Dhanukosdi was a town on the tip of Pamban Island near Rameshwaram. In those days, it was an important port town. It had a railway station, post office, school, customs and port offices etc. On 22 December 1964, Dhanuskodi was hit by a cyclonic storm. The high tidal waves hit Dhanuskodi and completely ruined the entire town. A passenger train was swept away by the waves killing all 115 people on board. Pamban bridge connecting the mainland with Rameswaram island was also damaged. About 1800 people died in that storm. The town never came back to life and became a ghost town.
Dhanuskodi today
Rameshwaram, as a Pilgrim town, attracted a large number of people. A small percentage of people visited Dhanuskodi. The journey was arduous. Some private operators drove the buses/Jeeps in the water, often getting stuck in between. It was an adventurous activity. Things changed in 2016 when the National Highway from Rameshwaram was extended till Dhanuskodi and further to Arichamunai.
Dhanuskodi is now becoming more famous than Rameshwaram. Almost everyone visiting Rameshwaram goes to Dhanuskodi. Tour operators have added it to their itinerary.
I had been seeing pictures people posted on Dhanuskodi. They were beautiful. During the Christmas holidays in 2021, Tanu and Chaya showed interest in visiting Dhanuskodi. We planned a trip to Tamil Nadu, covering a few places in that area.
Travel to Dhanuskodi
Our primary motivation for visiting Rameshwaram was to see Dhanuskodi. I had planned to visit it in the evening. Since we had travelled in the peak season of Christmas, there were tourists everywhere. In order to minimise the impact of the crowd, we decided to visit early in the day!!
It was still dark when we started from Rameshwaram. The streets were busy with devotees walking from Agni Teertha to the temple. As we left behind the chaotic town, the surroundings changed dramatically. The road suddenly became smooth, and the area was silent and pristine. The road was so empty and straight that it looked there could be no limit on the speed!! I still drove slow as I wanted to enjoy the surroundings.
I planned to drive till the end of the road and visit the places while coming back. On the way, we saw the sun appearing on the horizon. It was too beautiful to ignore and proceed further. We stopped our car and spent some time enjoying the sunrise.
We were now driving on the road where one side was the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean on the other side!! I don’t think that there is a similar stretch anywhere in India. Shortly, we reached Arichamunai, which is the end of the road. A small crowd had already assembled to view the sunrise.
While the motorable road ends at Arichamunai, there are islands within Indian territories further ahead. It is also the place of Ram Sethu, connecting the Indian mainland to Sri Lanka. In fact, till the 15th century, people were arriving from Talaimannar in Sri Lanka by walk. But the topography of the area was altered by the cyclones, and the sea took over the land area. If you see the satellite image of this area, the bridge is visible.
During low tides, we could have gotten down from the road and walked into the sea. But we were at high tide, and we enjoyed the scenery from the road. But few people were trying to wade through the water.
Some articles had mentioned that we could get mobile signals from Sri Lanka. At least, my mobile did not catch any network from the island nation!!
On the return journey, we visited Dhanuskodi village. It only has a few dilapidated buildings surrounded by souvenirs and other shops. We were the only visitors on that morning. People were slowly opening their shops. An important structure was the remains of a church from the cyclone. On the other side of the road was the remains of the railway station. The sea was also inviting with blue waters. We spent some time in the area. Looking at the number of shops, I was sure that the village would be super crowded during the day.
We made a short visit to the “Vibhishan temple”, located on a small island. A narrow strip of road connected this island. The temple was simple. It is believed that Vibhishana, brother of Ravana surrendered himself to Lord Rama at this place. The view of Rameshwaram town was beautiful.
We returned to our hotel in Rameshwaram for breakfast.
Information and tips
- Dhanuskodi is about 20 km from Rameshwaram and takes about 30-45 minutes of drive.
- I am not aware of public transport, but having your vehicle is the best way to travel to Dhanuskodi. Else, you can hire an autorickshaw from Rameshwaram. You can also deal with the driver to include sightseeing in Rameshwaram.
- Dhanuskodi is open from 6 AM to 5 PM.
- You would have seen some beautiful photos of the road on the internet. They are taken from drone cameras.
- October to March is the best time to visit Dhanuskodi. The weather is moderate during that time. Summer months are too hot. Note that the place is cyclone prone between September to December.
- There are no good eateries in the area. Small shacks and carts sell some snacks and seafood items.
Sadanand S hegde
Very interesting depiction of the place