There are many haunted towns all over the world. Spooky stories and local tales scare the visitors. Many sinister happenings have been reported in these sites. Tourists think twice before visiting these places in the darkness of the night. Yet to some people a ghost town has an alluring quality. A few people are tempted to visit it in order to unravel its mystery. The town of Dhanushkodi is popularly known as a haunted town. It is located in the far end of South India.
Location
The nearest airport to reach this deserted spot is Madurai. It takes about three hours by car to reach the city of Rameswaram from Madurai airport. Dhanushkodi is approximately one hour journey by road from Rameswaram. Dhanushkodi is located at the south-eastern tip of India. It is a coastal town. It is the land border between India and Sri Lanka. Its exact location is at the edge of Pamban Island.
Mythology
The town Dhanushkodi derives its name from a mythological tale based on the epic Ramayana. Lord Rama is believed to have built Adam’s Bridge or Ram Setu across the sea. The bridge is constructed from the tip of Dhanushkodi to the island of Sri Lanka in order to bring back Sita who is abducted by king Ravana. A group of monkeys led by Lord Hanuman helps Lord Rama to build this famous bridge with floating pumice stones of an unknown origin. After the famous war with Ravana, Lord Rama returns back with his wife Sita. At this point he decides to break the bridge using arrows from his bow. Since then the city is known as Dhanushkodi meaning ‘destroying the bow’.
History
Before 1964 Dhanushkodi was like any other populous town of India. It was inhabited by hundreds of people who were leading contented life in a small town. It was well-connected via railway tracks to the Indian mainland. Yet the fate of the residents changed overnight. A super cyclone hit Dhanushkodi on the dreadful night of 22nd December in the year 1964. Huge tidal waves swallowed up the houses one by one. A passenger train was unfortunately passing by the town in the silence of the night. The sea waves tossed away the train from the railway track, killing more than hundred passengers who were onboard. The inhabitants of the town ran here and there for help but only a few managed to escape the town on foot. Almost eight hundred people lost their lives on that ominous night. They were erased from the face of the earth within a span of a few hours. No rescue or help could arrive until dawn.
A Haunted Town
When the townsfolk die, helplessly crying for relief, in the gloomy shadows of the night, the town stands as a witness of the defeat of mankind in the hand of the natural forces. The city lives on with sighs of anguish of the dying men. Dhanushkodi lasts till this day with its ruins. Stories of the dead residents walking around their deserted homes are still heard.
Visiting Hours
Many eerie stories about the area are regularly heard. So, visitors are not allowed to enter this desolate place after 5:00 pm in the evening. Also, the sea waves often rise and come ashore. The roads are flooded with sea water. The movement of car becomes impossible on such a situation. Therefore, the best time to visit Dhanushkodi is in the afternoon between 1:00pm to 4:00pm. There are also no hotels in this area to stop by. The tourists need to leave this uninhabited area before dusk.
The Town is in Ruins
Visitors drop in to see the old railway station. The ruins of a church can also be seen on the sandy shore. The damaged houses stand as proof of the cyclone. Many homes are still neck-deep in sand as no one has returned to live in them ever since 1964.
The Church is in ruins now
Every civilization comes to an end. Every man is destined to die. But when hundreds of people die in one night, gasping for breath beneath the sea waves that are as high as mountains, the town stands still like a helpless onlooker. No one dares to cross the path of the place where the souls know no peace. Dhanushkodi will probably never come back to life. It will remain as the abandoned town where only the dead reside.
Author’s Bio: Lagnajita is a writer in her late 20s. She has completed her Masters degree in English Literature. She has some teaching experience in a school as well. She pursues creative writing as a hobby. She loves reading and writing poems.
