Ramalingaswami Temple/Papanasam 108 Shivan Temple Papanasam,Thanjavur,Tamil Nadu

Ramalingaswami Temple is a Hindu temple located at Papanasam in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu, India. The temple is dedicated to Shiva.

Mythology

According to Hindu mythology, Rama prayed to Shiva in order to be rid of the sin of killing Kara and Dooshna in the war against Ravana and installed 108 shivalingas in penance at the particular spot. While 107 shivalingas were made by him, the remaining one was brought from Varanasi by Hanuman.

Legends have it that this temple was built was Lord Rama and the 108 Shiva lingas were installed by Lord Rama, To ward off the dosha which Lord Rama had on him by killing Ravana who as a demon, Though Ravan was a demon he was a shiva bhakt.

Papansamam is a historical town. There are two famous temples. One is the Pallaivananathaswamy Temple constructed by the Chola kings. The other is the 108 Sivalayam temple, which has 108 Sivalingas. The granary constructed by the Nayaks (1600-1634) is a grand sight.