A trip to the end of India - Rameshwaram

Once again we were ready to get going. We never plan our travels. Even this time we didn't make any arrangements. We just decided and hit the roads.

On the way!

So where were we going to this time? This time we decided to drive down to one of the extreme end of India. Any idea? No, it's not Kanyakumari. We opted for the one not as famous as Kanyakumari. We opted for Rameshwaram!!!

We started early in the morning. The drive was long, very long. And with Puppy along, it appeared to be longer. The roads in Tamil Nadu is icing in the cake. Long, broad highways invite the travellers to drive down the roads. 

The trip from Bangalore to Madurai was quick. We enjoyed the misty morning throughout. We were very fascinated by the name Dhindukkal! Sweet name. So we stopped in Madurai for brunch. And started off real quick. We wanted to reach at the earliest.

Once we started nearing Pamban, we started getting the feeling that the sea is nearby! And literally, it was. Amazing views. We were moving in the land and on both sides we could see water! What a view!!

Too fascinated by the view, we stopped for sometime there at the extremeties. And then started again. 

Pamban bridge

Pamban bridge is another must-visit. It's a Cantilever bridge on the Palk Strait which connects the small town of Rameshwaram to main land India.

View of boats from the Pamban bridge

Finally we reached the Pamban island. And started looking for a hotel. Since we had no idea how big the island was, we just kept moving straight and here it was. The Ramanathaswamy temple right in front of us. It has one of the 8 jyotirlinga in India. It is also one of the Char Dham. So there I was, my trip to the second dham, after having visited Puri. Luckily we saw a hotel to our left. We stopped there and asked for rooms. Voila, we got room desired. That was in the dusk.

We rested for some time and then decided to go for a walk around the temple. It was lovely. Small shops all the way. Busy roads.

Next morning we started the day by paying our respect to the Lord Shiva. We walked through the corridor of 1000 pillars. Such eccentric beauty. It was Ganesh Chaturthi and how could I not see Ganpati. So there he was silently peeping at me! Gajraj was there.

Post breakfast, took a jeep to Dhanuskodi. Dhanuskodi is the most amazing place I have seen till date. In the middle of nowhere, a trip to Dhanuskodi means we have to drive over the soft mud. The driver told us, at night the sea water inundates those areas.

There was the old Dhanuskodi railway station, the last railway station in India. But it was destroyed in 1964 cyclone and  a passenger train with over 100 passengers drowned in the sea. After that the station was closed off. Believed to be haunted after that, though we were not lucky to see any supernatural activity during our visit! Alas!

The Railway station

The floating stones were strewn all over the place. Locals say they were part of the Ram-setu. We brought a piece with us too!

Floating stone

The place where the Indian ocean meets the Bay of Bengal is such a view. Really. The amalgamation of water from both the sides, is indeed a captivating view.

Finally we drove back. End to a wonderful and amazing tour. But the thoughts would keep lingering in our minds for ever!