A 2025 book excerpt describes five temple-site groupings linked by regional traditions to Rama’s atonement after killing Ravana. The sites span Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand—but the accounts differ, and they are traditions rather than independently established evidence that Rama visited each place. One grouping also includes two temples, so the account names six temples in all.
The account comes from DK Publishers’ Along The Ramayana Trail: A Cultural Journey Across India and Sri Lanka, excerpted by Scroll.in on December 5, 2025. It describes three Sri Lankan temple traditions involving prayer to Shiva or Shivalinga installations, then two Indian sites associated with atonement. The stories should be read as regional religious traditions, not as proof of historical visits.
At a glance: five groupings, six temple names
| Site or grouping | Location | Association in the excerpt |
|---|---|---|
| Munneswaram and Manavari | Chilaw, Northwestern Province, Sri Lanka | Rama’s prayer to Shiva at Munneswaram; installation of the Ramalinga at Manavari |
| Thiru Koneswaram | Trincomalee, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka | Rama is said to have installed a Shivalinga |
| Thiru Ketheeswaram | Mannar, Northern Province, Sri Lanka | Associated with a third Shivalinga installation |
| Ramanathaswamy Temple | Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, India | Tradition of two installed lingas and rites associated with absolution |
| Raghunath Temple | Devprayag, Uttarakhand, India | A north Indian narrative says Rama and Lakshmana atoned there |
Three Sri Lankan traditions involving Shiva
Munneswaram and Manavari
At Munneswaram, described in the excerpt as one of the Pancha Ishwaram shrines, local legend places Rama’s realization that he needed atonement and his prayer to Shiva. About 12 km north, at Manavari, Rama is believed to have installed the first Shivalinga, known as the Ramalinga.
The excerpt says Munneswaram’s recorded history traces development to rulers from at least the 15th century, followed by destruction by the Portuguese toward the end of the 16th century and renovation by a local ruler in the 18th century. It describes a complex containing four temples dedicated to Hindu deities and a fifth Buddhist shrine. These historical details are reported by the book excerpt; it does not supply independent corroboration.
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Thiru Koneswaram
The excerpt also associates Thiru Koneswaram, another Pancha Ishwaram shrine, with Rama installing a Shivalinga. Its origin story involves the sage Agastya and Shiva’s regard for Ravana’s devotion. The temple stands on Swami Rock overlooking the ocean.
The excerpt’s construction-date sentence is malformed, so it does not support a reliable date. It says Portuguese forces destroyed the temple in the early 17th century and that a shrine restored after underwater and land finds opened in 1963.
Thiru Ketheeswaram
At Thiru Ketheeswaram, the excerpt recounts a tradition that Rama installed a third Shivalinga. It also tells a Puranic story of Ketu doing penance at the site. The excerpt asserts that literary and archaeological evidence suggests the temple existed at least 2,400 years ago, but names no underlying publication or archaeological report; that age claim is therefore attributable only to the excerpt, not independently verified here. It says Portuguese forces destroyed the temple in the 16th century and that it was rebuilt in the 1950s.
Two Indian sites, and a different kind of account
Ramanathaswamy Temple
At Rameswaram, the excerpt recounts a familiar tradition: while Hanuman was delayed bringing a linga from Kashi, Sita made one from sand. Both that Ramalinga and Hanuman’s Vishwalinga were installed at the temple. Hindu religious tradition counts Ramanathaswamy among the 12 Jyotirlingas; the excerpt also connects bathing in the temple’s 22 waterbodies with absolution. These are matters of religious belief, not secularly verifiable proof of the events described.
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The excerpt places construction of the present structure between the 12th and 18th centuries. It gives no further breakdown of that building history.
Raghunath Temple
Raghunath Temple in Devprayag differs from the Sri Lankan Shiva-linked accounts. The excerpt says north Indian narratives place Rama and Lakshmana’s atonement here. The temple is dedicated to Vishnu, of whom Rama is an incarnation, rather than to Shiva. It stands by the confluence of the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers.
The excerpt describes the existing temple as likely dating to the 9th century. That dating, like the tradition attached to the site, is presented by the excerpt rather than established there through a cited archaeological source.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the accounts should not be collapsed into one story
The sites share a theme of atonement after Ravana’s death, but the excerpt does not present a single uniform itinerary. The Sri Lankan stories emphasize prayer to Shiva and the installation of lingas; the Rameswaram account also centers on lingas and absolution, while the Devprayag narrative is identified specifically as a north Indian account and concerns a Vishnu temple.
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The excerpt summarizes the recurring connection between Shiva worship and the Ramayana this way: “This intersection (of the worship of Shiva within the universe of the Ramayana) is one that happens often over the course of the story of the Ramayana.” The line is from the Scroll.in excerpt credited to DK Publishers, not attributed there to a named scholar.
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