Dhanushkodi: The Abandoned Town in Tamil Nadu

Dhanushkodi is a town at the south-eastern tip of Pamban Island in Tamil Nadu, India. [1] 

• It is south-east of Pamban and is about 24 kilometers (15 mi) west of Talaimannar in Sri Lanka. 

The 1964 Rameswaram cyclone was a disaster. After that, the place remains uninhabited. Although devoid of inhabitants, Dhanushkodi remains a tourist attraction due to its historical and mythological relevance. [2]

 

Arichal Munai

Geography

 Dhanushkodi is on the tip of Pamban Island, separated from the mainland by the Palk Strait.

 

Transport

The National Highway completed the 9.5-km-long road – 5 km from Mukuntharayar Chathiram to Dhanushkodi and 4.5 km from Dhanushkodi to Arichamunai. [3] 

• Until 2016, Dhanushkodi was reachable on foot along the seashore or in jeeps. [4] In 2016, they built a road from the village of Mukundarayar Chathiram. [5][6]

A meter gauge railway line connected Mandapam in mainland India to Dhanushkodi. [7]

•  Boat mail express ran from Chennai Egmore to Dhanushkodi till 1964. 
• The 1964 cyclone destroyed the meter-gauge branch line from Pamban to Dhanushkodi. [8][9]

In 2003, Southern Railway sent a project report to the Ministry of Railways for re-laying a 16-kilometer (9.9 mi) railway line to Dhanushkodi from Rameswaram. The planning commission looked into the possibility of a new railway line between Dhanushkodi and Rameswaram in 2010. [10][11]

•  In Arichal Munai, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal confluence, the end of the land portion of India. 
• You can see waves from both oceans merge here.

 The tranquil atmosphere gives you immense pleasure, and the remains of the devastated harbor city give you the pain of loss. Local people feed you with fresh catch from the sea. They use saltless water from the well, which is near the sea.

 

Local people show this photograph to get a picture of Dhanushkodi

1964 cyclone

• The area around Rameswaram is prone to high-intensity geomorphic activity. 
• A scientific study conducted by the Geological Survey of India indicated that the southern part of Dhanushkodi facing the Gulf of Mannar sank by almost 5 meters (16 ft) in 1948 and 1949 due to vertical tectonic movement of land parallel to the coastline.
•  As a result, a patch of land of about 0.5 kilometers (0.31 mi) in width, stretching 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) from north to south, was submerged under the sea. [12]

On 17 December 1964, a tropical depression formed at 5°N 93°E in the South Andaman Sea. On 19 December, it intensified into a cyclonic storm. After 21 December 1964, it moved westwards, almost in a straight line, covering 400 to 550 kilometers (250 to 340 mi) per day. On 22 December, it crossed Vavuniya in Sri Lanka and met landfall at Dhanushkodi on 22–23 December at night in 1964.

Remains of Dhanushkodi railway station (image source: Wikipedia).

•  Estimated wind velocity was 280 kilometers per hour (170 mph), and tidal waves were 7 meters (23 ft) high. [13]
• An estimated 1,800 people died in the cyclonic storm on 22 December, including 115 passengers on board the Pamban-Dhanushkodi passenger train. [14][15][16]
•  The cyclone marooned the entire town, and the Government of Madras declared Dhanushkodi, a ghost town, unfit for living. [17]

Damaged church after the cyclone

In December 2004, around the 40th anniversary of the deadly cyclone, the sea around Dhanushkodi receded about 500 meters (1,600 ft) from the coastline, briefly exposing the submerged part of the town before massive tsunami waves struck the coast. [18][19]

Local people said that just before the tsunami in 2004, the ocean receded, and then they saw house household tools like crushing tools, etc., resurface. When they tried to collect it, the harbor waves approached, and they had to run. They said that all those items immersed under the ocean revealed the severity of the 1964 cyclone. 

Special type stones used for construction

 Dhanushkodi Tirtham is one of the Tirthas on the island of Rameswaram. The location is beside the ghost town of Dhanushkodi at the easternmost tip of Rameswaram Island. Rama used his bow's (Dhanush) end (Kodi) to break the bridge - Rama Setu(hence the name). Rama's army constructed this bridge to cross the sea to Lanka for the victorious war against Ravana. [20]

• Before the cyclone in 1964, Dhanushkodi was one of the largest harbor cities in India. 

 

Palk Strait Bridge and Tunnel 

 

The Palk Strait Bridge and Tunnel is a proposed 23-kilometer (14 mi) road and rail bridge and tunnel over the Palk Strait between Dhanushkodi and Talaimannar on Mannar Island, an island off the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka. 

The bridge aims to enhance trade, tourism, and connectivity between the two countries. This remarkable step is to build closer ties and cooperation between India and Sri Lanka. [21]

• The Palk Strait is a narrow passage of water between the Tamil Nadu of India and the Jaffna District of Sri Lanka. 
• This portion is not so deep.

The region around Ram Setu/Adam's Bridge is typically 1–3 meters deep, while the central part is 20 meters deep. 

Due to lowered sea levels during the Last Glacial Period (115,000-11,700 years Before the Present), where sea levels reached a maximum of 120 meters below present values, the entire shallow place was dry land. Following the rise to present sea levels during the Holocene, around 7,000 years ago, the places merged underwater. [57]

Kothandaramaswamy Temple

The Kothandaramaswamy Temple at Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, is a shrine dedicated to the Hindu deity Rama. The temple is one among the 108 Abhimana Kshethrams of the Vaishnavate tradition. Located 13 kilometers (8.1 mi) from Rameswaram, it forms the southernmost tip of the island. [22] 

• The temple is the only historical structure to survive the 1964 cyclone that washed away Dhanushkodi. 

The temple has the deities Rama, Lakshmana, Sita, Hanuman, and Vibhishana. Surrounded by sea, the temple remains a tourist attraction. It is easily accessible from Rameswaram.

Front view of the Kothandaramaswamy Temple at Dhanushkodi 

(image source: Wikipedia)

Historical background 

• The construction of the temple was about 500-1000 years ago. [23] 
• Rama, the main idol, has a bow (Kothandam), hence the name Kothandaramaswamy for the idol. [23]

This temple is the place where Vibhishana, the younger brother of Ravana, asked Rama and his vanara (ape men) army for refuge. [23] According to this tradition, after the abduction of Sita, Vibhishana advised Ravana to return her to Rama. [23] However, Ravana did not listen to the advice, which led to Vibhishana fleeing from Lanka and joining Rama's army. When Vibhishana surrendered to Rama, the Vanara army urged Rama not to accept Vibhishana, believing him to be a spy. However, Rama accepted Vibhishana under the insistence of Hanuman, stating that he must protect the ones surrendered to him. [23]

Local People keep this photo for the coming generation to know about Dhanushkodi before the cyclone

•  Local people said that after the slaying of Ravana, Rama performed the Pattabhishekam (ascension to the king of Lanka) for Vibhishana at this place. [23][24] You can see the story depicted in paintings across the walls inside the shrine. [25]

 

Location and importance

• Situated on an island surrounded by the Bay of Bengal and the Gulf of Mannar,[23] the temple is located 13 kilometers (8.1 mi) from Rameswaram. [26] 
• When Dhanushkodi was severely affected by the 1964 Rameswaram cyclone, the temple survived. [27][28][29][30] 
• Swami Vivekananda is said to have visited the place after his historic trip to Chicago.

 

The bridge and tunnel are to be constructed across the Palk Strait, between India and Sri Lanka (image source: Wikipedia).

Sethusamudram project alignment 

After Independence, proposals were there to implement the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project. Incidentally, they dropped one of the proposed alignments because a large area around the Rameswaram island, including the temple, was demolished. [31]

 Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park 

Pearl fishing in the Gulf of Mannar 1926 

(image source: Wikipedia)

• The Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park is a protected area of India consisting of 21 small islands (islets) and adjacent coral reefs in the Gulf of Mannar in the Indian Ocean. 
• It lies on the east coast of Tamil Nadu, India, 160 km between Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) and Dhanushkodi. 
• It is the core area of the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, which includes a 10 km buffer zone around the park, including the populated coastal area. [32] 
• The park has a high diversity of plants and animals in its marine, intertidal, and near-shore habitats. 
• Public access inside the park is limited to glass-bottom boat rides. [33] The place has status as a National Park in 1986. [34]

 

Location

The 560 sq km park is part of the 140 km long and 25 km wide Mannar barrier reef. It lies between 8° 47' to 9° 15' N latitude and 78° 12' to 79° 14' E longitude. The 21 islands vary from 0.25 hectares (0.62 acres) to 130 ha. (321.2 acres). The total area of the islands is 6.23 sq km.[35]

                                              Fishermen with their catch of the day

Lost lands

•  Lost lands are islands that existed during prehistory and disappeared due to catastrophic geological phenomena.

Lost land theories may originate in mythology or philosophy or scholarly or scientific theories, such as catastrophic theories of geology. [36]

With the development of plate tectonic simulation software, new lost land has been discovered and confirmed by the scientific community (like Greater Adria in 2019).

Arichal Munai (merging point of the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal)

 

Submerged lands

 

The existence of lost continents is mythical (aside from Zealandia[37] and Greater Adria[38]).

• Many places on Earth were once dry land and submerged after the ice age around 10,000 BCE due to rising sea levels. 

Possibly were the basis for Neolithic and Bronze Age flood myths. 

Due to coastal erosion or volcanic eruptions, some of them disappeared.

 

Dhanushkodi Beach

 

• Dhanushkodi Beach lies on the tip of the Rameswaram island. [39] 
• On this beach, the Bay of Bengal and the Gulf of Mannar Sea of the Indian Ocean merge, known as Arichal Munai in Tamil. [40] 

Before 1964, Dhanushkodi was a busy, crowded city. The Dhanushkodi Beach attracted thousands of tourists each day.

• The attraction of the beach is Ram Sethu viewpoint, also known as Adam's Bridge, which is said to have been constructed by the army of Vanaras (monkeys) for Lord Rama as per the Hindu Legend. [41]

 

Bay of Bengal

History

• In 1914, there used to be regular trains from Madras/Chennai to Dhanushkodi, a ferry to Talaimannar on Mannar Island, and then a train to Colombo.

 In 1964, a cyclone destroyed Dhanushkodi and the railway and caused severe damage along the shores of Palk Strait and Palk Bay. [65]

•  In the 1970s, a ferry between small piers in Rameswaram and Talaimannar stopped later. 
• Ferry service resumed around 2010, but no passenger connections across the Strait.

 

Asoka Stamba at the tip of the land

Vanaras

 

• In Kerala, we refer to Vanara as either monkeys or apes.

In the epic of the Ramayana, the Vanaras help Rama to build the sethu and defeat Ravana. 

• Ramayana gave the depiction of Vanara as humanoid apes or human-like beings.

When Ravana abducted Sita and headed toward Lanka, on the way, she threw some jewels towards the monkeys residing in the mountains.

 

Identification

• A 20th-century painting depicts a scene from the Ramayana, as Vanara is involved in constructing a bridge to Lanka.
• According to the Ramayana, Vanaras were shapeshifters.

 The Vanara form describes monkey-like characteristics. Ramayana presents them as humans concerning their speech, clothing, habitations, funerals, weddings, consecrations, etc. Aiyanagar suggests that though the poet of the Ramayana may have known that vanaras were forest-dwelling people, he portrayed them as real monkeys with supernatural powers. [42]

A 20th-century painting depicting a scene from Ramayana, wherein vanaras are shown building a bridge to Lanka(image source: Wikipedia)

.

According to one theory, the Vanaras are semi-divine creatures.

It is because of their supernatural abilities and descriptions of Brahma commanding other deities to incarnate as Vanaras to help Rama in his mission. [43] The Jain re-tellings of Ramayana describe them as a clan of supernatural beings called the Vidyadharas; the flag of this clan bears monkeys as emblems.[44]

Local people said that floating stones were the material used to construct the bridge. They preserve it by keeping it in water. All these items are the memories of the bygone days of a famous harbor city.

 

Floating stone used for constructing Ram Sethu

In the Ramayana

 

Brahma created Vanaras to help Rama in battle against Ravana. They are powerful and have many godly traits. Taking Brahma's orders, the gods began to parent sons in the Zion of Kishkindha. 

• Rama first met them in the Dandaka forest during his search for Sita. [45] 
• An army of Vanaras helped Rama in search and battle against Ravana.

 

Varuna told Rama that Nalan, the son of Vishwakarma, would build a bridge to cross the sea to reach Lanka. So, they collected stones that floated on water to construct the bridge, and the remains of those stones are still there at Dhanushkodi

•  Nala and Nila built a bridge over the ocean so Rama and the army could cross to Lanka. 

As described in the epic, the characteristics of the Vanara include being amusing, childish, mildly irritating, badgering, hyperactive, adventurous, bluntly honest, loyal, courageous, and kind. [46]

 

Remains of a building after cyclone

Shapeshifting

 

• In the Ramayana, the Vanara Hanuman changes shape several times. 
• Hanuman met Rama in the Dhandaka forest as a human being. 
• When he entered Lanka for the first time in his search for kidnapped Sita in Ravana's palaces, he took to the size of a small creature.
•  Later, he takes on the size of a mountain to show his true power to Sita. [47]

Rama Setu

• Adam's Bridge (Rama Setu) is a chain of natural limestone shoals between Pamban and Mannar Islands.
•  Geological evidence suggests that the bridge was formerly a land connection between India and Sri Lanka. [48]

Features:

• 48 km (30 mi) long and separates the Gulf of Mannar (southwest) from the Palk Strait (northeast). 

Some regions of the bridge are dry, and the sea in the area rarely exceeds 1 meter (3 ft) in depth, making it quite difficult for boats to pass over it. [48]

Etymology

The ancient Sanskrit epic Ramayana (8th century BCE–3rd century CE) mentions a bridge constructed by the god Rama to reach the island of Lanka and rescue his wife Sita from Ravana. 

• In popular belief, Lanka is present-day Sri Lanka, and the bridge is Rama's Setu.[49]

Geological evolution

Due to lowered sea levels during the Last Glacial Period (115,000-11,700 years Before the Present), where sea levels reached a maximum of 120 m (390 ft) below present values, the entirety of the relatively shallow Palk Strait (which reaches a maximum depth of only 35 m (115 ft)) was exposed as dry land connecting the mainland Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka. Following the rise to present sea levels during the Holocene, around 7,000 years ago, the strait and the Adam's Bridge/Rama Setu submerged. The islands of Adam's Bridge became emergent again following sea level falls in the region from around 5,000 years ago to the present. [50]

• The bridge starts as a chain of shoals from the Dhanushkodi tip of India's Pamban Island and ends at Sri Lanka's Mannar Island. 
• Pamban Island is accessed from the Indian mainland by the 2 km (1.2 mi) long Pamban Bridge. 
• Mannar Island is connected to mainland Sri Lanka by a causeway.

There are uncertainties regarding the nature and origin of Adam's Bridge due to the lack of comprehensive field studies. It consists of a series of parallel ledges of sandstone and conglomerates that are hard at the surface and grow coarse and soft as they descend to sandy banks. [51] 

Telescope kept there for watching Sri Lanka from Dhanushkodi

• The Marine and Water Resources Group of the Space Applications Centre (SAC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) concludes that Adam's Bridge comprises 103 small patch reefs. [51] 
• One study revealed insufficient evidence to indicate eustatic emergence and that the raised reef in southern India probably results from a local uplift. [52]

Transport corridor

• In the vicinity of Adam's Bridge/Rama Setu, the water is typically only 1–3 m (3 ft 3 in – 9 ft 10 in) deep. [50] 
• Due to the shallow waters, Adam's Bridge presents a formidable hindrance to navigation through the Palk Strait. 

Though trade across India–Sri Lanka divide has been active since at least the first millennium BC, it was limited to small boats and dinghies. Larger ocean-going vessels from the west have had to navigate around Sri Lanka to reach India's eastern coast. [53] 

• Eminent British geographer Major James Rennell, who surveyed the region as a young officer in the late 18th century, suggested that a navigable passage could be possible by dredging the strait. 

Historical map of Adam's Bridge and environs, before the cyclone of 1964 (image source: Wikipedia)

However, authorities gave little notice to his proposal and revived the idea only after 60 years.

• In 1823, Sir Arthur Cotton (then an ensign) surveyed the Pamban Channel, which separates the Indian mainland from the island of Rameswaram and forms the first link of Adam's Bridge. 
• Geological evidence indicates that a land connection bridged this in the past, and some Ramanathaswamy Temple records suggest that violent storms broke the link in 1480. 
• Cotton suggested the possibility of dredging the channel to enable the passage of ships, but nothing happened until 1828 when Major Sim directed the blasting and removal of some rocks. [54][55]

A more detailed marine survey of Adam's Bridge was undertaken in 1837 by lieutenants F. T. Powell, Ethersey, Grieve, and Christopher, with draughtsman Felix Jones, who recommended dredging the channel. [53][56] However, these and subsequent efforts in the 19th century did not succeed in keeping the passage navigable for vessels except those with a light draft. [48]

Sethusamudram Shipping Canal project

Committees constituted by the government of India to suggest alignments for a Sethusamudram canal project suggested land-based passages across Rameswaram Island, and none recommended alignment across Adam's Bridge. [57] 

• In 2005, the government of India approved a multi-million dollar Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project. 
• This project aims to create a ship channel across the Palk Strait by dredging the shallow ocean floor near Dhanushkodi. This proposed channel's current alignment requires dredging through Adam's Bridge.

The contention is that Adam's Bridge is identified popularly as the causeway described in the Ramayana. 

• The political parties and organizations suggested alternate alignment for the channel that avoids damage to Adam's Bridge. [57]

The effects of dredging:

• Concerns over its impact on the ecology and marine wealth of the area.
• Loss of thorium deposits in the area.
• Increased risk of damage due to tsunamis. [58]
• Some organizations oppose this project on economic and environmental grounds and claim the requirement of proper scientific studies before undertaking this project. [59]

Religious significance

The ancient Sanskrit epic Ramayana, in the Yuddhakanda, mentions a bridge constructed by the god Rama with aid from an army of Vanaras to reach the island of Lanka and rescue his wife Sita from Ravana.

Controversy over origin claims

A report from the Archaeological Survey of India found no evidence of the structure being anything but a natural formation. [60] 

• The Archaeological Survey of India and the government of India informed the Supreme Court of India in a 2007 affidavit that there was no historical proof of the bridge built by Rama. [61] 

In 2017, the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) announced a pilot study into the origins of the structure [62] but went on to shelve it. [63]

In 2007, the Sri Lankan Tourism Development Authority sought to promote religious tourism from Hindu pilgrims in India by including the phenomenon as one of the points on its Ramayana Trail, celebrating the legend of Prince Rama. Some Sri Lankan historians have condemned the undertaking as a gross distortion of Sri Lankan history.[64] 

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51^ Jump up to:^a b Bahuguna, Anjali; Nayak, Shailesh; Deshmukh, Benidhar (1 December 2003). "IRS views the Adams bridge (bridging India and Sri Lanka)". Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing. 31 (4): 237–239. doi:10.1007/BF03007343. ISSN 0255-660X. S2CID 129785771.

52^ D. R. Stoddart; C. S. Gopinath Pillai (1972). "Raised Reefs of Ramanathapuram, South India". Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers. 56 (56): 111–125. doi:10.2307/621544. JSTOR 621544.

53 Francis Jr., Peter (2002). Asia's Maritime Bead Trade: 300 B.C. to the Present. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-2332-0.

54^ Jump up to ^a b Hunter, Sir William Wilson (1886). The Imperial Gazetteer of India. Trübner & co. pp. 21–23.

55^ Digby, William (1900). General Sir Arthur Cotton, R. E., K. C. S. I.: His Life and Work. Hodder & Stoughton. pp. 15–16.

56^ Dawson, Llewellyn Styles (1885). Memoirs of hydrography. Keay. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-665-68425-8.

57Wikipedia

58 "Thorium reserves to be disturbed if Ramar Sethu is destroyed". The Hindu. 5 August 2007. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 24 September 2007.

59^ "The Sethusamudram canal project". www.rediff.com.

60"Myth vs Science". Frontline. 5 October 2007. Retrieved 12 April 2020.

61^ "No evidence to prove the existence of Ram". Rediff.com. Retrieved 12 April 2020.

62^ "Twenty research scholars to get training to find 'truth' of Ram Sethu". The Indian Express. 25 March 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2020.

63^ "ICHR not to conduct study whether Ram Setu man-made, natural". The Times of India. 8 April 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2020.

64^ Kumarage, Achalie (23 July 2010). "Selling off the history via the 'Ramayana Trail'". Daily Mirror. Colombo: Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. Archived from the original on 25 July 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2010. the Tourism Authority is imposing an artificial [history] targeting a small segment of Indian travelers, specifically Hindu fundamentalists...

65 Land's end