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After
Ravana Samhara, when Rama alighted here, he was advised by venerable
sages headed by Agasthya to perform an expiatory rite for destroying
Ravana the grandson of Sage Pulastya. This performance required a
Sivaliriga and that alone absolves one with the sin of Brahmahatya.
So Rama bade Hanuman to fetch Jyotirlinga from Kailas from Lord Siva
Himself. Hanuman reached, but could not obtain' it as proposed. He
then started penance atop the Himalayas to please Siva. Then down
below at the extreme end, Rama was hastened to propitiate Lord Siva,
at the right moment. Hanuman did not turn up. In order to perform
that sacred rite in the auspicious moment, Agasthya advised Sita to
prepare a Sivalinga out of sand. With due rites, and in the right
time it was installed on the Jyestasukladasami, when the Moon was in
Hasta and the Sun in Vrishabha. Just then Hanuman returned with
Sivalinga obtaining from Lord Siva. Seeing the installation
completed he was disappointed and went red in face. To appease him,
Rama asked Hanuman to pluck out the one installed by him and install
the linga brought from Kailas. Tried however much, he could not
shake it; he courted a failure. Rama then consoled him by
establishing his linga beside the one already installed and announced
that all pujas must be offered first to Hanuman's linga, to be
called thereafter as Kasi Viswanathalinga and then to the linga
installed by him called Rameswaralinga.
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