Rameswaram

One for the train and bridge geeks.

I’m heading over to Rameswaram for a couple of days and you get to cross the Pamban Bridge(s) on the way. The rail bridge in particlar is nearly a 100 years old and was built to ferry both pilgrams to Rameswaram and passangers on their way to Sri Lanka. It was only in the last couple of years that it was upgraded to broad gage from the old British 1 metre gage.

Pamban Bridge

Ramanathaswamy Temple is what brings the pilgrims of course. Alas, like many other South Indian temples, much of it isn’t open to non-Hindus. An impressive gopuram though.

For other visitors (kite surfers aside – great conditions here apparently), Dhanushkodi is where to head. Its a town abandoned to the dunes after a 1964 cyclone and can be a nice 10km trek there and back along the beach – when its not in the sweltering heat and you’ve remembered your suncream…