Dhanushkodi

Dhanushkodi or Dhanushkoti (Tamil : தனுஷ்கோடி) is a town/village at the southern tip of the Rameswaram island, at the eastern coast of the Tamil Nadu state of India.

Dhanushkodi is situated in the South-East of Pamban. Danushkodi is about 18 miles West of Talaimannar in Sri Lanka. The Dhanushkodi railway line was destroyed in the 1964 cyclone from Pamban Station and a trainload of passengers was washed into the sea.

Hindu Mythology

Hindu myth says that at the request of Vibeeshana, brother of Ravana and ally of Rama, Rama broke the Sethu with one end of his bow and hence the name Dhanushkodi, Dhanu meaning Bow and Kodi meaning end. It is also said that Rama marked this spot for Setu with one end of his famous bow. Bath in holy Sethu at the junction of the two seas normally precedes the pilgrimage to Rameswaram. A series of rocks and islets found in a line are shown as remnants of the ancient Setu also called as Rama's Bridge.

It is said that Pilgrimage to Kashi will be completed only after the worship at Rameswaram besides a holy bath in Dhanushkodi at the Confluence of Mahodadhi (Bay of Bengal) and Ratnakara (Indian Ocean). Setu is Sanskrit word to denote bridge or causeway. It has now acquired a special significance to mean the bridge across the ocean constructed by Rama to reach Lanka.

1964 Storm
Before 1964 storm there was a train service up to Danushkodi called Boat Mail from Chennai Egmore, the train linked to a steamer to Ceylon. During the 1964 storm a huge wave of about 20 ft came crashing on the town from Palk Bay/Strait east of the town and destroyed the whole town, a train, the Pamban Rail Bridge etc all happened at the dead of the night. Danushkodi has the only land border between India and Ceylon which is one of the smallest in the world just 50 yards in length on a sand dune in Palk Strait.

The Government of Madras declared the town as Ghost town and unfit for living after the storm, now a small group of fisher folk resides there. For reaching the village one has to go in a four wheel drive or in a fish cart.


Memorial for Dhanushkodi Victims
A memorial erected near the dhanushkodi bus stand reads as follows: "A cyclone storm with high velocity winds and high tidal waves hit Dhanushkodi town from 22nd December 1964 midnight to 25th December 1964 evening causing heavy damages.

On December 22nd at 23.55 hours while entering Dhanushkodi railway station the train no.653 Pamban Dhanushkodi Passenger which left Pamban with 110 passengers and 5 railway staff was hit by the cyclonic storm and high tidal waves and the whole train got submerged under water killing all 115 on the spot.


In addition over 200 people in dhanushkodi died in the cyclonic storm.

All dwelling houses in Dhanushkodi were blown to pieces in the storm and marooned.

Pamban bridge was washed away by the high tidal waves in this disas

Travel
Even though the railway line was laid between Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi, it was in course of time covered by six sand dunes and it was abandoned. One has to reach Dhanushkodi on foot along sea shore or in jeeps on sand dunes.

There are several temples associated with Lord Rama here. It is advisable to go during day to the village and return to Rameshwaram before Sun set as the entire 15 km stretch is very lonely and the place is notorious for drug peddling, trafficking, rape, waylaying and robbery after dark and most of the refugee boats from Sri Lanka arrive and land here during night also militant boats from Ceylon dock here for human and material trafficking.[citation needed] However, there are no reports to confirm these activities, apart from experiences shared by the locals. Tourism is budding in this area and a significant police presence to protect the visitors is there.

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