Jyotirlinga Series: Rameshwaram Temple
Jyotirlinga Series: Rameshwaram Temple at Tamil Nadu is another one of the 12 main Jyotirlingas in the country.
The legend of this temple is directly linked to Rama, himself, but there are two versions of how the temple came to be
So, let's find out a little more of both the stories, shall we?
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There are two stories associated with Rama and the Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga at Tamil Nadu.
As per the first story, Rama hqd reached the southern part of India in search of Sita and was faced with the problem of crossing the long sea. Then, he made a linga out of surrounding sand and water and worshipped Shiva to help him overcome the issue at hand, and was also blessed by Shiva to be victorious in his undertaking.
And that is how the Jyotirlinga came into existence.
As per the second story, Rama along with Sita and the rest of the troop was returning when he reached this spot. He wanted to pray to Shiva to atone for killing Ravana which was an act of brahman-hatya (killing of Brahmin).
So, he first requested Hanuman to get the linga from Mt. Kailasha at Rameshwar. However, it took long for Hanuman to come back, and the auspicious time to perform the puja was fast slipping away. So, he made a linga out of the surrounding sand and thus the jyotirlinga came into being.