A drive to one of the corners of India, Dhanushkodi!

A long weekend is a very inviting option to go somewhere and 15th August, Independence day was approaching soon (not this year, last year,#StayhomeStaysafe in 2020). Bharath (The Husband) had been on a boys trip to Rameswaram and Kanyakumari the previous year and I had seen pics of Dhanushkodi and was itching to go there. So when we were looking for options in the middle of monsoon season, this popped up with him saying, “Let’s go to Dhanushkodi.. I want to eat fish (making the fish symbol with his hands)”. I am a vegetarian, so with a facepalm (and concealed excitement) we set about planning.

We had about 4 days in hand and hence decided to just visit Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi. Why these two places? The temple town of Rameswaram is situated on Pamban island connected to Indian mainland by the famous Pamban bridge. As per Ramayan, a bridge was built by Hanuman to Srilanka to rescue Sita. Rameswaram is one of the Char Dhams (holy pilgrimage sites) and the Ramanathanswamy Temple is considered to be very sacred. 30 kms from Rameswaram and the closest point to Srilanka is Dhanushkodi – an abandoned ghost town, at the tip of Pamban island, destroyed by a cyclone in 1964 post which the Govt. had declared it as un-inhabitable.

Planning this was simple –

• Transport – our little Ferrari aka VW Polo and we were the drivers
• Hotel – we scouted a few on Trivago, Booking.com etc and settled on Hyatt Place, Rameswaram. By the way, Hyatt Place and many other such hotels in Rameswaram offer only Vegetarian options since Rameswaram is a Holy place. You may want to check the cuisines offered prior to booking.

Travel is never without some surprises and unfortunately the twist came in late-July when I fell quite ill and we were advised against any form of travel. We immediately called the hotel to cancel and since it was non-refundable we were quite sure nothing could be done. Thankfully, the hotel offered us the option to move the travel to end of August/early-September at the same rate.. There are some silver linings after all!

It took me a month to recover from what I had contracted and had a number of restrictions/advisories on food and water.. Sigh! We had thought of cancelling the trip multiple times, but then felt we needed a break after all the hospital and doctor visits. So one last check with the doctor and she said the golden words.. go ahead, but be careful! Yay! #SoExcited

Day 1:

We were to leave on a Thursday morning and return Sunday night. Bangalore to Rameswaram is a 10.5 hr drive through Karnataka and Tamilnadu. Since I had been recommended only home-cooked food, that meant nothing from the myriad of restaurants on the highways.. Double Sigh! I love the food in Tamilnadu and usually look forward to the sponge like soft idlis, sambar, pongal, vada.. drool!

so plan B – call cook at 5am to make me some upma which I would consume for breakfast and lunch, packed a huge picnic basket of fruits, coconut water, biscuits and other healthy munchies and we were ready to depart by 6am. We quickly got out of Bangalore and headed towards Krishnagri – first stop breakfast (for Bharath) at Murugan Idli shop. He munched on, while I watched him with a frown. #SoJealous.

Murugan Idli’s offerings

We picked up our pace, taking turns driving, with some stops for lunch and tea, we made it to Rameswaram by 4pm in the evening. A smooth check-in, a bit of rest and then stepped out in search for sea-food for YOU KNOW WHO. He wanted to visit some places where he had eaten on his last visit, but we couldn’t find them. Chose another small restaurant and according to him, the fish was finger licking good! Content, we headed back to Hyatt Place, had dinner and settled in for the night.

Day 2:

The next morning, post breakfast, we headed first to Dhanushkodi.. One straight road, with not a hint of civilization, with sand on either side, Bay of Bengal on one and Indian Ocean on the other.. a view like never before – so serene, so un-touched. Such a beautiful drive towards the end of one of India’s corners, from where, with clear, un-polluted skies, one can see Srilanka. You know, the radio signals of stations in Srilanka are picked up at Dhanushkodi and we could hear it for the 10 km drive in the middle of the sea. Amazing! On our return, we stopped at the entrance of Dhanushkodi village, where Bharath found himself some lip-smacking fish with rice for just about 120 INR!! Whoa! #Tip: There is a lot of checking done by the local police enroute to Dhanushkodi. Ensure you have all the car documents on you at all times.

We then headed back to the city to visit some other sights. Rameswaram is also the birthplace of our ex-President Late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and this is where he grew up. His old house has been preserved and converted into a  museum of sorts to inspire generations to come and celebrate this scientific journey. A quick tour of House of Kalam and we the proceeded to the Kalam Memorial, which was built in his honor post his death. Rameswaram is fairly hot and humid and we were getting quite exhausted. Late Lunch at the hotel and a siesta later, we were ready for Sunset overlooking Pamban bridge. The rail and roadway constructed, serves as the main connection to this island. The rail-tracks laid pass through the sea and used to terminate at Dhanushkodi, until the cyclone destroyed it. Sunset overlooking the bridge is beautiful! #Tip, wait for one of the trains to pass and it calls for an Insta moment!

Day 3:

We woke up early, hoping to catch sun-rise at Dhanushkodi. We drove up-till the entrance to the town to find it closed. It turns out that Dhanushkodi closes everyday from 6 pm to 7 am due to high tide and gusty winds which cause a number of accidents. While we waited for the barricade to open, wandered around on the beach for a bit and at 7 am sharp, they opened the gate.. The vastness, the colour of the sea, the gusty winds, just adds to eeriness of this place – spooky yet serene. We did a quick drive around, captured a few photos then headed back. Rameswaram also has a number of other smaller temples and we visited a few on them in the morning saving the best for the last.

In the afternoon, hoping for lesser crowds, we visited the famous Ramanathaswamy temple. Considered as one of the holiest places for Hindus, this temple is an architectural marvel – the never-ending colourful corridors, the number of pillars providing an illusion of a curve, simply marvelous. #Tip – photography is not allowed inside the temple and one needs to leave their mobile phones outside. Hence no photos. Also dress modestly. Parking is a challenge given the small, crowded roads and that the entire periphery of the temple is a No-Parking zone. We then parked our car a little far away and walked to the temple.

We spent close to two hours marveling at the architecture, along with a darshan of the main deity and walking the entire round of the temple – its huge! It has 4 main entrances, that should tell you the size.

Post the temple visit, Bharath now wanted his last dosage of fish before we departed to Bangalore the next day. finding him his love, we crashed for the night, ready for another 10+hour drive back.

Day 4:

Madurai Meenakshi Temple

Early start to the day as we were heading back home. Got my breakfast packed by the hotel (5-star service for someone who was recovering) and we set off enjoying the sunrise across Pamban bridge. for our return journey we had planned a pit-stop at Madurai to visit the famous Meenakshi temple, a temple with a 1000 pillars. The entrance (gopuram tower) of the temple is colorful, curvy and leads into the immense temple complex where there is a small temple pool. Further is a hallway leading to the main deity goddess Meenakshi. After standing in the long queue and getting a darshan we moved to visit a few more shrines in the complex and then proceeded to see the hall with a 1000 pillars. It is definitely a sight to behold, all the pillars stand strong with intricate carvings, leaving us awestruck.

Post a quick lunch, Bharath ate, I stared at him, we then began our journey back to Bangalore.. Tired but happy faces..

India has a lot of hidden gems, Rameswaram and more particularly, Dhanushkodi is definitely one of them. The feeling of standing on a an empty stretch of road and sand, two differently colored ocean and sea on either side, the vastness all around, the sound of the wind blowing and waves crashing, you wonder.. is this really India?

Here’s to exploring more such gems of Incredible India!

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