Sunday, April 5, 2009

Devipattinam - a holy place where Lord Ram worshipped Navagrahas

Devipattinam occupies a unique place among the holy sites of Tamilnadu. Legend says that Lord Ram when returning from Lanka with Sita, offered his prayer to the local deity Devi and the worshipped Navagrahas. Since there was no temple for Navagrahas there he put 9 stones at the sea shore and did his puja. Those stones are still there and are being worshipped by many devotees still today.

Devipattinam is a village located on the east coast of Tamilnadu. It is 15 km from Ramanathapuram, the district headquarter. A temple dedicated to Devi is another famous holy site available in this village. This is the place as per the legend where asura Mahihasura was killed by Goddess Durga Devi. The beach is ideally located to let the pilgrimage to take a dip in the sea. Sand dunes along the sea shores prevent strong tide reaching the seashore so the sea water here comparatively calm and tide less. 

This place is also known for offering Shraadhs to ancestors. It is said that if you offer Shraadhs  once here at Devipattinam that is good enough for your whole life. In this context  Devipattinam is considered as equal to Rameshwaram..

You can reach this place from Madurai. Ramanathapuram is connected with Madurai with an all weather road. Lot of buses available from Madurai to Ramanathapurm. However from Ramanathapuram to Devipattinam the road is narrow. Moreover bus frequency is not good. 

Please remember it is just a village so plan to visit and return on the same day. There are some Brahmin priests who offer customized pooja at consolidated costs which may also include breakfast and lunch prepared by the priests’ family member themselves.   

If you are plan to offer Shraadhs get someone to visit prior to a day and fix the arrangement with the Priests available here. This will avoid a lot of hassle for you and also  the rate the charge is reasonable.


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