News Excerpt:

The PM of India will visit various significant temples in Tamil Nadu.

PM will visit following temples in Tamil Nadu: 

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple: 

• Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam has won the UNESCO Asia Pacific Award of Merit 2017 for cultural heritage conservation. 
• Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is part of the Tentative list of India (nominated in 2014) in order to qualify for inclusion in the World Heritage List.
• Located in Srirangam, Trichy, the temple is one of the most ancient temple complexes in the country and finds mention in various ancient texts including the Puranas and the Sangam era texts. 
• It is famous for its architectural grandeur and its numerous iconic gopurams. The main deity worshipped here is Sri Ranganatha Swamy, a reclining form of Bhagwaan Vishnu. 
• Vaishnava scriptures mention the connection between the idol worshipped in this temple and Ayodhya. 
• It is believed that the image of Vishnu which used to be worshipped by Sri Rama and his ancestors was given by him to Vibhishana to take it to Lanka. On the way, this idol was fixed in Srirangam.
• Sri Ramanujacharya, the great philosopher and saint, is also deeply associated with this temple’s history.

Sri Arulmigu Ramanathaswamy Temple, Rameshwaram

• The main deity worshipped in this temple is Sri Ramanathaswamy, which is a form of Bhagwan Shiva. 
• It is a widely held belief that the main lingam in this temple was installed and worshipped by Sri Rama and Mata Sita. 
• The temple contains one of the longest temple corridor, which is also famous for its beautiful architecture. 
• It is one among the Char Dhams – Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameshwaram. It is also one among the 12 Jyotirlingas.

Kothandaramaswamy Temple, Dhanushkodi

• This temple is dedicated to Sri Kothandarama Swamy. 
• The name Kothandarama, means Rama with the bow. It is located in a place called Dhanushkodi. 
• It is said that this is where Vibhishana first met Sri Rama and asked him for refuge. 
• Some legends also say that this is the place where Sri Rama conducted the coronation of Vibhishana.