EP- 3 Rameswaram Dham Darshan | Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple | Tamil Nadu

This T.T.D.C. property is located right next to the ocean. Take a look! There is just a road between the hotel boundary and the ocean. It would be better to start copying the data as I have my tea on the side. I'll also have breakfast in a short while. They started serving breakfast at 7.30 AM. And tea service starts at 6.30 AM. I saw it in Kanyakumari as well, tea starts at 6.30 AM and breakfast at 7.30 AM. The cost of breakfast is included in the room tariff. This is a huge hall. Several guest

s are already here for breakfast. Coffee! Give me one coffee. This Pongal is fully loaded with black pepper and cumin seeds. Taste is good. Good! We spent 2.5 hours at the restaurant hoping to have tea & breakfast while copying data. But we could only have breakfast there. As for copying the data from my iPhone,... ...I went through hell while doing that today. And it still remains uncopied. This is the room. I showed this room at the end of our previous episode on the Visa2explore channel. How

do I open it? Let us go from here. This is the balcony! It is wonderful, no? Very nice! The location of T.T.D.C. Rameshwaram is very good. You are at a walking distance from the temple. What you just saw was the start of our day at Rameswaram. Now, the next stop in our "Day in Rameswaram" would be a temple visit. Namaskar friends! Welcome to Visa2Explore. This is your host, Harish Bali. I am in Rameshwaram. We will go and visit the temple actually in a short duration. Before that, we will go aro

und 22 small Kunds (wells). Right now, I am standing near the 'Agni Teertham! All the people you see here, taking a bath in the ocean... They are taking a bath in this place called "Agni Teerth." People take a bath here throughout the day, starting at 5.30 AM. So first I am going to take a bath here at Agni Teertham. Then we will go inside. The path leading into the ocean is littered with small stones. I think I have injured my foot while walking over those. But that's okay! When I walked over t

o that side, no stones were there. The side more crowded has a sandy path beneath the water's surface. Perhaps that is why more people are taking a bath on that side. Now, let us walk towards the temple. We will enter from the North Gate. There we'll deposit our mobile and camera. Families visit Rameshwaram, like Haridwar, to conduct the last rites of the departed. You will have to deposit your mobile or camera in a locker. It is your choice whether you want to deposit it in a private locker or.

... ...go inside the temple gate and deposit it in the government locker. Our driver is with us, so I am keeping my mobile, microphone, and camera with him. I mean, that would be better for us. In front of your eyes is the 'Gopuram' (entrance) of the North Gate. We are going in from this gate. After taking a bath in the 22 Kunds... ...we've exited via the South Gate, you can see the Gopuram in front of you. So, let me tell you how it was inside? There are 22 wells inside. First, I thought it wou

ld be like 21 plus 1 wells. Now, I know, it is 1 + 22, the 1 being Agni Teertham. And each of the 22 wells inside has been named after a Hindu deity. One local man is standing at each well, who pours the water from the well on you. At my request, he also allowed me to fill up this bottle with water from the well. Thus, I have collected water from all the 22 wells into this bottle to take home with me. To carry back this water isn't as easy as it may sound. It is possible if you have a guide with

you. The Kodi Theertham (22 wells) water is also available in sealed bottles like this one. It is easier to carry back home with you. I was in double mind about going in for darshan at the temple... ...because I have an hour left. Though the closing time is 12.30 PM, but they close it up to 12.45 PM. But then we decided our hotel was nearby. So, we're going back to change clothes and then return for darshan right now. We've just come back from having a darshan at Shri Ramanathswamy Temple. Righ

t now, I am standing outside this gate. This is the gate through which I entered the temple as well. You can see the Raj-Gopuram in the distance. You can enter the temple through four different gates and... ...each gate has a Gopuram, with Raj-Gopuram being the tallest. This has 9 Kalash (traditional pots) on the top. Other Gopurams have a lesser number of Kalash. When I went in from the East Gate side... ...first darshan I had was of Panchmukhi Hanuman ji. The statue of Shri Hanuman Ji is about

16 feet tall. About 8 feet of the statue is buried under the ground while only 8 feet is visible. Right next to the Hanuman Ji's statue, we also had darshan of a Shivling. Many believe that when Hanuman Ji flew towards the Himalayas to get the Shivling... ...instead of one, he got two Shivlings with him actually. We had darshan of one of those Shivlings near the Hanuman Ji's statue. The second Shivling was with the main Shivling. I noticed that you could have the darshan from a distance of 25 f

eet. No artificial light has been used inside. You can have darshan from 25 feet away, amidst the light of earthen oil lamps. And this is how the story of this place goes. When Bhagwan Ram was victorious in Lanka... ...he returned to this place after killing Ravana. Once he was back here, he was filled with remorse at having killed a Brahmin. The reason for this remorse was that Ravan was a Brahmin as well as a Shiv Bhakt. As repentance, Bhagwan Ram wanted to pray to Bhagwan Shiv here. So, he se

nt Hanuman Ji to Himalayas to get a Shivling. Rishi Agastya told Bhagwan Ram and Mata Sita that the auspicious hour was ending. He suggested to them that instead of waiting they should build a Shivling from sand. So, Mata Sita made a Shivling from sand. And Bhagwan Ram offered worship to that Shivling. Since it is made of sand, the Shivling will break down when water is poured over it. Because it is made with sand. After the worship was complete, the sand Shivling got converted to rock. The Shiv

ling took on the shape of a rock. Since then, devotees have been thronging this temple of Shri Ramanathaswamy. This place is Rameshwaram. 'Eeshwar' (Deity) of Ram! Rameshwar! Inside, once we had the darshan of the main Shivling... The second Shivling, which Hanuman Ji brought with him, we had a darshan of that. Along with these, we also had the darshan of Ambal Mata Ji. Basically, here, Mata Parvati is also known as Ambal Mata Ji. We also had the darshan of 'Perumal' avatar of Bhagwan Vishnu in

supine position. Bhagwan Vishnu is in the supine position as a Perumal avatar. Besides, we also had the darshan of several other deities. These included Ashtalakshmi and various avatars of Ma Parvati. Now, I would talk about the architecture of this temple. One can't guess the age of the pillars outside the inner sanctum just by looking at them. But it would be safe to say that those must be at least a few centuries old. I was frequently drawn towards the lion shapes, drawn on upper portions of

pillars. Some of those shapes were dragon shapes, which made me wonder the reason for that. I couldn't find an answer to my query. Anyways, after visiting the premises, we moved outside. We also visited the world-famous corridor in detail and... ...its main feature is it has 1212 pillars in all. The height of this corridor is about 22 feet and its width is 7 and a half feet. Wonderful! Now let us go to the seaside now. I will also tell you a few more stories about this temple. Usually, while vis

iting a temple or a religious place... ...after darshan, we love to go for local sightseeing. Obviously, I felt the same too. But, I also want to visit the temple again for darshan before leaving Rameshwaram. This is my heartfelt desire. So, I'll come back either today evening or tomorrow. Now let us talk about some food for thought. You know that Swami Vivekananda visited Rameshwaram along with Kanyakumari. So, how did he reach here? Did he come on a boat? Also, did he take a bath in the same 2

2 Kunds or were they different? I am talking of this after talking to several persons inside the temple. You can also share your inputs in the comment section. It is said that about 100, 200, or 500 years ago... ...these 22 Kunds that are here at present, weren't in existence. The earlier Kunds were about 60-70 KM away from here, on the outskirts of this region. The first Kund was 65 KM from here, and then other Kunds were further in the forest. But like the present, all the Kunds were named aft

er various deities. So, Swami Vivekananda took a bath in those Kunds at that time. And when he reached here, he found only 3 to 4 Kunds. These present-day Kunds were built at the orders of the erstwhile king. So that the visiting devotees don't have to go into the wild. It was convenient for the devotees to take a bath right here, at the temple premises. I shared this as a food for thought with you! Now, I am back where I took a bath this morning. I showed this place to you already. It is noon t

ime right now, the temple will reopen at 3.30 PM. The devotees taking a bath here will then proceed to the temple for darshan. In the morning, the temple timings are from 6 AM to 12 PM. In the evening, the temple is open from 3.30 PM to 8 PM. These timings might differ by 20-30 minutes between seasons. If you are planning to visit here between Dec. 20th and Jan. 15th.... ...get your advance bookings in place. Otherwise, you'll have to choose between no accommodation or an expensive one! This is

an important tip because Dec-Jan is usually a peak period but within that... ...Dec. 20th - Jan. 15th is even more so. I've bought this bottle of water from the 22 Kunds for Rs. 20. It is called Kodi Theertham! Alright! You can use this bottle to take home and use this holy water. You can also give this water to the elderly family members. I've bought 8 such bottles for myself and my team members, and this prasad for Rs 30. There's a space in the temple complex where you can change clothes befor

e darshan. You enter the temple from the North Gate and exit from the South Gate. You can deposit your belongings at the North Gate cloak room. Once you exit from the South Gate, you'll have to come back to the North Gate... ...collect your clothes, and then go for darshan. It is a long process! Going back and forth between the hotel wouldn't be a conducive option if it is far. So, it is better to take your clothes with you to the temple. Take a bath and then change your clothes. The best option

would be to rent a hotel near the temple. Like us! We booked our accommodation just 300-400 meters from the temple. Now, the time is 2.45 PM. We completed the basic darshan by 1 PM. Once the temple was closed, we went through the corridors in detail. Now, we will go for lunch. After lunch, we'll visit the Panchmukhi Hanuman Temple, which is 2 KM away. So, I am going to figure out where we're going to have lunch. Then, I will join you in a while. Before that, we'll have this prasad. Hmm! I can't

carry it back home because it has a shelf life of 3 days only. "Best before 3 days!" Very nice! Wow! Wonderful! Do you know how it was during the old days? The devotees first came to visit the Rameshwaram Dham. From here, they would take the sand to Kashi Vishwanath Temple. They poured that sand into the Ganga there. From Kashi, they brought back the Ganga-Jal (water of the river) and poured it on Shivling. Almost every pilgrim used to do this during ancient times. But that is not the practice

now. Another sad reality of today's time is that not many have even visited all the Char-Dham. If I talk of myself, I started the YouTube channel when I was 42. Before that, I had visited only one Dham, which was Badrinath Dham. After I started my channel, I visited Badrinath Dham again. After this visit, my journey of all Char Dhams is complete now. Everyone knows Shri Badrinath Dham, Shri Dwarkadheesh Dham, Shri Rameshwaram,... ...and Shri Jagannath Puri, Odisha.... ...are the four main holy d

estinations in Hindu religion. It is a popular belief that every Hindu should visit these four places at least once in life. I am strictly speaking about the Hindu religion. Too good! We've come to Ganesh Mess for lunch. As for landmark, it is located in front of the West Gate entrance to the temple. Do you see the Gopuram? The restaurant is next to it. We are going inside for lunch. When I reached here, it was mealtime. I thought I would've to wait for half an hour but they said they were about

to finish. Yes please! They asked me to sit for lunch immediately otherwise the dishes are about to get over. Tomato? It is tomato curry! Tomato gravy! This is potato. Alright! It is freshly cooked! Okay! Great! Sambar! This is Sambar. Sambar! Thank you! This is... Chhaachh! ...Sabudana....Payasam! Payasam! Yeah! Alright! This is Payasam made with sabudana? Yeah! Lovely! Tell me one thing. Should Rasam be had before or after meal? Neither! In between! Really! Alternate with Sambar! Somebody tel

ls me before lunch and some people say after lunch. But first, you should have this sweet. You have to start with the sweet. Start from sweet? Okay! Interesting! Thanks! This always caused me confusion. At some places, people are having Rasam before lunch. I mean drinking it before meal. And some drink it after lunch as a digestion drink. But he said I should have it during the meal but start with the sweet. This dish made from Palak (spinach) tastes of nothing but Palak itself. Whenever we thin

k of tomatoes in a curry, we immediately think of a sour taste. But these tomatoes aren't sour. I forgot to drink Chhaachh. Buttermilk! Buttermilk is delicious! It is fully loaded with the flavour of green chillies. To sum it up, in today's meal, simplicity is the main theme. I liked these two curries made from potatoes and tomatoes. Though I was expecting more from the tomatoes but this Palak was exceptional. I've noticed while travelling in Kerala that every other restaurant serves food... ...

that is cooked in coconut oil. They do have some dishes cooked in other oil if you specifically ask for it. But a majority of their dishes are cooked in coconut oil. In Tamil Nadu, coconut oil isn't used in either restaurants or homes. Groundnut oil is popular here. What could be the reason for that? One is obviously that groundnut is abundantly grown in Tamil Nadu. That is one reason I can think of. But, that way, coconut is also abundant here. With Rasam, you will find a different taste in eve

ry restaurant, wherever you go. No two tastes would be common. This variation is quite different. Till date, whenever I have tasted Rasam, either with a meal or otherwise... ...it has been hot, but this is not, probably because it is closing time. But otherwise, good, good for digestion! I will join you in a while after I finish my meal Next, we are going to visit Panchmukhi Hanuman Temple. In Rameshwaram, you can easily hire an auto for travelling locally. These autos can accommodate up to 6-7

passengers. I have reached the Panchmukhi Hanuman Temple. Now, we will go inside. I had the darshan of Panchmukhi Hanuman Ji and now I am back outside. Actually, this temple is an ashram. This ashram has been here for the past 450-500 years now. Just as you enter the premises, you see Hanuman Ji's huge statue with five faces. This statue isn't very old. It is hardly 15-20 years old. The statue inside the temple, though, is 500-600 years old. We noticed one more thing. Inside the Math (Ashram), t

hey have kept some floating stones. This place faced a cyclone in 1964. During the cyclone, some stones floated from Dhanushkodi to Agni Theertham here. Those stones were brought over to the temple and put on display. One of those stones is said to weigh 36 KG. Another stone, weighing 45 KG, is floating while other smaller stones are submerged. You must be remembering the story behind Bhagwan Ram's victory in Lanka. Before that, the Vanar Sena had to build a stone bridge over the sea to reach La

nka. We know that bridge as 'Ram-Setu.' So, these are Ram-Setu stones on display here. Some 3-4 stones were kept outside, while 2....no 2-3 stones I saw floating on water. Right! This is a rare occurrence, not available to see everywhere. Now let us do one thing. The sun is about to set in 15-20 minutes. Before that, let us see if we can visit another holy spot. Because we can visit around before it gets dark. I think our car is parked out there. The Laxman Theertham is right next to Panchmukhi

Hanuman Temple. Rameshwaram has 64 Theerths (holy places) in all. Basically, there are 64 Kunds as well. 22 out of those are inside the premises of Shri Ramanathswamy Temple. We visited them this morning. I am standing outside a huge parking right now. And the Theerth is on this side. This Kund is known as the Laxman Kund and this place is called Laxman Theertham. Let me tell you some basic information. When Bhagwan Ram and Laxman returned from Sri Lanka... ....Bhagwan Ram repented killing of Ra

vana by worshipping Bhagwan Shiv. He worshipped the Shivling, which we saw in the temple today. It is believed that Laxman ji also worshipped here to seek forgiveness for his deeds. Thus, this theerth is named after him. Come! Let us go inside. We visited the inner sanctum of the temple and had darshan of the Shivling. The Shivling here is believed to date back to ancient times. Just like we saw at Shri Ramnathswamy Temple. This Shivling is as old as the one in that temple. Here, Laxman ji worsh

ipped Bhagwan Shiv to seek repentance for his sins. You can photograph the outer premises but not the main temple. I've already shown you the Kund too. That, I've already told you, is known as Laxman Kund. The sun is going to set in another 5-7 minutes. I am going to end today's journey here. Tomorrow, we are going to Dhanushkodi. We will also try to visit as many spots in Rameshwaram as we can because... ...day after tomorrow, we will go to Thanjavur, so we're left with only one day - tomorrow.

Right! Now, I'll say bye to you here. We will meet again soon! Thanks for your time!