Maduranthakam

Maduranthakam lies in the Tamil country beside a large irrigation tank. Its Eri-Katha Ramar temple honours Rama, whose local title means the protector of the lake. In a temple tradition, Rama and Lakshmana guarded the tank embankment during heavy rain, saving the settlement from a breach. The story binds the sacred site to the reservoir that has long sustained cultivation in the surrounding countryside.