There are many private hotels and devastanam cottages available at Rameshwaram.

If you want to stay at the best place and also at a budget, there is a good lodging service called "Goswamy Madam" which is run by some religious trust. It is a decent and peaceful place to stay.Once you get out of the train at Rameshwaram station, you can hire an auto by paying 30 Rupees to the Goswami Madam. The temple is at walkable distance from this lodging house. The Procedure Before Rameshwaram Temple Darshan You need to know the right procedure before entering into the temple for offering your prayers.First, you should go to the seashore which is just located infront of the temple.You have to dip yourself in the sea water and come to the temple with the wet clothes.Then, you have to visit all the 22 theerthams that are located around the temple.Theethams are shallow waters of the sea extending upto some metres. There are 22 such theerthams in Rameshwaram. Hindus believe that a bath in all of these theerthams will remove our sins. Besides the temple staff, there will be some local people who will be standing infront of the temple with buckets in hand.If you negotiate with them and pay 50 Rupees per person to them, you can hire them as your assistant.They will guide you to all the theerthams and take the responsibility of pouring and showering you with the holy water of the 22 theerthams as a personal special service to you. After Shower Rituals Once you have completed showering in sea and all the 22 theerthams, you can goback to your hotel room and change your dress.Then you can enter into the temple and pray the Lord shiva in the temple.The deity here is Lord Shiva in the name Ramanathaswamy. Once you have completed it, you will have plenty of time before catching the train to Chennai at the night.So, you can hire an auto or taxi to visit the nearest places.If you pay 250 Rupees to auto, they will cover all the places as a package trip to you. Places to See (Rameshwaram Sightseeing) You can visit Ramerpatham in which the Lord Rama's footprints are maintained in a holy temple.The other places to visit are Sita pond, Floating stones at Hanumar temple, Sugreevar pond. These are the nearest places to visit.You can visit Satchi Anjaneya Temple where the Hanuman after return from Lanka told Rama that he has seen Seetha there.(You can see the picture below).Then you can go to Panjamuga Anjaneya temple.Floating stones which were said to be used to construct the Sethu bridge by Nalan are in display.You can goto Naganatha swamy temple and Lakshmana Theertham near the temple.

Then, the auto driver will take you to the Dhanushkodi,Thirupullani, Gandamadana Parvatham and Devipattanam navagraha temple.Dhanuskodi is the easternmost tip of Rameshwaram. Most of this spot is occupied by the sea during tropical cyclones.All these places will be covered withing the package trip at the cost of 250 Rupees.You can also visit Dr.Abdul Kalam's house.(This is the home town of Former President of India and now his brother is residing there.) Wish you a happy journey and may the Lord bless you with all good things in life. KanyaKumari
Kumari Amman Temple - The temple is devoted to the Goddess Parvathi as Devi Kanya- the Virgin
Goddess. Legend has it that Devi did penance to secure Lord Shiva's hand in marriage but ultimately when she could not marry him, vowed to remain a virgin all her life. The diamond nose ring of the diety is very famous. Picturesquely situated overlooking the shore, this temple and the nearby ghat attract pilgrims from all over India to worship and to bathe. according to legend, Devi did penance here to secure siva's hand in marriage. when she was unsuccessful, she vowed to remain a virgin (kanya). The temple is open daily from 4.30 to 11.45 am and from 5.30 to 8.30 pm, but non-Hindus are not allowed into the inner sanctrum. Men must remove their shirts, and everyone their shoes on entering the temple.

Vivekananda Memorial - The Vivekananda Memorial has been built on the Vivekananda Rock and is
devoted to Swami Vivekananda. It was built in 1970 and is about 500 meters away from the mainland. It can be reached by ferryboat or ship. This memorial is on two rocky islands projecting from the sea about 400 m offshore. The Indian philosopher Swami Vivekananda came here in 1892 and sat on the rock, meditating, before setting out as one of India's most important religious crusaders. The mandapam which stands here in his memory was built in 1970 and reflects architectural styles from all over India.

Gandhi Mandapam - This memorial stands on the place where the the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi was
kept for public viewing before being immersed into the sea. This memorial is designed in Oriyan style of architecture. The construction is such that sun's rays fall on the place of urn on Gandhiji's birthday i.e. on 2nd October. Next to the Kumari Amman Temple, this striking memorial stored the Mahatma's ashes until they were immersed in the sea. It resembles an Orissan temple and was designed so that on Gandhi's birthday ( 2- October), the sun's rays fall on the place where his ashes were kept. It's open daily from 7 am to 12.30 pm and 3 to 7 pm.

Suchindram Temple - This marvelous temple houses a linga representing the trinity i.e. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. It was built in the 17th century. Exquisite sculptures depicting the characters of Hindu mythology of Ramayana and Mahabharata can be seen on the walls. Inside the temple, in the Alangara Mandapa, musical pillars are carved out of a single granite block, with the sounds of different musical instruments like mridanga, sitar, tambura, and jalataranga. The huge divine Nandi bull carved in white stone and Lord Hanuman's 18 ft statue are noteworthy. This temple, 13 km nothwest of Kanyakumari at suchindram, is noted for its 'musical' columns and its impressive 3 m tall statue of Hanuman, the monkey god.

Campus-in-charge Vivekananda Kendra Vivekanandapuram Kanyakumari-629 702 Phone: +91(0)4652-246250 Fax: +91-(0)4652-247177

Kanyakumari Railway Station Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu 1. 2. 3. 4. Head east Turn right
toward NH 7

140 m 120 m 500 m 260 m

Turn left at NH 7 Take the 1st right Vivekananda Kendra

College House/Prem Nivas in Madurai Radhakrishna 9500936457/9443274424