Dhanushkodi - The Last Land on India, An Abandoned Town of Tamil Nadu

Believe it or not, Dhanushkodi, which is located in Tamil Nadu, has been declared by the Government of India as a Ghost Town that is unfit for living, yet it is one of the most beautiful tourist destinations.

About Dhanushkodi

According to mythology, Dhanushkodi is the place when Lord Shri Ram built the very famous Ram Setu bridge to connect the mainland of India with Sri Lanka so as to rescue Devi Sita from the then King of Lanka, Raavan in Sri Lanka, and bring her back safely to India after the rescue. In this context, Shri Hanuman built this world-famous Ram Setu bridge for Lord Shri Ram and Devi Sita as also depicted in Ramayana. It is also mentioned that Dhanushkodi is the place where Lord Ram offered prayers sitting beside the sea and this is the place where Ram Setu bridge originally originates.

 

How to Reach Dhanushkodi?

Rameswaram is the nearest railway station for Dhanushkodi. After worshipping the holy pilgrimage of Rameswaram and all local sightseeing, next day one can plan for a road drip to Dhanushkodi. Dhanushkodi is located at hardly 20 km from Rameswaram. The drive from Rameswaram to Dhanushkodi is hardly 30 – 45 minutes via local cab. We need to cross the world famous Pamban Bridge on the Pamban Islands that connects Rameswaram with the mainland India. The views and drive are amazing, you will definitely fall in love with it. Visitors and tourists are allowed to visit Dhanushkodi only from morning 8am to evening 5pm.

 Also read: Pamban Bridge, Port Blair, Havelock Island, Kufri in Summer, Morni Hills Tikkar Taal

Experience Dhanushkodi

We recently got this opportunity to visit the beautiful Dhanushkodi and we spotted the famous Pamban Bridge and also the beautiful mythological and holy Ram Setu Bridge which holds a great importance in Ramayana. Here is a short video related to the famous Pamban bridge and also the beautiful Ram Setu point.

Dhanushkodi - The Ghost Town??

Dhanushkodi is and abandoned town. It has been named as a Ghost town and a lost land India. There are several stories and truths that are linked with these names as to why this place is named as a Ghost town or why it is called a lost land in India.

It all started after the severely hit 1964 super cyclone of Tamil Nadu that badly affected Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. The 1964 cyclone completely wiped off the town of Dhanushkodi, the sea tides were really high. It took loads of lives and wiped off the entire city set-up. It was a beautiful town before this cyclone. 

It was a major hub, a major business hub and a major sea port. However, post this wipe off, Government completely declared this town of Dhanushkodi as unfit for normal living or businesses. Since then, we can only find few local fishermen and few tourists like us. Residents and stays are extremely rare there. It’s a unique place all together.

I would be sharing pictures, the rare collection of pictures and a beautiful historical live video of the lost structures and memories of Dhanushkodi. Those rare collection of pictures I have myself clicked during my recent visit to Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi. The pictures and the video would be very interesting and full of mysteries. I will be sharing that in my upcoming blog so make sure you hit the follow button of my blog page and subscribe to my blogs and YouTube channel Simmi’s Passion for quick updates and notifications on the same.

 

Drive to Dhanushkodi

Dhanushkodi in Tamil Nadu, India is a picturesque place to be in. It’s a dream drive with a unique mix of history, mythology, mystery and heart stealing natural beauty. All sea lovers will definitely love this place. Here is a road trip, view of the roads that you would be driving through when you are travelling to Dhanushkodi from Rameswaram, by road. 

Both sides you can get a view of the sea, however there is something very unique and special about this again, Both the sea are not the same sea. On one side you will see the Indian Ocean that is flowing silently with beautiful deep blue water, while on the other side of road you will find Bay of Bengal flowing loud with a lighter blue water. Both seas are different, their flowing pattern, the waves flowing sound, their colour and their beauty are different. It is unique! And you would be driving through a road that runs in between these two oceans. It is a unique experience totally, a beautiful scenic drive that you definitely fall in love with.

So, we are on way to Dhanushkodi, and this that you are seeing on this side is the Bay of Bengal and on my other hand side is the Indian Ocean. We are driving in between both the different ocean. This road runs in the middle of both the sea. It’s an unmatched experience you will get over here, truly exceptional.

Things We Spotted in Dhanushkodi

·   Fish Farming: We spotted fish farming here on a large scale with few local fishermen who are staying here in this abandoned town because they love their native home land and love to work for us from there without thinking of the risks attached to it. They are dedicated and strong, and working since years. The town is really beautiful, though lonely.

·    Tourists: Apart from fish farming, we also spotted a lot many travellers and tourists like us who have come here to visit this beautiful abandoned town dated back to Lord Ram and Ramayana. The quest for mysteries and the history is exceptional. It is a lifetime experience, a beautiful place to visit that one may not afford to miss.

·       Merging of 2 Oceans: At Dhanushkodi, one would easily spot the point where both the two oceans meet. The meeting point for Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Indian Ocean is coming from once side while Bay of Bengal is flowing and coming from opposite side. Here there is point, a much identifiable point where both of them clash together and gives us a heart taking view.

·   Sri Lanka: When you reach the end point of Dhanushkodi, you find that you are just a few kilometres away from the Sri Lanka. During the evening time you could easily spot the lights of Sri Lanka from here. There is a viewing point built in Dhanushkodi where they keep a telescope to help you spot Sri Lanka while standing in India. Sri Lanka is just a sea away from here. This is the last land of India, That side of sea is Sri Lanka, and it feels amazing to be in this breath-taking place.

Dhanushkodi - The Last Land of India

Altogether, it is an amazing trip to Dhanushkodi, Tamil Nadu, the last land of India and mysteriously an abandoned town of Tamil Nadu. It is an offbeat destination to be in Tamil Nadu. Sunsets are very beautiful here to be clicked, however tourists and visitors are only allowed to be in this beautiful place till a maximum of 5pm. So, it is impossible to shoot or click pictures of sunset from here. Travelling to this naturally beautiful town unlocked a new world to me. I recall and remembrance this day with joy! 

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Also read: Pamban Bridge, Port Blair, Havelock Island, Kufri in Summer, Morni Hills Tikkar Taal

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💛 Simmi Shekhar

PAMBAN BRIDGE - India's Most Dangerous Sea Bridge

The holy pilgrim town of Rameswaram situated on the Pamban Islands is been connected to the mainland of India with the help of a railway bridge which is known as the popular Pambanbridge.

It was India’s first bridge to have been built over a sea, the first ever India’s sea bridge. It is the Pamban bridge of Rameswaram. This bridge got opened on February 1914.

Here’s a thrill ride over India’s most dangerous sea bridge, the Pamban bridge, Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu:

The rail bridge is a conventional bridge that rests on concrete piers and has a double leaf bascule section in its midway that open up to allow ships and barges to pass through the sea and cross the bridge easily. The midway section of this uniquely designed bridge can be raised as per the requirements. This is a unique feature of this bridge which makes it very popular and special. The two leaves of this Pamban bridge gets opened manually by using levers.

Key Specialties of Pamban bridge:

• Bridge can be raised from midway
• First bridge built over the sea
• Connects Pamban island and Rameswaram with Mainland India
• A key tourist attraction in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu
• India first and the longest sea bridge

Nearby Attractions:

• Dhanushkodi
• Ram Setu
• Narthamalai
• Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple
• Thirumalai Nayak Palace
• Padukottai

Initially there was only a rail bridge that was built to connect the two untapped places, but later in 1988, a Pamban road bridge was also constructed parallel to the Pamban rail bridge. This road bridge was also known as India Gandhi Road bridge that connected the National Highway NH 49 with the city of Rameswaram. The bridge was inaugurated by our former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi in October 1988.

Pamban is one of the fishermen towns of Rameswaram, popular as the Pamban Island. As per the sources of Wikipedia, construction of this 2.345 km long sea bridge too almost 14 years to be completely built. It was a tough project to work upon because building a bridge over some surface or over forest or lake is possible, but building a ridge over deep oceans and sea is a unique challenging project that needed time, knowledge and patience. Salute to the Engineers and workers involved in this who gifted us this great work with their sincere efforts.

Location: Between Mainland India and Rameswaram Island

Maintenance of this bridge is also a challenging task and responsibility. Being built over the sea, this bridge’s maintenance is a challenging job. Apart from that, the location of this bridge is another big challenge because this location is a high cyclone prone zone with high wind velocity.

1964 Rameswaram Cyclone: The major 1964 Rameswaram Cyclone affected and wiped off the entire town. It was a deadly moment and a great loss to the nation. It took multitude of lives. The Pamban rail bridge got damaged in that 1964 super cyclone of Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. Later on, it was repaired, but it took a really very long time to repair it back to its normal. The town was declared as a ghost town when Dhanushkodi got completely washed off in 1964 cyclone. This railway bridge connects Mandapam on Mainland India with the Pamban Island and Rameswaram.