Dhanushkodi is often touted as India’s ghost town, located by the south of Pamban island, Tamil Nadu (also known as Rameswaram) is an intriguing experience. Highly regarded as a holy site among the Hindu pilgrims visiting Rameswaram temple. Dhanushkodi is also a place where the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal merge together. Ram Setu from the Hindu epic Ramayana is proven to exit where the lands end at Dhanushkodi.The scenic stretch of motorable highway connecting Dhanushkodi with Rameswaram makes for one of the best road trips in India.  

In an alternate world, Dhanushkodi lives and thrives as a picturesque town, set amidst the gentle green and blue hues of a bay and an ocean! In this southernmost island of India, men wake up at the wee hours and venture into the deep of the sea to find day’s catch. 

Womenfolk conduct household chores and ready the shacks that sell the seashells by the seashore. Children walk the way to nearby primary school, their reflection shining pretty of the backwaters. Seagulls sneak in with waves of Bay of Bengal. 

A church made of corals (yes, you read that right) stands tall. The tip of India’s eastern coast, the Pamban island also houses a rail line, bringing in the world.

But man proposes, nature disposes....

      Reality is scary, if you take a lingering look, you know the rail tracks are nothing but the mirage play of a cruel nature, that engulfed the little town of Dhanushkodi. During the horrendous 1964 Rameswaram cyclone, the sea soared like never before, brought in the scourge of 7 meters high waves with wind speed of 220 kmph and washed away the very last trace of life.

      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. The driver hesitated before igniting the engine, not having any idea what was looming in front. At this point, a huge tidal wave washed away the train along with 200 passengers that night. Not a single one was found alive.The rail station at Dhanushkodi stood erect in the face of gutsy cyclonic wind and housed the few survivors of the island for that night. It was hardly a decade after independence. Where was the rest of the world? Far away and difficult to get connected.  Mainland India came to know about the tragedy only after a couple of days. Later, only the nose of the rail engine was spotted from aerial surveys.  The government of India rehabilitated the survivors and declared the area abandoned.