Ranganathaswamy Temple - Rameshwaram
The temple at Rameshwaram, Ranganathaswamy Temple, is believed to have been built on the site where Rama worshipped Shiva in order to do penance for killing the ten-headed Ravana, King of Sri Lanka. Rameshwaram is so intimately linked with Rama that to a hindu every grain of this sand is sacred. The highest point of the island has the footprints of lord Rama.
The temple of Rameshwaram is one of the most beautiful shrines in terms of sculptures. It rises above a lake as a vast rectangle about 1, 000 feet long and 650 feet wide and covers an area of 15 acres. It dates back to the 17th century though the process of building spanned three centuries. A remarkable feature of the temple is its corridor - the longest in the country extending to 1200 metres and is flanked on either side by ornate pillars. Each pillar is an individual composition carved out of solid granite. Leading authorities on temple architecture have described the temple as the most evolved of all Dravidian temples.
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