Travel Guide Rameswaram

population: 45,000. Rameswaram is the Varanasi (Benares) of the South and a major pilgrimage center for both Shivaites and Vishnuites, as it was here that Rama (avatar of Vishnu) gave thanks to Shiva. In the great Ramayana epic, Rameswaram plays an essential role: it is from here that Rama and Hanuman launch the decisive attack to free Sita, held in Sri Lanka by the demon Ravana. Rameswaram is the closest point to Sri Lanka in India, and geological evidence suggests that the Rama Sethu (Adam's Bridge) was an ancient land connection. Unfortunately, there is no sea link between the two countries, which are only a few kilometers apart between Danushkodi and Mannar Islands.In the heart of the city, the Ramanathaswamy temple is one of the most important in South India. Rameswaram lies on an island in the Gulf of Mannar, linked to the mainland at Mandapam by one of India's engineering miracles, the Indira Gandhi Bridge. The bridge took 14 years to build and was inaugurated by Rajiv Gandhi at the end of 1988.