Situated at Kumbakonam, the Ramaswamy Temple is another prominent Vaishnavite temple in Tamilnadu that is dedicated to Lord Ram, one of Lord Vishnu’s incarnations. The temple depicts a number of incidents from the Ramayana, one of the two major Indian epics. The temple is considered to be important as it is the only temple where Lord Ram and his wife Sita are seen at the same platform in the wedding posture, and Hanuman, the monkey God, is playing the Veena, an Indian musical instrument, instead of reading the Ramayana. Also present at the sanctum are the brothers of Lord Ram - Lakshmana, Bharatha and Satrugna. Furthermore, the entire deity, in all its splendour, is widely believed to have been made from a single Saligrama monolith.

One doesn’t get to see any colourful temple as this, with a number of paintings across the temple pillars and walls; it is, for sure, a delight to the eyes of those visiting this shrine. The intricately and impeccably designed carvings on the pillars are quite different from what you can see in the other Vaishnavite temples in Kumbakonam, and, perhaps, even in Tamilnadu.

The Hindus believe that worshiping the deity in this temple helps them find the right marriage partner and live in marital bliss forever. This temple was constructed by Achutha Nayaka of Thanjavur, an ardent and devoted follower of Lord Ram, in the beginning of the 16th century. You can find that the temple’s maha-mandapam is decorated with a myriad of carvings inspired by Sri Rama-katha. Other popular carvings include Vamana Avatharam, Sukreeva Pattabishekam and Meenakshi Kalyanam. The exterior praharam of the temple has about 219 outstandingly stunning wall paintings that portray a sequence of events and life of Lord Ram drawn from the Ramayana.

During the great Mahamaham festival, which occurs once every 12 years, at Kumbakonam, five of the greatest Hindu temples including the Sarangapani Temple, Varaha Perumal Temple, Chakrapani Temple, Rajagopalaswamy Temple and Ramaswamy Temple converge together.

This temple boasts of one of the best architectural styles in Tamilnadu. The walls, the pillars and several other structures that go into the construction of the three-storey building make it more exotic and crowded all around the year.