RAMESHWARAM
The
sacred island town of Rameswaram at the extreme south-eastern limit
of the Indian Peninsula. Rameswaram is
the Varanasi of the south and a major pilgrimage centre for both
Shaivaites and Vaishnavaites as it was here that Rama offered thanks
to Shiva. At the town's core is the Ramanathaswamy Temple, one of the
most important temples in southern India. A fine example of South Indian architecture, the temple is renowed
for its many pillared (and often painted) corridors, about 1220
metres in length.
Rameswaram is on an island
in the Gulf of Mannar, connected to the mainland at Mandapam by
rail, and by one of India's engineering wonders, the Indira Gandhi
Bridge. 14 years to build and was opened by Rajiv Gandhi late in 1988.
The
town lies on the island's eastern side and used to be the port from
which the ferry to Talaimannar (Sri Lanka) departed before normal
passenger services were suspended more than a decade ago.
Rameshwaram is connected by rail directly to Madras, Madurai,
Trichy and Coimbatore where Madras is connected with all the main
places in India.
