Madurai

Madurai is one of the oldest cities of South India. It is the seat of Dravidian culture.

There are spiritual associations to the name Madurai. Once a merchant noticed Indra worshipping a Swayambhu Siva linga and informed King Kulashekhara of this. Lord Siva appeared in the king’s dreams as Sundareswar. Drops of nectar fell from Siva’s hair on the spot and as nectar is supposed to be the sweetest of all sweets, the place was called Madhurai. Madhurai is also called the Kadabhavanam Kshetram as the place used to be full of kadambha trees. The pandya king built the temple for Lord Sundareswar and his consort Meenakshi.



But this temple was destroyed during the Moslem invasion. It was subsequently rebuilt by the future generations. The temple was named Meenakshi temple because fish or meen was the emblem of the Pandyan kings.



The vision is that, like how the mother fish casts a gaze at her spawns to instill life in them, similarly Goddess Meenakshi just has to cast her eyes on her worshippers to instill a spiritual life in them.


There are legends associated with the origin of goddess Meenakshi. She was supposed to have been born out of the sacrificial fire during the Putrakameshti sacrifice by the Pandyan king Malayadhwaja. Another legend says that she was born as a Pandyan princess who vowed to marry only the one who could defeat her in a combat. Lord Siva disguised as Sundareswar defeated her and thus married her.


The origin of the Tamil sang am took place here. There are stories attached to this incident as well. The original members are said to be the 48 parts of goddess Sarawati following a curse from Brahma. They went on to become great scholars. The temple is also famous for its pond with golden lily flowers. The art and sculpture of this place is also beyond comparison.
There are a lot of brilliant carvings here.

The Teppakulam, which is a tank that never dries up, is also an important site here.



Madurai being a famous town is easily accessible. The Madurai railway station is well connected with important cities.

Ramanathaswamy Temple - Rameshwaram

Ramanathaswamy Temple



Ramanathaswamy Temple is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in the island of Rameswaram (Devnagri, Tamil) in the state of Tamilnadu, India.Sri Ramanathaswamy temple is situated close to the sea on the eastern side of the island, which is in the shape of a conch. The island is connected with the main land at Mandapam by an awe-inspiring rail bridge and a road bridge. In ancient days, the shrine was only a thatched hut. Over the centuries, the small shrine was gradually developed into what it stands today as a massive and magnificent structure According to Shaiva mythology, Lord Rama is believed to have prayed to Lord Shiva here to absolve any sins that he might have committed during his war against the demon king Ravana. The temple along with Viswanathaswamy temple, Varanasi is one of the holiest Hindu shrines that has to be visited in one's lifetime and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas the holy abodes of Shiva.
To worship Lord Ramanatha or Ramalinga, the hallowed sand Linga made by Sita and installed by Sri Rama, pilgrims enter through the eastern gopuram. They offer prayers to Lord Anjaneya smeared with sindhoor. Then comes the Nandi Mandapa, which houses the flag staff and the Nandi. The stuccoed massive image of the bull is made of lime stone, measuring 17.5 feet high, 23 feet long and 12 feet wide. On either side of the Nandi, one finds interesting sculptural representations of the ocean gods Mahodathi and Ratnakara. The sanctum is flanked on either side by shrines of Vinayaka and Subramanya. Inside the sanctum, we worship Sri Ramanathaswamy. It is said this Linga contains marks of Hanuman’s tail, with which he tried to uproot it in a fit of anger. The Linga is decorated with silver kavacha. It is customary to offer abhisheka to the Lord with holy Ganga water.
In the front mandapa, there is a canopy, carved under which are images of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Hanuman with the two Lingas brought from Kailas, and Sugriva, appearing to be informing Rama about Hanuman’s return. In three other canopies in the front hall, we find exquisitely-carved figures of Hanuman, Gandhamadhana Linga and Agastya Linga.
Parvathavardhini
She is the consort of Lord Ramanatha and is enshrined separately to His right. There is a Sri Chakra installed inside. Special significance is attached to a Devi shrine situated on the right of the Lord’s shrine. In Madurai, too, the shrine of Meenakshi is situated to the right of Lord Sundareshwara. On Fridays, an especially decorated image of Parvathavardhini is taken round the temple corridor in a golden palanquin.
Vishwanatha & Visalakshi
To the north of Ramalinga shrine, Lord Vishwanatha or Vishwalinga has a separate shrine. This is one of the two Lingas brought from Kailas by Hanuman. As per tradition, pujas are first performed to Vishwalinga and then to Ramalinga. In the first inner corridor, Visalakshi, consort of Vishwanatha, is enshrined.
Sayanagruha (Palliyarai)
This is in the north-eastern corner of the corridor around the Visalakshi shrine. The gold image of the Lord is ceremoniously brought here every night from the main shrine and placed in the Oonjal (swing) by the side of the Devi’s golden idol. The Sayana puja and the early morning puja, when the Lord is taken back in a procession to the sanctum, are worth witnessing.
Jyothirlinga
In the first inner corridor, devotees offer worship to the venerated Spatika Linga, installed by Vibhishana. This Linga is the southernmost among the 12 famous Jyothirlingas in the country.
Sethumadava
There is a legend associated with this shrine. Once there ruled a Pandya king by name Punyanithi. As he had no issues, he along with his queen undertook a Sethu Theertha Yatra. Soon he found a baby girl in the palace garden and adopted her as his daughter. As years passed, the princess reached marriageable age. One day an old Brahmin from Kashi, holding Ganga water, appeared in the palace garden and sought her hand in marriage. The king got angry and ordered the old Brahmin to be kept chained in the temple corridor. That night the king had a dream in which he realized that the old man in chain was none other than Lord Vishnu with his daughter, Goddes Lakshmi, by his side. He fell at the Lord’s feet and sought forgiveness. He gave his daughter in marriage to Lord Vishnu at Rameswaram. He is known as Sethu Madhava or Shwetha Madhava (as his image is made of white marble). In Kashi, Lord Vishnu is worshipped as Bindu Madhava.