RAMESWARAM DIVINE ISLAND

Rameswaram, one of the renowned religious centers of India, is a well known sacred spot both for the Saivites and Vaishnavites from a very ancient period. It serves as one of the cultural centers and pithru oriented spots of the sub continent for several centuries. The history and culture of any region, in the Indian sub-continent, often centers round a temple. This is actually true in the case of Rameswaram, where the temple makes a significant contribution not only to the religious life of the people, but also serves as the nucleus around which the social and cultural life of the people revolves. As this sacred place has the continuous history from very ancient past to this day, the temple there in also has been growing continuously through the centuries starting from a small one at the time of the period of the Saiva Nayanmars to the vast temple complex at the end of the Sethupati period. The temple accommodates, in addition to the sacred thirthas, beautiful architectural buildings and hundreds of marvelous sculptures which not only depict the epic and puranic themes but also reflect the contemporary social, cultural and folk traditions. The present book “Rameshwaraam – Divine Island” explains in detail the spot as a religious as well as the thirtha center and their social and cultural importance in a systematic and scientific manner. It also traces the history art and architecture of the temple. It would be of much useful to the general readers, students and researchers to understand the cultural importance of the sacred spot and artistic beauty and their legendary background.