Rameswaram is the Varanasi of the south and a major pilgrimage centre for both Saivaites and Vaishnavaites as it was here that Rama offered thanks to Siva. At the town's core is the Ramanathaswamy Temple, one of the most important temples in southern India. Rameswaram is on an island in the Gulf of Mannar, connected to the mainland at Mandapam by rail, and by one of India's engineering wonders, the Indira Gandhi Bridge.

      The bridge took 14 years to build and was opened by Rajiv Gandhi late in 1988. The town lies on the island's eastern side and used to be the port from which the ferry to Talaimannar (Sri Lanka) departed before normal passenger services were suspended more than a decade ago. As a result, there are now very few foreign visitors.

      The town itself is small and dusty, with most of the hotels and restaurants, the ferry jetty, railway station and post office clustered around the Ramnathaswamy Temple. The bus stand is some two km west of the town centre and from here there are frequent shuttle buses to the town centre. The Thiruvalluvar booking office is on North Car St, next to the Hotel Chola. It can be difficult to get accommodation here if there's a festival on, especially if you arrive late in the day. There's a tourist office in the railway station but it has only a map of the town and nothing else.