goddess Visalakshi. & then Ramanathaswamy & Goddess Parvatha Vardhini.The Ramalingam/ Ramanathaswamy is the presiding deity of the temple. After offering prayers to Lord Vishnu, as Sheshanarayana and to Sethu Madhava & Goddess Lakshmi, I came out of the temple.. It took more than an hour to have all the darshans & prayers.

VII. Rameshwaram Temple is Not Built In A Single Day:

a) It is said that Parakrama Bahu, the ruler of Ceylon built the sanctum sanctorum of Ramanahaswamy Temple and The Sethupathis, rulers of Ramanathapuram since 12th century, built the Gopurams (Towers), corridors (praharams) and other massive structures of the temple. It is said, this temple Construction work took as many as 350 years for completion.

b) Other Temples Nearby:

There are other temples in & near Rameshwaram. I visited a few of them. In the Gandhamadhana Parvatham (Hill) about five kilometers from the town, there is a temple where Lord Rama’s footprints are there for worship. On my way to Dhanushkodi I visited The Kothandaramaswamy temple depicting Vibheeshana's surrender to Lord Rama.

VIII.: Other Attractions: Good Spots for Sea-Criusing, angling & watching Coral Reefs & Shopping Handicrafts & artefacts. Dhanushkodi:I reached it by a shared-jeep. It was thrilling to have 108 soulful dips in the sea where The Bay Of Bengal & The Indian Ocean kiss. I visualized this 'Sethu Bridge (Adam's Bridge) very near to the bathing ghat & I remembered the aerial photographs by NASA dancing before my eyes.

Over to you, Friends, for RRC