Villoondi Tirtham

Famed for one of the beaches and being one of the 64 theerthas, Villoondi Tirtham is quite famous among the tourists. Thrayambakeshvarar, a revered Shiva shrine, is located here. The presence of a fresh water spring situated inside the sea makes this place all the more special. Legend has it that during the time of the Ramayana, after rescuing his wife Sita from Ravana, Rama came to Rameswaram and performed rituals and installed the Shiva linga. After completing their tasks, when they were returning, Sita said she was thirsty and Rama took his arrow and shot it into the sea and from the place where his arrow pierced in the sea, emerged a spring. Incidentally, ‘villoondi’ means ‘the place pierced by arrow’ and ‘Theertham’ means sacred water in Tamil. What struck me were the old idols of Gods and Goddesses that were submerged in the shallow part of the waters here.