These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Dhanushkodi is still an offbeat destination and not too crowded. Dhanushkodi is an experience. Dhanushkodi is about 30 kilometers from Sri Lanka and 25 kilometers from Rameshwaram. Till date, its vast white sand beach can be reached only on rickety jeeps and Matador vans that ply through tricky stretches of marshland. The people who were in Dhanushkodi on the night of 22 December 1964 would never forget it as long as they live. Dhanushkodi is not your typical tourist destination as it doesn’t have much on offer except for the beautiful landscape. The few survivors of the 1964 cyclone live in utter penury. Once accessible by railroad, the supercyclone of 1964 turned this bustling port town into an expanse of ruins overnight. Dhanushkodi is located on the south-eastern tip of Pamban Island in Tamil Nadu (state of India), about 20 km from Rameswaram (town). Over 1,800 people perished in the cyclone and the town was never rebuilt. Even so, the place retains its almost otherworldly charm. According to the locals, these submerged parts were briefly revealed in the 2004 tsunami when the sea receded some 1,600 feet before rushing back in and reclaiming the town. M. Bhaktavatsalam, then the chief minister of Madras State (now Tamil Nadu), flew over the place and reported that the tip of the engine was barely visible in the water.Incidentally, the disaster did not take place on Pamban Bridge as is popularly believed now, but at the Dhanushkodi end of Pamban Island, which is 28 kilometres (17 mi) away from the bridge. Dhanushkodi, located in the Rameshwaram district of Tamil Nadu, is the place where the wonders of nature and man become one. Wade into the shallows and watch a breathtakingly beautiful sunrise. However, the infamous accident of washing away the Dhanushkodi bound passenger train took place near Dhanushkodi, not on this bridge. however in the ruins of the old island town, that was swept away in the recent history, now is a small fishing hamlet around 10-12KM away from … On December 22, 1964, a massive cyclone swirled across Dhanushkodi with winds gusting up to 170 mph and the entire town was in ruins and deserted in the aftermath, just as it has stayed to this day. However, what it can tell you are many horrifying stories that it has lived through. It is south-east of Pamban and is about 24 kilometres (15 mi) west of Talaimannar in Sri Lanka. Its pristine beaches overlook the narrow Palk Strait that separates India … This page presents a visual Dhanushkodi travel guide. The town also watches over the confluence of the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. "Life is so unpredictable," he said. Dhanushkodi Before The Night Of 22nd December 1964. Autorickshaws can take you to Dhanushkodi from Rameshwaram. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. By T.V. In 2014, the Indian government decided to connect Dhanushkodi to Rameswaram with a tar road. The parts of the town that the sea had claimed remained submerged underwater. Visit the beaches and if possible, hitch a ride on a fishing boat. Visit Dhanushkodi, one of the top tourist destinations in Tamil Nadu, and you'll have reached the end of India. There was a steamer ferry service which operated daily from the pier on the south-east of the Dhanushkodi town to the pier at Talaimannar. I think I have the right load order for the mods but I don't know how to change it < > An old man, propped up on crutches, sits by a shack near the dilapidated Dutch church and reminisces about his days of glory— when he swam across the Palk Strait and received a medal from no less than the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu MGR— hoping for a few rupees in exchange. Would request toclick the below picture and read the statement which itself present the tailoring part of the whole story and experience we are going to share. Dhanushkodi as we see it today. Approximately 800 people lost their lives in Dhanushkodi, and soon the town could not be inhabited. Ruins of post office and hospital. Let’s find out why! Dhanushkodi is about 18 miles (29 km) West of Talaimannar, Sri Lanka (then Ceylon). Dhanushkodi History. Back then, it wasn’t a town of ruins, as it is today. The public sentiment in India, however, is not going to be swayed anytime soon by NASA’s rebuttal. It was shot along the coastline of Dhanushkodi, declared a “ghost town” by the state of Tamil Nadu over fifty years ago. The town had a hospital, a school, a post office, a church, a railway station, customs and port (or post) offices, hotels and dharmshalas, textile shops, and all the other amenities that a flourishing town has. It is almost as though this were an indication of the town itself, a place with a turbulent past and an almost eerily calm present. The second time was on his victorious return from Lanka, when, on Vibhishana’s urging, he used his bow end to destroy the bridge that they had just crossed on the journey back. Surveys concluded that the Dhanushkodi township sank by almost 5 meters during the 1948-49 tectonic movement leading to a 7 by half kilometer stretch in the north – south direction getting submerged. As per the Hindu epic Ramayana, Lord Rama and his allies built a bridge between the mainland and Sri Lanka to send the army across. So, Dhanushkodi means bow’s end. A place shrouded in mystery, this is a place that's easy to miss by the regular tourist. This temple situated in a place, from where you can see … This was ostensibly done to improve a lot of the impoverished fishermen. Shacks selling shells, trinkets and snacks have long since appeared above them. However, it's likely you'll feel that you've reached the end of the earth as well. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Life at Dhanushkodi was not always easy as areas around Rameshwaram were frequently ravaged by cyclones and storms. Whose bow though? This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Once upon a time the town was connected with train from Chennai and through boat service from Sri Lanka. I already went into Morrowind.ini and tried to register the BSAs. Dhanushkodi is a ghost town at the south-eastern tip of Pamban Island in the Tamil Nadu state of India. In 2015, Silverstein forecast the entire site would be rebuilt by 2020, but that changed after the planned anchor tenant for 2 World Trade Center pulled out. As a result, 90 % devotees go back to Rameshwaram without having ‘darshan’ of holy ‘Rama-setu’. Prior to the cyclone, the town had been an important commercial centre with a railway station , a customs office, post and telegraphs office, two medical institutions, one railway hospital, a panchayat union dispensary, a higher elementary school and port offices. Check out the remains of the old church near the seashore. All they can afford above their heads, bearing the brunt of cyclone, are only makeshift thatched roofs. Answered: What are the 'Things to do' in Dhanushkodi ? Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Dhanushkodi: A ghost town hopes to come alive. Also, check out “The Disappearing Aral Sea and its Abandoned Ships“. Dhanushkodi was like any other normal town before 22nd December 1964. There was a regular ferry service between the town and Talaimannar on Mannar island in Sri Lanka. Our friendly trip advisor from ixigo helps you plan your next tour and gives you great ideas on what to do, where to eat, where to stay and when to go there. Owing to dispute over sea-boundaries between India and Sri Lanka, the sea-voyage from Dhanushkodi to Thalaimannar has been stopped. Dhanushkodi was a flourishing pilgrimage spot before the cyclone of 1964, which caused excessive destruction in the region extending from Mandapam to Dhanushkodi. (Rebuilt, p. 30) Sadly, the authors never seem to make the connection between the desacralization of the Mass and the ensuing mass exodus from the Church. As it approached Dhanushkodi, the driver did not see the expected signal in the pitch darkness of the night, and he blew a long, piercing whistle. One day plan - Reach Dhanushkodi by morning. I had taken the front seat next to the driver to not miss on the adventurous experience of getting driven on sand and water. We have reviews of the best places to see in Dhanushkodi. After the devastation wrought by the cyclone, the coastguard evacuated the survivors and what remained of the town was abandoned. What one gets from Dhanushkodi is a story of human resilience and a warning to not underestimate the might of nature. However, in recent years, Dhanushkodi has caught the attention of the powers-that-be at the centre. Antony Raj . Apart from the ruins of the town’s stone buildings, there are no other buildings in Dhanushkodi. Since the town was now abandoned, the government cut off the electricity and water supply as well. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Buildings devastated during 1964 cyclone. 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The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways launched an ambitious road project to connect Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi in 2014. The railway connection was gone and there was no bus service. Once to indicate that this was where he, his brother Lakshmana, and their allies, Vibhishana, Hanuman, and the Vanar Sena were going to start building the Ram Sethu from, connecting Bharatvarsha to Lanka to rescue his abducted wife, Sita, from the clutches of the Rakshasa King Ravana. When you reached the erstwhile town, there was nothing to do at Dhanushkodi. You can plan to visit Dhanushkodi on a weekend. A place shrouded in mystery, this is a place that's easy to miss by the regular tourist. It is the only monument which was not destroyed in the 1964 cyclone in Dhanushkodi. Situated at the confluence of the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean, twenty kilometres south of the temple town of Rameswaram, Dhanushkodi stands at the farthest edge of the Indian mainland, with Sri Lanka a mere twenty-nine kilometres across the sea. Train no 653, the Pamban to Dhanushkodi passenger train was crawling towards the destination amid horrid weather, the dark of night and almost no signal. Today skeletal remains of some of the stone structures stand as a silent testimony to the havoc wreaked by nature on that fateful December night. The bumpy bus ride to the island will remain etched forever in my mind. Support our journalism by becoming a TNM Member - Click here. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Well, Lord Rama’s bow of the Hindu Epic, Ramayana. The nearby Kothandaramar temple, which is surrounded by the sea on three sides, also has a relation to Lord Rama. Dhanushkodi itself was devastated, with heavy loss of human life and a near complete destruction of all the town buildings. This fragile last frontier deserves to be preserved, and not just in the picturesque frames of Mani Ratnam’s films. Dhanushkodi. M. Bhaktavatsalam, then the chief minister of Madras State (now Tamil Nadu), flew over the place and reported that the tip of the engine was barely visible in the water.Incidentally, the disaster did not take place on Pamban Bridge as is popularly believed now, but at the Dhanushkodi end of Pamban Island, which is 28 kilometres (17 mi) away from the bridge. The fishermen and their families, numbering around 500, who remained put, live in ramshackle with no electricity and running water. Its pristine beaches overlook the narrow Palk Strait that separates India and Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka is only about 30 km away – and it shares the only land border between the two nations. Dhanushkodi is located on the south-eastern tip of Pamban Island in Tamil Nadu (state of India), about 20 km from Rameswaram (town). The road connection was completed in 2017 and now you can drive right up to the former town. While the sea at nearby Rameshwaram continues to be mired in pollution in the name of rites of absolution for the deceased, with ashes dissolved in its waves and mountains of ritually discarded clothes and non-biodegradable waste left to stagnate on its shores, the clear waters of Dhanushkodi seem to have been spared by default. The child in me was thoroughly enjoying the ride while holding the camera and phone carefully. This is a place shrouded in mystery, that’s easy to miss by the regular tourist. In the 1964, Dhanushkodi was hit by one of the worst storms India has ever seen. The … On this night, a sudden cyclone from the South Andaman Sea, blown in by tremendous winds of velocities of 250 kilometres per hour and accompanied by 23 feet high tidal waves smashed into the town and destroyed it. Amazing landscape it was from Rameshwaram. Due to these associations with the Ramayana, the Hindus of India consider Dhanushkodi a holy town and frequent it on pilgrimages.