Sri Kothanda Ramaswamy Temple ( Tamil:ஸ்ரீ கோதண்ட இராமசாமி கோவில்) is located in

Kottar Kottar is a locality and a bazaar area of Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu state, in the southernmost part of Peninsular India; though a part of Nagercoil today, it is the original town around which the city of Nagercoil grew. It was an ancient trade cent ...

Kanyakumari Kanyakumari (Tamil; / kəɳjɑkʊmɑɾiː/; referring to Devi Kanya Kumari, officially known as Kanniyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin) is a town and a municipality in Kanyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the ...

district in the Indian state of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. This is a shrine dedicated to the Hindu deity

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

. Located at a distance of about 2 km from district headquarters

Nagercoil Nagercoil, natively spelt as Nāgarkovil (, "Temple of the Nāgas", or Nagaraja-Temple), is a Municipal Corporation city and the administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District in Tamil Nadu state, India. Situated close to the tip of the ...

.The temple has the deities of

Sita Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is t ...

Lakshmana Lakshmana (, ), also known as Laxmana, Lakhan, Saumitra, and Ramanuja, is the younger brother of Rama in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is considered as an incarnation of Shesha, the lord of serpents. Lakshmana was married to Urmila, and i ...

Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

. It is easily accessible from Nagercoil Railway Station.

History

The temple is estimated to have been constructed about 150 years ago. Rama, the main idol, is depicted as having a bow (Kothandam), and hence the name Kothandaramaswamy for the idol. The temple is constructed by the Saurashtrians who had come from southern

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

in 14th century AD. Inside the temple at the courtyard, the ten incarnations (avatars) of

Lord Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation (sattva). Vish ...

is portrayed. There is a pond and a Marriage Hall (Sourashtra Samuthaya Vaasippusaalai) belongs to the temple. The former one is at the rear side of the temple and the latter is located next to the temple.

Importance

Sri Kothanda Ramaswamy Temple is well-known for the 11 days

Rama Navami Rama Navami () is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Rama, one of the most popularly revered deities in Hinduism, also known as the seventh avatar of Vishnu. He is often held as an emblem within Hinduism for being an ideal king and h ...

festival during the month of April. Saurashtrians takes the responsibility for the 11 days function. During the festival time, temple priest dress up the idol of Lord Rama with an incarnation each day. On the 11th day festival, the God (Urchava moorthy, உற்சவமூர்த்தி) is brought to the street for pooja. And also, every saturday a special Pooja and Bajan by Saurashtrian bagavathars will takes place.

Consecration

The consecration of the temple held on 1 July 2018 (Sunday).

Transport

Nearby Railway station : Nagercoil Railway Station, Nearby Bus stand : Anna Bus stand, Nagercoil.

Temple timings

Morning : 06:00 hrs to 08:30 hrs, Evening : 18:00 hrs to 20:30 hrs

References

{{coord missing, Tamil Nadu Rama temples Hindu temples in Kanyakumari district