Explore . These cookies do not store any personal information. A cyclonic storm now referred to as the 1964 Rameswaram cyclone or the Dhanushkodi cyclone started with the depression that formed in the South Andaman Sea on December 17, 1964. Dhanushkodi Before The Night Of 22nd December 1964. Kodandarama Swamy temple is the only salvage of the cyclone. A very different experience, this town was devastated by a … Fact Analysis: STSTW Media strives to deliver accurate information through careful research. 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. It took only Rs. The town once bustling with locals and holidaymakers alike was emptied abruptly and completely. The town was destroyed during the 1964 Rameswaram … This is the simple epitaph one can read on a memorial at the Dhanushkodi Bus Stand. Parts of the town went under water and those that remained above water level were isolated from one another. What one gets from Dhanushkodi is a story of human resilience and a warning to not underestimate the might of nature. A place shrouded in mystery, this is a place that's easy to miss by the regular tourist. Half a century (and a tsunami) later, all that remains of the station are rail tracks buried under layers of sand. This fragile last frontier deserves to be preserved, and not just in the picturesque frames of Mani Ratnam’s films. Nobody can remain in Dhanushkodi after 6 p.m. Dhanushkodi was like any other normal town before 22nd December 1964. 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 the Adam's Bridge, famously called the Ghost Town. Walk on the soft sand until you are tired and then lay back to gaze up at the sky and listen to the music of the rolling waves. A view of the ocean at Dhanushkodi. The outside world remained unaware of what had happened in Dhanushkodi as it was impossible to establish any kind of contact until the storm had blown over. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. I think I have the right load order for the mods but I don't know how to change it < > Antony Raj . Dhanushkodi: A ghost town hopes to come alive. The storm continued unabated until the evening of 25 December 1964. 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. Until 2017, Dhanushkodi remained an isolated, nearly forgotten place. 4. Enjoyed this article? The system was first identified as an area of low pressure over the Andaman Sea on December 15. The railway connection was gone and there was no bus service. Ruins of post office and hospital. It is clearly visible in the aerial view, remote sensing photographs that NASA astronauts took from space, and, according to NASA, it is a formation of naturally occurring sandbanks and not the mythological manmade bridge of floating stones. Dhanushkodi: The town that was never rebuilt. While the opening of the road will ostensibly pave the way for new businesses for the fisherfolk and their families settled in Dhanushkodi, the question of whether it will provide them a markedly better quality of life remains to be seen in an area where there has been no other infrastructure development in decades. (Shubham Gupta / Wikimedia Commons). Apart from the ruins of the town’s stone buildings, there are no other buildings in Dhanushkodi. Dhanushkodi itself was devastated, with heavy loss of human life and a near complete destruction of all the town buildings. The place that was once a thriving town in south India with infinite legends to it, has been reduced to ruins and mystic stories today. 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. We know, the title of our latest travel story is a bit different but would like to share the experience with our audience in a way that is more relevant and justify the place. On the night of 22 December 1964, as the cyclone was about to strike Dhanushkodi, the Pamban-Dhanushkodi Passenger, a six-coach train that provided a daily commuter service between Pamban and Dhanushkodi, was nearing Dhanushkodi railway station. The Government declared the … Not only because it's not really a part of the tourist map, but also because this place is … Dhanushkodi, located in the Rameshwaram district of Tamil Nadu, is the place where the wonders of nature and man become one. Buildings devastated during 1964 cyclone. There are no “sightseeing” attractions here or any opportunity of shopping and eating. We remain at the mercy of natural forces like all living creatures on this planet. Once accessible by railroad, the supercyclone of 1964 turned this bustling port town into an expanse of ruins overnight. 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. 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. ; Trivandrum(Thiruvananthapuram) to Dhanushkodi Trains distance is around 133 kms (approx 3 hrs by road). Potable water is scarce and drawn from small shallow aquifers that trace their origins back to the legend of Lord Rama who is said to have shot his arrow into the ground for water springs to emerge. Dhanushkodi was quite a prosperous town during the British Raj. Navigator: Dhanushkodi is 29 Kms from Rameshwaram. Ever since then, Tamil Nadu has rebuilt this town to become one of the most unique and unusual beach towns of India. Dhanushkodi, located in the Rameshwaram district of Tamil Nadu, is the place where the wonders of nature and man become one. It was frequented mainly by tourists looking for a back of beyond destination and determined religious pilgrims. The Boat Mail train regularly came to Dhanuskkodi from Madras Egmore to let off passengers on Dhanushkodi’s southeastern side, from where many of them took the steamer to Sri Lanka. The idyllic beach could have been usurped by tourists and resort barons, but the relentless influx of sand and sea salt into the mainland has been a major deterrent to the process of restoration, leading successive governments to abandon all hope of progress and declare Dhanushkodi a “ghost town” unfit for human habitation. Bordered by the Bay of Bengal on one and the Indian Ocean on the other, Dhanushkodi, some 20 kilometres away from Rameshwaram, is one of the most spectacular stretches of Tamil Nadu with not more than 50 fisherfolk dwellings with a population of around 500. Whose bow though? Not only because it's not really a part of the tourist map, but also because this place is … You will feel completely unconnected from the world and completely at peace. The town had a railway station, a hospital, a higher secondary school, port offices, a church and a temple. Dhanushkodi is located on the trip of Pamban island which is connected to Indian mainland only by the Pamban Railway Bridge. He pointed his bow end at Dhanushkodi twice. Dhanushkodi was like any other normal town before 22nd December 1964. Dhanushkodi is located on the south-eastern tip of Pamban Island in Tamil Nadu (state of India), about 20 km from Rameswaram (town). It is south-east of Pamban and is about 24 kilometres (15 mi) west of Talaimannar in Sri Lanka.The town was destroyed during the 1964 Rameswaram cyclone … Also, check out “The Disappearing Aral Sea and its Abandoned Ships“. The government of Madras declared it a ghost town; that is, a place not fit to live in. Shacks selling shells, trinkets and snacks have long since appeared above them. Was never rebuilt Dhanushkodi Bus Stand Rameshwaram was a regular ferry service between the town was never rebuilt (! 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