Dhanushkodi: Visiting Tamil Nadu's Ghost Town

Dhanushkodi is the last stretch of Rameswaram island in Tamil Nadu, a thin spit of sand with the Bay of Bengal on one side and the Gulf of Mannar on the other. Until December 1964 it was a working town with a railway station, a port, a church and a post office, and the ferry point for Sri Lanka. The cyclone that night destroyed the town and the Pamban to Dhanushkodi train, and the government declared the place unfit for living. What remains is a ghost town of roofless walls on white sand, and one of the strangest landscapes in South India.

What you will see

• The ruins: the church, the railway station, the water tank and the post office, all shells now, standing in sand.
• Arichal Munai: the very tip, 20 km from Rameswaram, where the road ends at a viewing point with the two seas meeting. Sri Lanka is about 30 km away across the strait.
• Kodandarama temple: on the way, at the point where, in the Ramayana, Vibhishana is said to have joined Rama.
• The beach: shallow, clear and almost empty; swimming is discouraged because of currents.

Getting to Dhanushkodi

Everything starts at Rameswaram. A good road now runs all the way to Arichal Munai, so you no longer need the old jeep ride over the sand. Autos and taxis from Rameswaram do the return trip in three to four hours with stops; TNSTC buses also run to Dhanushkodi village. The road is generally open from early morning until about 5 pm, and police close it in the evening, so plan a morning visit.

Reaching Rameswaram

By train: Rameswaram station has direct trains from Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore and Bengaluru, and the approach over the new Pamban bridge is the best part of the journey. By air: Madurai is the nearest airport, about 170 km and 3.5 hours by road. By road: buses from Madurai take around 4 hours; the road crosses the Pamban road bridge with the sea on both sides.

Best time to visit

October to March is comfortable, with cooler mornings and clear light for photographs. Summer from April to June is very hot on the open sand with no shade at all. The northeast monsoon in October and November can bring rough seas and short road closures, so check locally.

Tips

• Go early. The ruins are best before 9 am, and the tip gets crowded and hot after that.
• There are no hotels in Dhanushkodi; stay in Rameswaram, where there are plenty near the temple.
• Carry water, a hat and cash. A few stalls sell shell jewellery, snacks and coconut water, and nothing else.
• Combine it with the Ramanathaswamy temple and the abandoned Pamban station for a full day.