Humor with an Attitude: The Ghost Town of India

This Ghost town of Dhanushkodi is a must visit for "off-roading" freaks and people who loves emptiness and Zenith for a simple landscape shooting minimalism. For others, you can visit for religious purpose and can take bath in the confluence of oceans.
This the place where Ram built the bridge to defeat Ravan. And its the end of Mainland India. This is the last place of India.
One of the most serene yet haunting place in India.
The moment you will take a left turn to the shore and the thickness of sand will give a jitter to your vehicle but the thrill is all to meet the end.

You will find numerous Sand Pipers running around and catching small crabs.

The vulture waiting for another carcass in the desert.

You will also find some wild horses roaming and grazing around.

Wrecked fishing boat at Lands End

The buildings that braved the fateful day still exist partly buried in the sand and partly weathered by the sea adding a mysterious beauty to the place. A rusted four-pillared structure, possibly a water tank, welcomes us to this lost land. Even though the town was wiped away by the 1964 cyclone, small numbers of temporary settlers live in thatched huts during the fishing season.

Ghost Town.... of India , Destroyed Completely by Cyclone.

Destruction: Church and Railway station

Even though there was a railway line between Pamban and Dhanushkodi and a passenger train used to ply regularly, after the storm the tracks were damaged and in course of time, were covered by sand dunes and hence had to be abandoned. One has to reach Dhanushkodi either on foot along sea shore on the sand dunes or in jeeps and in tempos of fishermen.

No Man's land

All together over 1800 people died in the cyclonic storm. All dwelling houses and other structures in Dhanushkodi were marooned in the storm . The high tidal waves moved almost 10 kilometres onto this island and ruined the entire town. Pamban bridge was washed away by the high tidal waves in this disaster.

Well in the Ghostliness

Breathtaking beauty, a population of less than 500, the nearest telephone about 20 km away, out of reach of mobile signals and the feeling of being in a place which was once alive, now reduced to rubble, makes it a place truly less travelled. And standing at the tip of India is a pretty heady feeling!

Once..... Alive!!

Remnants of the Dhanushkodi Railway Station

in the Ghost Town

Ex-president of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, hails from a fishing hamlet called Dhanushkodi

History of Dhanushkodi : Dhanushkodi is the place where Ram (from Ramayana) visited on the way to Lanka and held pooja. This Hindi Epic says that at the request of Vibeeshana (brother of Ravana) ,Ram broke the Sethu with one end of his bow and hence the name Dhanushkodi (Dhanush meaning Bow and Kodi meaning end) .This Setu is also called as Rama's Bridge/Adam's Bridge and it connects India and SriLanka.

History of Destruction:- Dhanushkodi Railway station and Town was hit by a massive tidal wave storm in 1964. The whole train was washed away killing all 115 on the spot. All together over 1800 people died in the cyclonic storm. All dwelling houses and other structures in Dhanushkodi were marooned in the storm . Following this disaster, the Government of Madras declared the town as Ghost town and unfit for living after the storm.Only few fisherfolks now live there.