Chennai, Jan 18 (Reporter) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting various temples of historical significance in Tamil Nadu on January 20 and 21, during his three-day visit beginning (tomorrow) Friday evening, ahead of the consecration of Ram Temple at Ayodhya on January 22. After inaugurating Khelo India Youth Games tomorrow evening and other welfare projects at Nehru stadium in Chennai, he would leave for Raj Bhavan for an overnight stay. On Saturday morning he will leave for Trichy and visit various temples there and also in Rameswaram in Ramanathapuram district, Dhanushkodi and Aricha Munai, which is said to be the place from where the Ram Sethu was built. Security has been tightened in all places to be visited by Mr Modi. A PMO statement said Mr Modi will visir Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Tiruchirappalli and listen scholars reciting verses from the Kamba Ramayanam at the temple. Later, he will visit Arulmigu Ramanathaswamy Temple; witness the chanting of the Ramayana in multiple languages and participate in Bhajan Sandhya, besides visiting Lord Kothandaramaswamy Temple, Dhanushkodi and Arichal Munai. "Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will visit various significant temples in Tamil Nadu on 20-21 January, 2024", it said. It said on January 20, at around 11 AM, the Prime Minister will participate in a programme at Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. Prime Minister will also listen to various scholars reciting verses from the Kamba Ramayanam in this temple. Thereafter, Prime Minister will reach Rameswaram at around 2 PM and perform Darshan and Pooja in Sri Arulmigu Ramanathaswamy Temple. Continuing the practice being observed during Prime Minister’s visit to multiple temples in the last few days, wherein he attends Ramayana chanting in various languages (such as Marathi, Malayalam and Telugu), in this temple, he will attend a programme – ‘Shri Ramayana Paryana’. In the programme, eight different traditional Mandalis will recite the Sanskrit, Awadhi, Kashmiri, Gurumukhi, Assamese, Bengali, Maithili, and Gujarati Ramkathas (recounting the episode of Lord Rama’s return to Ayodhya). This is in line with Bharatiya cultural ethos and bonding, which is at the core of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’, the statement said. In Sri Arulmigu Ramanathaswamy Temple, Mr Modi will also participate in Bhajan Sandhya, where multiple devotional songs would be sung at the temple complex in the evening. On January 21, Prime Minister will perform darshan and pooja at Kothandaramaswamy Temple, Dhanushkodi. The Prime Minister will also visit Arichal Munai, which is said to be the place from where the Ram Setu was built. Highlighting the historical significance of the temples to be visited by Mr Modi, the statement said "Located in Srirangam, Trichy, the Ranganathaswamy temple is one of the most ancient temple complexes in the country and finds mention in various ancient texts including the Puranas and the Sangam era texts. It is famous for its architectural grandeur and its numerous iconic gopurams (temple towers)." The main deity worshipped here is Sri Ranganatha Swamy, a reclining form of Bhagwaan Vishnu. Vaishnava scriptures mention the connection between the idol worshipped in this temple and Ayodhya. It is believed that the image of Vishnu which used to be worshipped by Sri Rama and his ancestors was given by him to Vibhishana to take it to Lanka. On the way, this idol was fixed in Srirangam. Sri Ramanujacharya, the great philosopher and saint, is also deeply associated with this temple’s history. Moreover, there are various important places in this temple – for example, the famous Kamba Ramayanam was first presented publicly by the Tamil poet Kamban in a particular place in this complex. About Sri Arulmigu Ramanathaswamy Temple, Rameswaram, it said the main deity worshipped in this temple is Sri Ramanathaswamy, which is a form of Bhagwan Shiva. It is a widely held belief that the main lingam in this temple was installed and worshipped by Sri Rama and Mata Sita. The temple contains one of the longest temple corridor, which is also famous for its beautiful architecture. It is one among the Char Dhams – Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameshwaram. It is also one among the 12 Jyotirlingas. About Kothandaramaswamy Temple, Dhanushkodi, the statement said this temple is dedicated to Sri Kothandarama Swamy. The name Kothandarama, means Rama with the bow. It is located in a place called Dhanushkodi. It is said that this is where Vibhishana first met Sri Rama and asked him for refuge. Some legends also say that this is the place where Sri Rama conducted the coronation of Vibhishana...////...