Day by Day itineraryDay 1: Madurai Arrival and SightseeingMadurai Arrival and SightseeingOn your arrival at Madurai Airport, you will be welcomed by our Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga tour representative who will escort you to the booked hotel. Madurai is among the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities and well-known around the world for its stunning Hindu temple architecture. Take some rest before we visit the marvellous Meenakshi Amman Temple (opens 05:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., closes 12:30 p.m. to 04:00 p.m.). Dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi, an incarnation of Goddess Parvati, the temple boasts of 14 temple towers called gopurams, the tallest being 170 ft. high. Pray to the Goddess and discover enthralling art of stone figures so elaborately designed on gopurams.
From there, visit other top attractions of the cities that may include Thirumalai Nayak Palace, Koodal Alagar Temple and Pazhamudircholai. Stay overnight at Madurai.
Day 2: Madurai – Rameshwaram (169 km.)Have breakfast and join us on the road trip to Rameshwaram. The route includes the exciting section of journey over Bay of Bengal on a bridge from mainland India to the island – an experience that you would cherish the whole life. Check in at the booked hotel on arrival and take some rest. Later, visit Ramanathaswamy Temple, an exceptional specimen of the glorious Dravidian Architecture. It houses Rameshwaram Jyorilinga and is counted among Char Dhams and 274 Paadal Petra Sthalams (prominent Shiva Temples). You may have seen Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga photos, but watching it in real is nothing short of a visual treat.
As the legend goes, it was the same place where Lord Rama worshipped Lord Shiva, requesting absolution for killing the demon Ravana who was also a Brahmin by birth. It is believed that Rama’s consort Sita made the Shiva Lingam using the beach sand. There is another Lingam that was brought by Lord Hanuman from Himalayas, the abode of Shiva. Pray at the temple and explore its splendid architecture including the long corridors with carved pillars. You may also visit other popular attractions like Satchi Hanuman Temple and Gandamadana Parvatam depending on the time available. Get back to your hotel for night stay.
Day 3: Rameshwaram – Madurai Departure Get up early in the morning for Mani Darshan (ticket cost INR 50 per person) which begins as early as 04:00 a.m. at Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga Temple. Mani is a sacred precious stone which is believed to belong to Sheshnag, the serpent king who also serves as the resting bed for Lord Vishnu under the ocean. Later, we take you for Samudra Snan (bath at the holy beach) and Kund Snan (bath using water from 22 sacred tanks of the temple, costs INR 51 per person). It is considered auspicious to perform these activities before performing pooja at the temple. After this, you would be ready to perform Shiva Pooja or Abhishekam (the cost for different types of poojas range between INR 200-1,500).
Get back to the hotel and have breakfast before we start the return trip to Madurai. On arrival, we drop you at the airport from where you board the scheduled flight as the Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga tour ends.