Saints advise the devotees visiting holy places to study the Sthala Puranam of the place and respect it.
More than any other part of bharat, It is Tamilnadu that takes pride in 300 palces with Ramayana legends, thanks to the Sthala Puranas. It is the highest as per experts.
A few samples:
ANBIL: Going by the belief of Vishnu devotees of this place, Valmiki was born in Anbil near Tiruchy. SO, RAMAYANA WAS AUTHORED BY A TAMIL!
RAMESWARAM: According to the legend, Lord Rama worshipped Lord Shiva in Rameswaram in the form of Lingam on his return with Sita after vanquishing ravana.
TRICHY: Thiruchirappalli used to be the kingdom of Ravana’s brother Trishira. On the banks of the Kaveri River, stands a beautiful Shiva Temple, which is said to destroy past sins. According to popular legend, Lord Rama had prayed to Lord Shiva here in order to free himself of the sin of slaying Khar and Dooshan. (Velleeswarar temple in Mylapore, Chennai, has a similar legend).
MARUTHA MALAI: One of the hills in Nagercoil district is known as ‘Marutua mala’. According to the belief of the devout, the hill was formed due to the chipping off from the Sanjeevani Mountain as Lord Hanuman carried it on his shoulders on his way to Lanka. The geology of this hill still baffles many experts.
THIRUPULLAMBHOODHAGUDI:The Val vil Rama temple at Tiruppullambhootamkudi is associated with the legend of Jataayu Moksham.
PULLIRUKKUVELUR: Vaideeswaran temple at Pullirukkuvelur enshrines Shiva worshipped by Jatayu.
POYMANKARADU & AMBAKARATHUR: The two places are associated with the citing of Maareech in the form of a deer and rama’s attempt to shoot it down.
VILLOONDRI TEERTHAM: It is the place where Ram brought water from the earth using his bow and quenched the thirst of Sita Mata.
KOYAMBEDU: This locality in the heart of an expanding Chennai metropolitan city has a Shiva temple associated with Lav and Kush, sons of Ram. In Tretha Yuga when pregnant Sita Devi was sent to forest by Rama, she resided in Valmiki Ashram in this premises and Lava and Kusa the sons of Lord Rama were born and brought up here. Lava and Kusa worshipped Lord Shiva here, hence the main deity is known as Kusalavapureeshwara.
