Rameshwaram Tourism And Travel Guide

The island of Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu, at the South of India, is one among the foremost pilgrim towns of the country. It is a part of Adi Shankaracharya’s Char Dham or the four sacred sites of Puri, Badrinath, Dwarka and Rameshwaram, and it's believed that a spiritual tour to these places will give moksha or liberation from life.

What is awe inspiring is that Rameshwaram suggests direct links with the Ramayana - you can see the Shivalinga installed by Sita, the highest hillock in Rameshwaram which Rama used to reconnoitre before marching ahead to Lanka and the still partly visible submerged manmade Rama Sethu bridge to Lanka, built by the monkey army. Rameshwaram has lovely beaches, an uninhabited Ghost town and bird sanctuaries as well, and a trip to the island is bound to fill you with a sense of tranquillity and peace.

If you are interested in visiting Rameshwaram, our travel and tourism guide will help you plan a memorable trip.

Rameshwaram has a railway station and good routes for a drive by road. The town does not have an airport, though and you can land at the nearest city airport and then hit the road. The best way to reach Rameshwaram would be by train.

By Air:

The nearest airport is the Madurai Airport that flies domestic services to cities like Chennai, Mumbai and Bengaluru and international flights to Singapore, Dubai and Colombo. Hire a cab from the airport to Rameshwaram.

By Train:

There are several daily and weekly trains to Rameshwaram from most major cities of India. Your tour to Rameshwaram begins as the train passes through the 2,058 m 104 year old Pamban Bridge right over the sea.

By Road:

State and private buses run from most major cities in South India to Rameshwaram. You could also drive to Rameshwaram, which is a favourite bikers’ destination.

Getting Around:

There are local buses, auto rickshaws and cabs for getting around town and you could also get a bike on hire. 

Rameshwaram has an overall touristy season, but winter season from the month of November to February would be the perfect time to benefit from your trip.

Summer (March-May):

Hot, humid days give in to pleasant evenings, that is Rameshwaram’s summer season for you! The beaches, you would find a cosy number of them here, give respite from the day’s heat. The waters around Rameshwaram are usually not very rough, so some of the beaches allow shallow water wading and swimming. Summer is the second best tourist season.

Monsoon (June-October):

Monsoon is not the greatest tourist time of year, what with the rains and maybe a flood making travel and sightseeing inconvenient.

Winter (November-February):

This is the peak tourist season in Rameshwaram. The monsoon freshens up the landscape, it's festival time, birds fly in for winter and the weather is placid, pleasant and photographic.

Olaikuda beach:

Olaikuda Beach is one of the best beaches of Rameshwaram. There is a coastal fishing village close by and scuba divers get to see the best coral reefs down here.

Devipattanam:

The Thilakeshwara Shiva temple has a beautiful eight armed Durga called Soundaryanayaki. Hindus visit the temple to perform dutiful rites for their ancestors. Also known as Navagraha or Navabhashanam temple, it’s said Rama erected nine stones in the sea, representing the Navagrahas, in a bid to calm the waters.

Jada Thirtha:

A pond surrounded by wavy palm trees, the holy waters of the Jada Thirtha is said to be where Rama washed his Jada (matted locks) before offering his prayers to Shiva after killing Ravana. Check out the small temple for Kapardishwara nearby.

Sakshi Hanuman Temple:

A small road side temple near Ramar Paadam, built for Hanuman at the spot where Hanuman is said to have returned from Lanka and informed Rama about the whereabouts of Sita after she was carried away by Ravana.

Uttirakosamangai:

The Mangalanathaswamy Temple is about 3000 years old, said to be one of the oldest temples in the world. Legends say that Ravana and his queen Mandodari worshipped Shiva in this temple. The presiding deity is a 6 ft tall emerald Linga. Uttirakosamangai is about 71 km from Rameshwaram.

Mr Fish Beach Restaurant, once you drive down the road to Dhanushkoti seems to be the in-thing for seafood, with meen kozhambu with rice, tawa fried shrimps and meen (fish) curry being some of their brands. You will find a number of restaurants in West Car Street. Try the traditional south Indian breakfast items at Hotel Guru, Anand Bhavan, North Indian Thali meals at Gujarathi Bhojanalaya, multicuisine dishes at Ahaan as well. This is just a few of them, but you will find more restaurants and messes that serve good food.

Shop for plain sea shells and crafted ones like wall hangers, mirrors, shell lamps etc and you can even ask for specialized ones with your name etched on it, at the shacks from the Agni Thirtha to Ramanathaswamy Temple. You can check for more shells at Gandhi and Mosque Streets. Buy soft silk and silk cotton saris, pearls, gold and silver jewellery at Middle Street and Varthakan Street. You can visit Khadi Gramdyog Bhavan in Big Bazaar street for Khadi dresses and textiles.