Rameswaram represents the southernmost of the 12 jyotirlingams of India. This place is identified with several important episodes in the Ramayana legend. The Ramanatha Temple, in the middle of the island, marks the spot where Rama worshipped Shiva after returning from Lanka. Having killed Ravana, Rama wished to purify himself by making offerings to the Lord Siva. Sita Devi made the Siva Linga for worship by Rama, with the beach sand. This emblem is the chief object of worship within the innermost sanctuary. Devotees generally bathe in the sea at nearby Agni Tirtha before entering the Temple, where they hasten to be sprayed with water from 36 wells, known as tirthas, within the complex. Only then, dripping wet, do they pay homage to the twin linga shrines and goddess shrine that form the ritual core of the Temple. The Ramanatha Temple dates back to the Pandya period, but was greatly extended in the 17C-18C under the Setupatis for its great length, 220m on the north and south, with receding perspectives of piers.