RAMESHWARAM - KANYAKUMARI - SRIVILLIPUTHUR (FROM MADURAI)

Pilgrimage | Beach | Nature & Scenic

Photo Credit: Flickr

ITINERARY SUMMARY

Trip Starting Point: Madurai City

Mode of Travel: Car (or Cab)

Trip Duration: 3 Days

Ideal Start Time: 7 AM (Day 1), 8 AM (Day 2) & 8.30 AM (Day 3)

Total Places Visited: 10

DAYS

DAY 1 : TRAVEL TO RAMESWARAM & SIGHTSEEING

Travel from Madurai to Rameshwaram

At a distance of 2 km from Rameshwaram Railway Station (just 100 meters away from east entrance of Rameshwaram Temple), Agnitheertham is said to be the place where Rama worshipped Lord Shiva to wash off his sins of killing Ravana. It is one of the prime place to visit on a Rameshwaram trip.

It is a sacred place and piligrims believe that taking a bath in Bay of Bengal at Agniteertham will washout one's sins of life time. It is visited by the followers of Lord Shiva as well as Vishnu, whose incarnation was lord Rama.

The sea here is very calm and ideal for bathing.

At a distance of 2 km from Rameshwaram Railway Station, the magnificent Ramanathaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the sacred town of Rameshwaram, Tamilnadu. Popularly called as Rameshwaram Temple, it is one of the popular places of pilgrimage in Tamilnadu, and among the must include places in Rameshwaram tour packages.

Rameshwaram Temple is dedicated to Lord Siva and is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas situated in different parts of India. It is among the prime places to visit in Rameshwaram. The temple is one of the holiest Hindu Char Dham sites comprising Badrinath, Puri, Dwarka, and Rameshwaram.

The construction was led by several rulers over the centuries. The temple was expanded during the 12th century by the Pandya dynasty, and its principal shrine was renovated by Jeyaveera .....

At a distance of 18 km from Rameshwaram, Dhanushkodi is an abandoned coastal town at the south-eastern tip of Pamban Island in Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of must include places in South India tour, and among the most famous Rameshwaram tourist places.

Dhanushkodi is on the tip of Pamban island, separated from the mainland by the Palk Strait. The town is named after Rama's bow. The boulders around the sea between Srilanka and this place known as Adam's bridge, are believed to be used by Hanuman to reach across Srilanka. It is one of the must-visit places as part of Rameshwaram tour.

Flanked by the Indian Ocean on one side and the Bay of Bengal on the other, Dhanushkodi was once a bustling and flourishing town, and one of the richest fishing belts in the country. Also, it was the only .....

Overnight Stay in Rameshwaram

DAY 2 : TRAVEL TO KANYAKUMARI & SIGHTSEEING

Travel from Rameshwaram to Kanyakumari

At a distance of 1.5 km from Kanyakumari Bus Station & 1.5 km from Kanyakumari Railway Station, Vivekananda Rock Memorial is a memorial located on a small island off Kanyakumari. It is one of the picturesque Kanyakumari places to visit.

Vivekananda Rock Memorial was built in 1970 in honor of Swami Vivekananda on one of the two adjacent rocks projecting out of the Lakshadweep Sea. This is the site where Vivekananda attained enlightenment. Below the statue was mentioned the year of death of Swamiji and the 'probable' dates when Swamiji attained Samadhi on the rock. Vivekananda's Rock also holds religious significance to the locals. It is believed that Goddess Devi Kumari blessed the rock while performing austerity.

The memorial consists of two main structures, the Vivekananda Mandapam and the Shripada Mandapam. The Shripada Mandapam has a study hall and a museum, where you can explore Vivekananda's .....

At a distance of 1.5 kms from Kanyakumari Bus Station & 1.5 km from Kanyakumari Railway Station (situated on Vivekananda Rock), Thiruvalluvar Statue is dedicated to the greatest Tamil poet, philosopher and saint - Thiruvalluvar.

The pedestal of the statue is of 38 feet height and the statue over it is 95 feet tall with a grand total of 133 feet for the entire sculpture. The 3 tier pedestal known as Atharapeedam is surrounded by an artistic Mandapa with 38 feet height. To help the tourists to worship the holy feet of Thiruvalluvar 140 steps are constructed inside the Mandapa.

The view from this point is quite breathtaking! It is a very entertaining and enlightening piece of work and inspires one to lead a very principled and moral life.

Visting Hours are 8 AM To 4 PM. The ticket fare is 20/- for boat transfer.

Vivekananda Memorial is also located on the adjacent island.


BREAK FOR MEALS / HOTEL CHECK-IN | CHECK-OUT / SHOPPING / LEISURE

At a distance of 1 km from Kanyakumari Bus Station & 1 km from Kanyakumari Railway Station (situated at the entrance of Beach Road), The Gandhi Memorial completed in 1956 is built in the memory of the Father of the Nation.

An urn of Mahatma Gandhi was kept here for public to pay homage before immersion. Mahatma Gandhi visited Kanyakumari twice in 1925 and 1937. In 1948 his ashes were immersed in the sea waters in Kanyakumari. In commemoration of this event a beautiful monument has been constructed here. It's central shape is 79 feet high representing the age of the Mahatma at that time. The sun at Mid day on 2nd October would fall on the peedam through a hole in the roof.

Visting Hours 7 AM To 7 PM, entrance is Free.

At a distance of 1 km from Kanyakumari Bus Station & 1 km from Kanyakumari Railway Station, the Kumari Amman Temple is an ancient temple situated in Kanyakumari, Tamilnadu. It is one of the popular places of pilgrimage in Tamilnadu, and among the top places to visit in Kanyakumari.

The temple is dedicated to Devi Kanya Kumari, an adolescent girl child form of Goddess Parvati. The diety is also known as Shree Baala Bhadra or Shree Baala. Kanyakumari Temple is one of the 51 Shakti Peethams. It is believed that the right shoulder and (back) spine area of Sati's corpse fell here creating the presence of kundalini Sakthi in the region. Sage Parashurama is said to have performed the consecration of the temple. This is one of the prime places to visit as part of Kanyakumari tour packages.

The .....

Overnight Stay in Kanyakumari

DAY 3 : VISIT SRIVILLIPUTHUR & TRAVEL TO MADURAI

At a distance of 16 km from Thirumalpuram and 56 km from Tirunelveli, Sri Sankaranarayana Swamy Temple is a famous Hindu temple situated at Sankarankovil in Tirunelveli district of Tamilnadu. It is one of the top pilgrimage places to visit in Tirunelveli region and also one of the popular temples in Tamilnadu.

The temple is dedicated to Sankaranarayanar, who is the combined manifestation of Shiva and Vishnu. This temple was built by Ukkira Pandiya Thevar in the 11th century AD. This temple also called as Avudaiamman Kovil or Davasu Kovil. According to mythology, once the devotees of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva quarreled with each other to determine whose god is powerful. Then Lord Shiva appeared as Sankaranarayanar to mark his devotees to understand that both Hari and Shiva are one and the same. So it is held sacred by Saivites and Vaishnavites as well. Hence this temple depicts the concept of Hari and Haran being one God.

The temple of Sankaranarayana is situated on 4.5 acre .....

At a distance of 80 km from Madurai and 100 km from Tirunelveli, Srivilliputhur Andal Temple is an ancient Hindu temple situated at Srivilliputhur in Virudhunagar district of Tamilnadu. This is one of the popular temples in Tamilnadu and also one of the 108 divya desams of Lord Vishnu. The 11 tier Raja gopuram is the tallest in Tamilnadu and is also the Emblem of Tamil Nadu Government.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, who is worshipped as Vatapatrasayi and his consort Lakshmi as Andal. It is believed to be the birthplace of two of the Alwars, namely Periazhwar and his foster daughter Andal. The Alwars lived in 8th century, so that the existence of the temple can be traced even before. Vatapatra Sayanar Temple was constructed by the King Villi who ruled the place. The tall temple tower was constructed by Peria Alwar with the help provided by the Pandian king Vallabadevan (765-815 AD). The Andal Shrine had been constructed by different kings of Pandya dynasty at different times. .....