The Pamban Bridge
On the two-and-a-half-hour drive from Madurai, bakery cafes and chai stalls dot the flat fields. As the car leaves behind the mainland and crosses the Pamban Bridge to Rameshwaram, India’s southernmost temple town, huge waves of the Bay of Bengal crash on the shores on both sides of the road. The view of the blue ocean on both sides where the Bay of Bengal embraces the Indian Ocean, is breathtaking.
In the Ramayana, Lord Rama and his brother Lakshmana of Ayodhya, along with the monkey chieftain, King Sugreev, reached Lanka, crossing this very patch of sea. Commander-in-chief, Hanuman, who led the vanar army, accompanied them. As the four planned the defeat of Ravana on the shores of Dhanushkodi they had a sudden stroke of luck. Their arch-enemy, the King of Lanka, who had stolen Sita, had insulted his own brother, Vibhishana. Ravana, the unvanquished, now had a chink in his armor.
Dhanushkodi: Land’s End
A temple marks the spot where Rama met Vibhishana, took him as an ally, and crowned him the king of Lanka. Victory was in sight if only Rama and his army could cross the 15-mile stretch of water that stood between them and Ravana. According to legend, the Lord of the Sea, Samudra, then offered floating rocks that were strung together by Hanuman’s army to form the Rama’s Setu from Dhanushkodi to Sri Lanka.
Dhanushkodhi is where the pilgrims go to catch the sunset. The almost three-mile-long strip of land that sticks into the ocean, is loved by all – the beachgoers who walk on the beaches, the fish connoisseurs who head to the huts of fishermen, the historians who seek the ruins of the church, the families who pose at the ‘Last Point of India’ for pictures, and the youth who scramble onto to the rocks daring the waves to crash on them.
The cyclone of ‘64
Dhanushkodhi was also where all the action was before the cyclone of 1964 put an end to its swag. The train from Chennai would arrive here, and the steamer to Sri Lanka would leave from here. Now, it lies in ruins.
Ramanathaswamy Temple
Back at Rameswaram, pilgrims visit the temple that marks the spot where legend says, Rama returned to perform penance after his victory over Sri Lanka at the direction of Sage Agastya. He felt that Rama had sinned by killing Ravana, a Brahmin and an ardent worshiper of Lord Shiva, and could only gain deliverance by praying to Shiva for forgiveness. A lingam of Shiva was, therefore, needed.
Hanuman flew to the abode of Lord Shiva in Mount Kailash to procure the lingam. But as the auspicious moment drew close, Sita quickly fashioned a lingam from the sand on the beach. It is around this legendary lingam and the two that Hanuman brought from Kailash that the Ramanathaswamy temple was built by the local king, Muthuramalinga Sethupathi, or the protector of Rama’s Setu, (Rama’s bridge).
Pilgrims wake up at 4.30 a.m. to catch the first service at the temple when the Sphatika lingam, brought by Adi Sankaracharaya to the temple, is venerated. Shouts of Har har mahadev rent the air.
Splish splash to wash the sins away
At the Agni Teertham beach, thousands of pilgrims rush to the ocean for a dip to wash away their sins in the swells of warm water. Then begins the round-robin of bucket baths at the 21 wells. Pilgrims rush to a well and are doused with buckets of water pulled up by lungi-clad temple guides every day.
The sound of the splashing water, the yells of the guides pushing people forward along with the shouts of bam bam bhole create an unholy din in the holiest of temples.
On the way to Dhanushkodhi is the Kothandaramaswamy Temple where Vibhishana was crowned King of Lanka by Rama. On a visit here, walk to the seashore behind the temple where a floating stone can be seen.
Vivekananda Memorial
The Vivekananda Memorial at Kanyakumari Kundhukal near the Gulf of Mannar is a beautiful landmark. Visitors can take a boat into the Bay of Bengal. Rides start at 7 am and end at 5 pm. Call ahead to check weather conditions and boat services.
Dotted around Rameswaram are moments of Rama’s and Lakshmana’s lives from the time they spent here. The hill from where Hanuman flew to Lanka on a spy mission, the point where Ram shot an arrow into the sea drawing sweet water for Sita to drink, the pool where Lakshman bathed and where Ram had his hair shorn, etc.
The pilgrims walk in the steps of the two brothers as they paced the island and plan the mother of all battles. Pilgrims wash their sins away just as Rama and Lakshmana had after their return from Lanka. The Lord Shiva blesses all.
Ritu Marwah wrote this series under the Chalo India Global Diaspora Campaign.