RAMESWRAM

TEMPLE
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE ARCHITECTURE

DRAVIDIAN

CREATOR - PANDYA AND JAFFNA KINGS

 Rameswaram temple, spread over an

area of 15 acres , has lofty

gopurams, massive walls and a
colossal Nandi. Rameswaram also has
a 4000 feet long pillared corridor with
over 4000 pillars, supposedly the
longest in the world.
The carved granite pillars are

mounted on a raised platform. The

unique aspect about this corridor is
that the rock is not indigenous to the
island and it was brought in from
elsewhere in Tamilnadu across the

 The eastern Rajagopuram towers to a

height of 126 feet and it has nine levels.

The Western Rajagopuram, though
impressive is not as tall as the Eastern one.

 It is believed that the ancient shrine

was housed in a thatched hut until the

12th century and that WAS the 1st ever
masonry structure was built by
Parakrama Bahu of Sri Lanka.
The Setupathy rulers of

Ramanathapuram completed the rest of

the temple. Some of the temple
vimaanams resemble the Vimaanams of
the Pallava period.

 Much of the additions were carried out

between the 12th and the 16th

centuries. The long corridor (3rd
prakaram) dates back only to the 18th
century.

The Gandhamadhana Parvatam (hill)

provides a good view of the temple.

 The primary deity of the temple is

Ramanathaswamy (SHIVA) in the form ofLINGAM

There are two lingams inside the sanctum - one
built by Sita, from sand, residing as the main
deity, Ramalingam and the one brought by
Hanuman fromKAILASHcalled
Vishwalingam.Rama instructed that
Vishwalingam should be worshipped first since it
was brought by Hanuman - the tradition continue
even today.

 Like all ancient temples inSouth India, there is a

high compound wall (madil) on all four sides of the

temple premises measuring about 865 feet furlong
from east to west and one furlongs of 657 feet from
north to south with huge towers (Gopurams) at the
east and west and finished gate towers on the north
and south. The temple has striking long corridors in
its interior, running between huge colonnades on
platforms above five feet high.

The second corridor is formed by

sandstone pillars, beams and ceiling.

The junction of the third corridor on
the west and the paved way leading
from the western gopuram to
Setumadhava shrine forms a unique
structure in the form of chess board
and it is popularly known as
Chokkattan
THERE IS A Madapam where the Utsva

deities are adorned and kept during

theVasanthotsavam(Spring festival)
and on the 6th day festival in Adi

 The outer set of corridors is reputed to be the

longest in the world being about 6.9 m height, 400

feet in each in the east and west and about 640 feet
in north and south and inner corridors are about 224
feet in east and west and about 352 feet each in
north and south.

Their width varies from 15.5 feet to 17 feet in the

east and west about 172 feet on the north and south
with width varying 14.5 feet to 17 feet.The total
length of those corridors is thus 3850 feet.

 There are about 1212 pillars in the

outer corridor.Their height is about 30

feet from the floor to the center of the
roof.

The main tower orrajagopuramis 53

m tall.Most pillars are carved with

individual composition.

Shrines in the temple complex and

around Rameshwaram
There are separate shrines for God

Ramanathaswami and Goddess Visalakshi

separated by corridor.There are separate
shrines for goddess visalakshi,
parvathavardhini, utsava idol, sayanagriha,
perumal, mohaganpathi . There are
various halls inside the temple, namely
Anuppu Mandapam, Sukravara Mandapam,
Sethupathi Mandapam, Kalyana Mandapam
and Nandi Mandapam.Jyotirlingas

THANK YOU
REFERENCE http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramanathaswam
y_Temple