Trip members: Karthik, Sankar, Murugan, Sanjeev, Sathish Raja
Trip date: 1 and 2 July 2017
Trip Plan : Chennai - Rameswaram - Ramnad - Dhanushkodi - Chennai
Day-1
We reached Rameswaram by 04:30 in the morning by Sethu express. Sankarganesh had arranged stay for us in a guest house and we are bang there for sunrise! The guest house was just near Agni theertham and gave a great view of the sea and sunrise from the terrace. We spent time on enjoying the sunrise and the sea until 06:30 and ready for the day by 7:30.
Our cab was ready by then and we planned to cover areas around Ramnad in the first half of the day and then Dhanushkodi in second half. Our driver suggested to have breakfast enroute to the first stop in Ramnad and as usual we went by the driver's suggestion - always respect localites suggestions in a trip! We had breakfast at Hotel Sriram, jut before Ramnad. The tiffen items were quite good and they had nice varieties of dosas like herbal dosa, herbal oothappam, podi tomato dosa and many more. Our plan was to cover as much as possible in the first half in Ramnad and move to Pamban and Dhanushkodi by lunch.
First, we visited Devipattinam around 8:45, this is famous for the Navabhashana Navagraha temple in the ocean. Devipattinam is around 5 kms from Ramnad. The dieties are partially or fully immersed in water at 2-3 feet height and pilgrims take a dip in the water and then perform pujas to the dieties. It is believed to wash away sins of many kind. We spent around 15-20 minutes to offer our prayers and also enjoy the vast ocean.
Next, we went to Uthira Kosamangai. This temple is very famous for being a primary temple for Lord Shiva, offering blessings as Lord Mangalanathar/Mangaleshwar. One striking feature of the place is that it hosts Lord Natraja as Lord Rathna Sabhapathi as a single piece carved out of Emerald (Maragatham). The idol is 5.5 feet tall and is always covered with layers of Sandalwood paste. The day of Aaruthutra star is the one when one gets to see the Emerald idol as is. One would need around 20-30 minutes to see the temple on a normal day. This temple is around 11 kms from Thirupullani.
Thirupullani - our next destination. This temple is one of 108 Vishu Kshetras and is regarded is very special. It is believed that Lord Rama slept here on a bed of Tharbais (a type of grass known for performing rites for the dead). This is the only place where Lord Rama can be seen in Ananthasayanam (sleeping) posture.Temple open timings are 7:00 am – 12:30 pm and 3:30 pm – 8:30 pm.
We then went to Sethu Karai. Sethu Karai is 4.5 kms from Thirupullani. There is an Anjeneya temple on the beach. The beach is very serene and believed to clear all sins when a dip is taken. It is believed this is were the Ram-Sethu bridge was planned to be built and started. We spent around 20 minutes here enjoying the beautiful beach and taking some photos.
Excited to see Pamban bridge views as our train came in the dark in the morning and our cab when we crossed to come to Ramnad, we decided to stop on the return as temples are bound to close on time. Though parking is not allowed on the bridge, tourists take the liberty to stop by few few minutes to admire the humongous ocean views and the engineering marvel. Police and the drivers themselves regulate the stopping vehicles quickly, as the bridge is quite narrow and stopping vehicles on the bridge causes unwanted congestion.The humongous bridge and grand views it offers are definitely a matter of pride to visit. One can imagine how it would be when Rameswaram is hit by cyclone and the fiery ocean definitely scares. However, on normal days, they look massive and humble.
We next stopped at Villondi Theertham. This is the spot when Lord Rama used his arrow to have drinking water in the ocean banks on request of Sita. There is a well at this place and a small shop renting small buckets with rope for Rs.10 to fetch water. Though the water is salty now, it is assumed it was a momentary act to quench the thirst. Now, the water is treated as holy and people take it as
prasadam - drink and sprinkle on head.
We also visited the under construction - Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam's memorial. The big memorial is being constructed in memory of dear of all. We spent few minutes there and moved on - missing him.
We had lunch at Hotel SS Grand. The lunch served for Rs.120 was just ok. Quite an average sotuh Indian vegetarian meals - rice, sambhar, rasam, poriyal, kootu, curd and appalam. Driver said this is one of the better food one can get in Rameswaram and it was only average. Be prepared to have not so great expectations on food when you goto Rameswaram.
Around 2:45 PM when we completed our lunch, we started to Dhanushkodi. The first hop in the direction is Lord Gothandaramar temple.
This is the place where it is believed that Vibeeshanan was made as King of Lanka once Rama killed Ravanan in the war. The trip towards Gothandaramar temple and the great grand views the temple offers us all around is amazing. The place is a great time killer for photo enthusiasts; however, don't get carried away here - there is more calling in Dhanushkodi.
All vehichles stop at Mukuntharayar Chathiram. This is permissible final point for public and private vehicles. The place is buzzing with lot of shops and access to clean white sand as well as rocky beaches. This is a single strip of land with water on both sides of the land strip. One side, the white sand and rocky beaches call anyone to wet their feet and the waves punch you back with their power.
Other side - you would wonder whether is is ocean ! Quite calm and peaceful - almost stagnant water. After The place is a great time killer as it has beaches, lots of shops selling souvenirs made out of sea products and sea food.
From here, one is allowed to walk upto 9.5 kms towards Dhanushkodi and Arichal Munai. Dhanushkodi is 5 kms from Mukundarayar Chatram and Arichal Munai is 9.5 kms - a further 4.5 kms from Dhanushkodi. There are pooled vans which charge Rs.150 per person (2 way) to take you to Dhanushkodi - but by the banks of the calm side of the ocean. The road to Arichal Munai was fully laid and was waiting for inauguration when we went.
After seeking permission to go in our own vehicles beyond Mukundarayar Chatram, we went to the farthest accessible point of India in this region - Arichal Munai. Arichal Munai is the place where land ends and all 3 sides surrounded by desertly white fine sand and the mighty Ocean - connected by a thin strip of land. The evening was quite windy and the sands were all over carried on to the roads. We would not reach out to the beach as the wind was gaining speed and made it difficult to walk against the sandy wind. We spent around 20 minutes enjoying the serene beauty of the place. Yeah ... touching a farthest accessible point is quite a feel !! Isn't it !!
We then returned back 4.5 kms and stopped at Dhanushkodi. Dhanushkodi hosts the ruined Church and ruined railway station. It is becoming a living city as well as it was deserted after the cyclone hit few decades back. We heard from locals that around 300 people are living in Dhanushkodi nowadays. The ruins are quite a scene for photographers - the back drop of white sand and the blue ocean with blue skies captivates anyone. There are shops to shop-by, eat snacks and drink sodas.
Around 5, it was time to get out of Dhanushkodi as per the rules, and we obliged. It was quite a long dream come true for our group as we were planning to visit Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi for quite some time. We stopped by a souvenir shop run by brother of Dr.Kalam - they have great collections of stuff made of sea materials and wood - starting from Rs.5 to thousands. This is a perfect place for
anyone to get a steal of souvenirs. There is also Dr.Kalam's house in the building aside and one can go and visit it.
We packed dinner from Hotel Aryas as we were salty and sandy. The food was good - idlis, dosas with sambhar and chutneys. The food was better than what we expected and well enough for a long day and ready for sleep. We took bath, enjoyed the late evening with sea breeze and ready for the early morning dharshan of Lord Ramanathaswamy.
Day-2
As per our plan, we woke up at 03:30 and started for Ramanathaswamy temple. We reached the temple at 04:30 for the Spatika Lingam dharshan. Spatika Lingam dharshan is one of the popular events of the temple - where the main deity would be behind the screens and a Spatika Lingam - 1 feet tall. The Abhishekams and pujas would be done for the Spatika Lingam for 1 hour - 5 AM to 6 AM and then the dharshan shall move on to the main deity. People throng to see the Spatika Lingam to get special blessings. We then went out by 5:30, had hot piping tea and some snacks as the early morning wake-up kindled our hunger.
The visit to Ramanthaswamy temple is done in this order. Perform the Spatika Lingam dharshan early in the morning. Then, goto Angi Theertham and perform ocean bath during sunrise. Agni Theertham is the most prominent Theerthams of 22 Theerthams to visit before offering prayers to Lord Ramanthaswamy. Agni Theerthan is the ghat on the ocean where it is believed that the Agni (fire) is in form of water and shall wash away one's sins. We did this between 06:15 - 06:45.
Post this, one has to buy a ticket for Rs.25 per head from the left side of the temple (facing temple) to perform bath of the 21 theerthams. Beware of touts who would ask you to pay them anything between 300-1000+ for taking you across all theerthams and the dharshan. This is not at all necessary. Earlier, it would be really bad as everyone had to go with these touts, without which, it would be very difficult to have a peaceful time in the temple. Now, things have been well regularized and once you pay Rs.25, you get into a queue to go ahead with all theerthams. There would be one person who would take water from the well and pour over a group of people. If you think you need special attention, there are people who ask for Rs.100 per person and help you with one full bucket of water from each of the wells - which is much better than the group activity. We completed all the theerthams by 1 hour and by 7:30 AM done with all theerthams.
We carried alternate clothes with us, which is mandatory as one is not allowed to perform dharshan with wet clothes. There are separate places for changing clothes for male and female. Once done, we performed dharshan for the main deity - which is a Lingam made of sand by Goddess Sita and then turned into stone by history. At 8:15, we were out of the temple after completing the dharshan of main deity, Goddess Parvathavardhini, Lord Natarajar in Rudra mandap, Athmalingam, Kasi Viswanathar and Lord Hanuman.
We had breakfast in a local restaurant and returned to room to relax and have a bit of sleep.
Around 11, we decided to visit Holy Island Water sports. Holy water sports has quite a number of water sports - Kayaking, water boarding, snorkeling, scuba diving (for swimmers), JetSki and few more. The rates are quite nominal and the staff are very friendly. We did JetSki and Snorkeling. We spent around 2 hours across the activities and cherished the moments.
We had lunch at Hotel Jivan - they did not have lunch but north India menu and some rice items. We order cluster of gravies and Indian breads. The food was definitely good and tasty. We had a good lunch and proceeded to rooms for checkout.
We had train at 5 PM and checked-out by 3 PM. We planned to visit Ramar Padham before boarding train. Ramar Padham is around 5 kms from Agni Theertham. This is a must visit place in Rameswaram for the great grand views it offers. The temple hosts Lord Rama's feet impressions and a terrace with complete view of Rameswaram. We can realize that we are in an island from this place. We spent around 20 minutes here to enjoy the views and reached railway station.
We also got great experience enjoying the view of ocean from Pamban bridge.
Trip date: 1 and 2 July 2017
Trip Plan : Chennai - Rameswaram - Ramnad - Dhanushkodi - Chennai
Day-1
We reached Rameswaram by 04:30 in the morning by Sethu express. Sankarganesh had arranged stay for us in a guest house and we are bang there for sunrise! The guest house was just near Agni theertham and gave a great view of the sea and sunrise from the terrace. We spent time on enjoying the sunrise and the sea until 06:30 and ready for the day by 7:30.
Our cab was ready by then and we planned to cover areas around Ramnad in the first half of the day and then Dhanushkodi in second half. Our driver suggested to have breakfast enroute to the first stop in Ramnad and as usual we went by the driver's suggestion - always respect localites suggestions in a trip! We had breakfast at Hotel Sriram, jut before Ramnad. The tiffen items were quite good and they had nice varieties of dosas like herbal dosa, herbal oothappam, podi tomato dosa and many more. Our plan was to cover as much as possible in the first half in Ramnad and move to Pamban and Dhanushkodi by lunch.
First, we visited Devipattinam around 8:45, this is famous for the Navabhashana Navagraha temple in the ocean. Devipattinam is around 5 kms from Ramnad. The dieties are partially or fully immersed in water at 2-3 feet height and pilgrims take a dip in the water and then perform pujas to the dieties. It is believed to wash away sins of many kind. We spent around 15-20 minutes to offer our prayers and also enjoy the vast ocean.
Next, we went to Uthira Kosamangai. This temple is very famous for being a primary temple for Lord Shiva, offering blessings as Lord Mangalanathar/Mangaleshwar. One striking feature of the place is that it hosts Lord Natraja as Lord Rathna Sabhapathi as a single piece carved out of Emerald (Maragatham). The idol is 5.5 feet tall and is always covered with layers of Sandalwood paste. The day of Aaruthutra star is the one when one gets to see the Emerald idol as is. One would need around 20-30 minutes to see the temple on a normal day. This temple is around 11 kms from Thirupullani.
Thirupullani - our next destination. This temple is one of 108 Vishu Kshetras and is regarded is very special. It is believed that Lord Rama slept here on a bed of Tharbais (a type of grass known for performing rites for the dead). This is the only place where Lord Rama can be seen in Ananthasayanam (sleeping) posture.Temple open timings are 7:00 am – 12:30 pm and 3:30 pm – 8:30 pm.
We then went to Sethu Karai. Sethu Karai is 4.5 kms from Thirupullani. There is an Anjeneya temple on the beach. The beach is very serene and believed to clear all sins when a dip is taken. It is believed this is were the Ram-Sethu bridge was planned to be built and started. We spent around 20 minutes here enjoying the beautiful beach and taking some photos.
Excited to see Pamban bridge views as our train came in the dark in the morning and our cab when we crossed to come to Ramnad, we decided to stop on the return as temples are bound to close on time. Though parking is not allowed on the bridge, tourists take the liberty to stop by few few minutes to admire the humongous ocean views and the engineering marvel. Police and the drivers themselves regulate the stopping vehicles quickly, as the bridge is quite narrow and stopping vehicles on the bridge causes unwanted congestion.The humongous bridge and grand views it offers are definitely a matter of pride to visit. One can imagine how it would be when Rameswaram is hit by cyclone and the fiery ocean definitely scares. However, on normal days, they look massive and humble.
We next stopped at Villondi Theertham. This is the spot when Lord Rama used his arrow to have drinking water in the ocean banks on request of Sita. There is a well at this place and a small shop renting small buckets with rope for Rs.10 to fetch water. Though the water is salty now, it is assumed it was a momentary act to quench the thirst. Now, the water is treated as holy and people take it as
prasadam - drink and sprinkle on head.
We also visited the under construction - Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam's memorial. The big memorial is being constructed in memory of dear of all. We spent few minutes there and moved on - missing him.
We had lunch at Hotel SS Grand. The lunch served for Rs.120 was just ok. Quite an average sotuh Indian vegetarian meals - rice, sambhar, rasam, poriyal, kootu, curd and appalam. Driver said this is one of the better food one can get in Rameswaram and it was only average. Be prepared to have not so great expectations on food when you goto Rameswaram.
Around 2:45 PM when we completed our lunch, we started to Dhanushkodi. The first hop in the direction is Lord Gothandaramar temple.
This is the place where it is believed that Vibeeshanan was made as King of Lanka once Rama killed Ravanan in the war. The trip towards Gothandaramar temple and the great grand views the temple offers us all around is amazing. The place is a great time killer for photo enthusiasts; however, don't get carried away here - there is more calling in Dhanushkodi.
All vehichles stop at Mukuntharayar Chathiram. This is permissible final point for public and private vehicles. The place is buzzing with lot of shops and access to clean white sand as well as rocky beaches. This is a single strip of land with water on both sides of the land strip. One side, the white sand and rocky beaches call anyone to wet their feet and the waves punch you back with their power.
Other side - you would wonder whether is is ocean ! Quite calm and peaceful - almost stagnant water. After The place is a great time killer as it has beaches, lots of shops selling souvenirs made out of sea products and sea food.
From here, one is allowed to walk upto 9.5 kms towards Dhanushkodi and Arichal Munai. Dhanushkodi is 5 kms from Mukundarayar Chatram and Arichal Munai is 9.5 kms - a further 4.5 kms from Dhanushkodi. There are pooled vans which charge Rs.150 per person (2 way) to take you to Dhanushkodi - but by the banks of the calm side of the ocean. The road to Arichal Munai was fully laid and was waiting for inauguration when we went.
After seeking permission to go in our own vehicles beyond Mukundarayar Chatram, we went to the farthest accessible point of India in this region - Arichal Munai. Arichal Munai is the place where land ends and all 3 sides surrounded by desertly white fine sand and the mighty Ocean - connected by a thin strip of land. The evening was quite windy and the sands were all over carried on to the roads. We would not reach out to the beach as the wind was gaining speed and made it difficult to walk against the sandy wind. We spent around 20 minutes enjoying the serene beauty of the place. Yeah ... touching a farthest accessible point is quite a feel !! Isn't it !!
We then returned back 4.5 kms and stopped at Dhanushkodi. Dhanushkodi hosts the ruined Church and ruined railway station. It is becoming a living city as well as it was deserted after the cyclone hit few decades back. We heard from locals that around 300 people are living in Dhanushkodi nowadays. The ruins are quite a scene for photographers - the back drop of white sand and the blue ocean with blue skies captivates anyone. There are shops to shop-by, eat snacks and drink sodas.
Around 5, it was time to get out of Dhanushkodi as per the rules, and we obliged. It was quite a long dream come true for our group as we were planning to visit Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi for quite some time. We stopped by a souvenir shop run by brother of Dr.Kalam - they have great collections of stuff made of sea materials and wood - starting from Rs.5 to thousands. This is a perfect place for
anyone to get a steal of souvenirs. There is also Dr.Kalam's house in the building aside and one can go and visit it.
We packed dinner from Hotel Aryas as we were salty and sandy. The food was good - idlis, dosas with sambhar and chutneys. The food was better than what we expected and well enough for a long day and ready for sleep. We took bath, enjoyed the late evening with sea breeze and ready for the early morning dharshan of Lord Ramanathaswamy.
Day-2
As per our plan, we woke up at 03:30 and started for Ramanathaswamy temple. We reached the temple at 04:30 for the Spatika Lingam dharshan. Spatika Lingam dharshan is one of the popular events of the temple - where the main deity would be behind the screens and a Spatika Lingam - 1 feet tall. The Abhishekams and pujas would be done for the Spatika Lingam for 1 hour - 5 AM to 6 AM and then the dharshan shall move on to the main deity. People throng to see the Spatika Lingam to get special blessings. We then went out by 5:30, had hot piping tea and some snacks as the early morning wake-up kindled our hunger.
The visit to Ramanthaswamy temple is done in this order. Perform the Spatika Lingam dharshan early in the morning. Then, goto Angi Theertham and perform ocean bath during sunrise. Agni Theertham is the most prominent Theerthams of 22 Theerthams to visit before offering prayers to Lord Ramanthaswamy. Agni Theerthan is the ghat on the ocean where it is believed that the Agni (fire) is in form of water and shall wash away one's sins. We did this between 06:15 - 06:45.
Post this, one has to buy a ticket for Rs.25 per head from the left side of the temple (facing temple) to perform bath of the 21 theerthams. Beware of touts who would ask you to pay them anything between 300-1000+ for taking you across all theerthams and the dharshan. This is not at all necessary. Earlier, it would be really bad as everyone had to go with these touts, without which, it would be very difficult to have a peaceful time in the temple. Now, things have been well regularized and once you pay Rs.25, you get into a queue to go ahead with all theerthams. There would be one person who would take water from the well and pour over a group of people. If you think you need special attention, there are people who ask for Rs.100 per person and help you with one full bucket of water from each of the wells - which is much better than the group activity. We completed all the theerthams by 1 hour and by 7:30 AM done with all theerthams.
We carried alternate clothes with us, which is mandatory as one is not allowed to perform dharshan with wet clothes. There are separate places for changing clothes for male and female. Once done, we performed dharshan for the main deity - which is a Lingam made of sand by Goddess Sita and then turned into stone by history. At 8:15, we were out of the temple after completing the dharshan of main deity, Goddess Parvathavardhini, Lord Natarajar in Rudra mandap, Athmalingam, Kasi Viswanathar and Lord Hanuman.
We had breakfast in a local restaurant and returned to room to relax and have a bit of sleep.
Around 11, we decided to visit Holy Island Water sports. Holy water sports has quite a number of water sports - Kayaking, water boarding, snorkeling, scuba diving (for swimmers), JetSki and few more. The rates are quite nominal and the staff are very friendly. We did JetSki and Snorkeling. We spent around 2 hours across the activities and cherished the moments.
We had lunch at Hotel Jivan - they did not have lunch but north India menu and some rice items. We order cluster of gravies and Indian breads. The food was definitely good and tasty. We had a good lunch and proceeded to rooms for checkout.
We had train at 5 PM and checked-out by 3 PM. We planned to visit Ramar Padham before boarding train. Ramar Padham is around 5 kms from Agni Theertham. This is a must visit place in Rameswaram for the great grand views it offers. The temple hosts Lord Rama's feet impressions and a terrace with complete view of Rameswaram. We can realize that we are in an island from this place. We spent around 20 minutes here to enjoy the views and reached railway station.
We also got great experience enjoying the view of ocean from Pamban bridge.
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