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DECEMBER, 1883.]
THE RITUAL OF RÅMESVARAM.
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THE RITUAL OF RÂMESVARAM.
BY THE EDITOR AMONG the great temples of Southern India ing the inner buildings, and is by far the
perhaps no one is more interesting than most imposing feature of the temple. Like that of RA m ávaram, on the east side of the the entrance passage it has a corridor on a raised small island which takes name from it. The large platform on each side of it, and runs round the temple, in its present form, is not very old, but four sides of the rectangle which it encloses. its proximity to the sacred bathing place or This third corridor or prákúra alone is open Tirtha of Dhanush kôti, on a spit of sand to all castes. Within it, and nearer the east that runs out on the south-east of the island, face than the west, is an area 386 feet from and the great wealth lavished on it by the east to west by about 314 feet from north to Sêtupatis or Chiefs of Râmnad (Ramana- south, also surrounded by a high wall enclosing thaparam), have rendered it a place of great note the second prákára, which is by no means so among devout Hindus. It is still visited daily imposing, though somewhat older than the by scores of pilgrims from all parts of India, and third ; and within this again are the first at sacred seasons by hundreds and thousands,- prákára, or inner enclosure round the shrines and of these the vast majority come from great of the god Ramalingas v â mi and of his distances. Probably more come from Nepal and consort Parvatavardhini Amman, of north of the Ganges than from the Tamil dis-j Visvanatha Svå mi and Vis a lákshi tricts in the immediate vicinity, while the Dakhan Amman, besides a number of smaller chapels and Maisûr seem to contribute the majority and rooms. The principal shrines are said to Few great temples are now much venerated by have been built by Udaiyán Sotupati, with the the people in their immediate neighbourhood. aid of a Ceylon prince styled Pararâ ja Śêkhara
The temple buildings are very large, and like in S. 1336(A.D. 1414), the latter having had the others in the south they are surrounded by a stones hewn at Trinkồnamalai and numbered on high wall on the four sides, covering an area the spot, ready to be put together. This is said measuring about 865 feet from east to west by to be supported by the architectural style of 657 feet from north to south, with unfinished these buildings themselves, and by inscriptions gôpuras or gate towers on the east, south and on the base of the chief shrine. The north and north, and a single complete one about 78 feet south gôparas are unfinished, and ascribed to one high on the west side towards the village. On Kirana Rayar, of the Dakhan, about 1420 A.D. the east side is the largest unfinished gồpura, not 1 The western gôpara, like the others, built on the wall of the present outer enclosure, but entirely of hewnstone, and theoutersurrounding on that of an inner one surrounding what is walls are said to be the work of Udaiyan Sétapati known as the second prákara, or enclosure, while and a Kömatti of Nagûr, near Nagapattanam, in outside the main wall on that side are two large 1434 A.D.; and statues of the merchant and his porticos, one opposite this gópura and leading wife surmount the eastern wall. In 1450 addi. up towards it, and the other a little to the south, tions were made to the inner buildings by a leading in towards a subordinate gopura in line wealthy Hindu from Madura, and others in S. with the last, and surmounting the gateway in 1490 by Chinna Udaiyan Setupati Kattatêvar. front of the temple of the goddess or Amman. then a feudatory of Visvanatha Nayakkar of
Inside the great enclosure is the third prá. Madura, whose statue and that of his son Kri. kára abutting on the east wall, and measuring shṇappa were set up in front of the Nandi. An about 690 feet by 435. A passage about 18 feet | inscription relating to this by the side of the wide with raised corridors of about the same door into the first prakáram, in front of these, was breadth on each side, leads from the western destroyed, with others, some twenty yer rs ago entrance into this outer prdkára or enclosure, or more, during a suit between the Pandaram which contains the great corridors surround. of the temple and the Zamîndâr of Râmnad." 1 This represents an area of 13 acres 5 poles.
appealed to the Privy Council, was given in favour of 1 The suit was conducted by one Appávu Pillai, still the forgers, and the Soupati deprived of his right to living, who had number of inscriptions forked and appoint the Dharmakartas or interfere in the manage inserted in the walls, and produced translations of them ment of the temple which his ancestors had built and Ad evidence against the claims of the Setupatis. This so richly endo ved. The older copperplato grante din evidence never seems to have been questioned. The suit. appeared at the same time.
