Ghost town-Dhanushkodi

The pambam bridge!!!... Before we entire Rameshwaram

My visit to Dhanushkodi is totally unexpected and a memorable one. I decide to go to Dhanushkodi as a part of our visit to Rameshwaram in southern India and expecting a crowded place, are taken aback by the exceptionally bumpy ride by a jeep to this island, which enchants you with its beautiful views of the two oceans namely the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean, but at the same time leaves an eerie feeling with its emptiness and a view of the ruins that give you the impression that this has been a different place before.

Lone Stanley....
,............

The crumbling walls of a few scattered
buildings stand as mute witness to the
terrible tragedy in which a storm washed
away this hamlet.

Entering the ghost town, I was caught in a
time warp. Exploring the ruins along the
desolate coastline, I found a roofless,
battered edifice, which looked like it must
have once been a church. Inside, a pedestal,
which could have been the altar, stood
intact. A sense ofpeace overwhe]med me as ]
stood inside, gazing at the unscathed altar. I
could imagine the pews packed with a
choral-singing congregation and the church
resonating with prayers and the pastor
preaching sermons during a Sunday
morning mass.

Dhanushkodi used to connect India and Sri
PLanka with a railway and ferry service. A train used to leave Madras (now Chennai) and
reach a pier near Dhanushkodi, from where
passengers boarded a ferry to Sri Lanka. This arrangement was called the Boat Mail. On the night the storm struck the town, this fateful train had been devoured by the water, along with all the passengers on board.

Dhanushkodi is not for people who travel to a place “to do” something, it’s for those who pine the exact opposite. It touches your soul, makes time stand still and, above all, leaves you feeling insignificant in the larger scheme of things. To soak in my surroundings when I lie down on the beach.