Hygiene takes a beating at Agni Thirtham in Rameswaram

Every day, thousands of devotees across India come to Rameswaram to take a holy dip at the Agni Thirtham. But recently, the place where the dip is usually taken by tourists has become very dirty. This is partly due to the accumulating dust and mud and also due to the sewage and solid wastes of the island. Rakesh, a devotee from Nagpur who was visiting Rameswaram for the first time, claimed that waste materials are found floating on the sea and this causes a stench in the area. Apart from that the sea looks so dirty. 

As it was his first visit to Rameswaram, he was disappointed. Officials should take necessary action to facilitate devotees claimed Rakesh. Saravanan, Hindu Munnani Functionary, claimed that the High Court in its order had banned letting of sewage into the sea but despite that sewage and solid wastes are released into the sea and it is mixing with the waters on the southern part of Agni Thirtham . Though there are three tanks meant to prevent mixing of sewage into the sea, they are defunct. Apart from that, the steps constructed near the Agni Thirtham also contribute to the mess. 

Huge quantities of mud and dust accumulate on the sides of the steps, making bathing a difficult task for the devotees. As the steps are never cleaned, they are covered by algae, and are therefore slippery and incidents of people slipping in the steps has become a daily phenomenon. The steps were constructed by a North Indian trust and that too without proper permission from the Forest and Marine department. Demolished of the steps, proper treatment of sewage water are some of the demands of the tourists and devotees. 

According to Hindu Mythology, Lord Rama had asked Sita to prove her chastity after rescuing her from Sri Lanka. Sita had jumped into a pyre of fire to prove her chastity and the spot was called Agni Thir tham . Popular belief has it that the sins of people taking bath at Agni Thirtham would be wiped off and childless couple after taking bath would be blessed with children.