AGNI TEERTHAM

Introduction

Agni theertham is the first theertham out of the 64 theerthams in & around Rameshwaram
temple. It is the sea and pilgrims take holy bath in this sea. All Hindu rituals are observed
here. People do tharpanam& observe similar rituals. Without a holy bath in Agni
theertham the Rameshwaramyatra is in vain. People carry holy water from here and take
it to home.
Teerthas, one of the very important water resources for the rural community in South India
occupy a significant position in supporting livelihood for the rural poor and safeguarding the
local ecosystems. Nevertheless, after independence, the continuous neglect of theses
unique Teerthas due to various reasons has resulted in their deterioration and several small
scale water resources becoming extinct. It has also resulted in encroachments in the
common lands in the Teertha complex. It is in this context, true to its mission of protecting
the traditional water bodies since 1990s, Vivekananda Kendra has been undertaking
rehabilitation and restoration of small scale water bodies in coastal island by building social
capital and bringing back local management.

The programme operates at the moment, with a varied approach in the three major
hydrological contexts where Teerthas exist in South India. They are

a Teerthas, ponds and small scale water bodies are as the only source of water.
b There exists conjunctive use of wells and tanks.
c Teerthas act as a primary source of recharge for wells.

The Criteria for selection of a location are the existence of the Teertha as per literature
sources and conclusive proof of its utility in the past supporting the community and livestock
needs of the area. The focus of the study is

- Natural conservation of the system

- Improvement in access/supply of water to animals/other domestic uses
- Institution building and incidental benefits of it
- Water in Ooruniprogrammes (including health) & utilization of Bio-sand filter.

The scientific aspect of modern day holy water bodies derives its origin in the form of
mythology. The mythology of Kapithirtham brings a critical parallels between mythology and
science.
Mythology
As per legend, it is believed that Agni theertham is the spot where Lord Rama offered his prayers
to Lord Shiva, after killing Ravana. Shiva devotees across the globe take a holy dip in the
Agnitheertham for washing away their sins. The visit to the Ramanathaswamy Temple is often
preceded by a bath at this spot.

Seeta-Devi bathed here after Agni pariksha before going inside the temple everyone should bath
here. This is part of Bay of Bengal, which is totally silent. So the sea appears as lake with no
waves in the morning.

The holy culture of Rameshwaram begins with a bath in the Agni theertham and then moving for
the temple to worship. In the morning at the sunrise you can witness the sun revealing itself from
the ocean floor and rising in front of your eyes.

Rameshwaram is a place where thousands of people who believe in God come to purify their
souls from the sins that they might have done intentionally or unintentionally during their lifetime.
Though the truthfulness and effectiveness of the rituals that are regularly done here for almost a
timeless period depends on the personal believes of the people who come here from all corners
of the world. Rameshwaram is the place where; after the defeat of the king of demons- Ravana,
Lord Rama and his wife Sita along with their squad made their prayers to God Shiva in front of a
shiv linga that was only made up by Sita using the sands of the seashore. There is also a
temple that was situated by the Lord Rama and which was named as Ramanathaswamy
temple.

Agni Theertham is the eastern seashore that falls exactly on the opposite side of the temple. In
the Ramayana it has been said that; after Lord Rama successfully rescued Sita from the
captivation of Ravana, he ordered his beloved wife Sita to give the proof of her purity. Sita
during the attempt of proving her purity didnt show a slightest of hesitation while stepping into
the fire. She constantly prayed to the God of fire Agni to save her if she was pure. Since Sita
was pure, the god of fire Agni therefore appeared in front of them and said to Lord Rama that
Sita was pure and her purity was absolute. Later for the charge of touching a virtuous woman
the god of fire Agni was punished with a sin which he had to remove by praying to Lord Shiva
and bathing in the sea. The place where the god of fire freed himself from the sin is called Agni
Theertham. Unlike the other theerthams Agni Theertham isnt located inside the premises of the
Ramanathaswamy temple.

gnitheertham is connected to Lord Rama and Goddess Sita after their return from Lanka. Lord
Rama after rescuing Goddess Sita from demon Ravana had visited this place while on their way
back to Ayodhya Kingdom.

According to the legend, after killing demon Ravana, who also a half brahmin and an ardent
devotee of Lord Shiva, Lord Rama had prayed to Lord Shiva to recompense his sins of killing a
brahmin. He had bathed in the waters of Agnitheertham. This is the reason why bathing in holy
Agnitheertham is said to atone past sins of the devotees, making it one of prominent places to
visit in Rameshwaram.

There is one more legend associated to this theertham. According to this legend, after their
return from Lanka, Lord Rama had expressed doubts regarding the chastity of Goddess Sita
because of which Goddess went through Agnipariksha.

Upon hearing the doubts raised on her, Goddess Sita has asked Lord Lakshmana, who is the
brother of Lord Rama, to lit a fire. She then entered the fire and sat to prove her purity. Inspite of
sitting within the fire, she wasnt hurt and Lord Agni appeared to prove the chastity of
Goddess.However, later Lord Angi to wash away his sin of touching Goddess Sita when she sat
in fire, took bath in the sea and offered prayers to Lord Shiva. This place is now called as
Agnitheertham.

It is believed that devotees can atone their sins by taking a bath in the holy waters of
Agnitheertham. According to some belief, childless couples, if bathe in its water and offer
prayers to Lord Shiva, are blessed with children. Many devotees come here to pray for children.
It is also visited by devotees to pray for the peace and moksha of their ancestors and to perform
rituals after the demise of their loved ones.

agni theertham is a very calm area without waves . it is very safe

to take bath there. but the people throw their old clothes in the
water. they can leave it on the shore to be collected by sanitary
workers. there is a sewage treatment plant near agni theertham it
should be relocatted to some distant place. the municipality can
construct rooms for ladies to change their clothes.

Context:

People take bath at Agniteertham( photo enclosed) before entering the temple for taking bath in other teerthas .

Problem : People put their old clothes in the sea or nearby areas and make it dirty.

Moral :

Do you qualify or disqualify by your act of cleansing the sin by dipping into agni teertha ?
Do you add or subtract ur papa by taking dip into teertha ?

To free ourselves

Location
Agni Theertham, holding religious significance for Hindus, is situated at a distance of
100 metres from the Ramanathaswamy Temple. This place is located towards the east of
the main entrance of the temple and is a suitable place for bathing. The water in Agni
theertham is considered to be sacred and many pilgrims perform pooja at this seashore for
honoring their ancestors.
Discovery or holy spirits
There are many incidents to report. However I am sharing only some incidents. It is a sea
based thirtham. Our Vivekananda Kendra, Rameswaram office is located near Agni
thirtham. There is no much to write about the revival or discovery. We carry out regular
cleaning activities along with our partner agency Hand in Hand. The cleaning work is
also done by many volunteers and students from across the country. As a part of cleaning
and to bring awareness among the pilgrims, we have put up many signages near the arch
of the agnithirtham. There is an interesting story about the signage which erected near the
thrtham. One signage was on the quotations taken from Swami Vivekanand which reads
as ------------. A yatrisangam worker looked at the board and shouted at our workers by
saying that the pilgrims who come here to wash their sins and the sins committed by the
localities of the temple where to go to wash their sins. This is the interpretation made by
the yatrisangam worker. To get this dispute solved, it was a different story altogether. At
the end, I met the Municipality supervisor, Sankar and also the secretary,
Mr.MeenakshiSundaram and resolved the issue. There are other incidents too.
Once the present collector Mr. Natarajan, IAS, wanted to clean the Agni thirtham area.He
came along with his staff. I accompanied the collector along with 250 students,
Yatrisangam workers, load men, auto drivers and purohits. It was a big event in cleaning
and collecting the garbage. An unfortunate incident occurred during this occasion. One
pilgrim by name, Dr.Krishnan a native of Madurai came to Agnitthirtham to offer
pindadanamto his parents. After offering pindadhanam, he went to take a dip in the sea.
During the dipping, he was struggling to come out of the water. Some of the volunteers
who saw this, immediately rushed into the sea and brought him and placed on the shore.
Collector and other top district officials took immediate action in sending him to the
hospital after the first aid.
During Amavasya (thai, adi, mahalaya) time, laks of pilgrims visit Agni thirtham and
the temple. It was a herculean task to manage. Vivekananda Kendra also extends
support to all the women police officers to stay in our place and manage the laks of
people at thirtham.