Ramanathaswami temple was built in the 17th century, at the spot where Rama worshipped Lord Shiva after he slayed the Lankan King Ravana. Situated close to the sea this temple is famous for its 1200 gigantic granite columns and the water in each of the 22 sacred wells in the temple tastes different. The Ramanathaswami Temple, like all the other ancient temples in South India, has a high compound wall on all the four sides of the temple premises. The huge compound wall measures about 865 feet furlong from east to west and also one furlong of 657 feet from north to south. The walls have huge towers or Gopurams at the east and west and finished gate towers on the north and the south. The Ramanathaswami Temple, Rameshwaram has really striking long corridors in the interior. The corridors run between huge columnades on platforms, which are above 5 feet high. The junction of the third corridor on the west and the paved way leading from the western Gopuram to the Setumadhava shrine forms a unique structure in the form of a chess board. It is popularly known as Chokkattan Mandapam. The outer set of the corridors has a reputation of being the longest in the world. It is 400 feet each in the east and the west and about 640 feet in the north and south. The inner corridors are about 224 feet in east and west and about 352 feet each in north and south. The total length of all these corridors is 3850 feet. There are about 1200 pillars in the outer corridor. The height of the pillars is about 30 feet from the floor to the centre of the roof.