Where the bridge to Lanka began, and where a town was taken by the sea in a single night.
- Place
- The tip of Rameswaram island
- Where
- Dhanushkodi தனுஷ்கோடி
- Known as
- Where the Bay of Bengal meets the Gulf of Mannar
- Oldest record
- Until 1964
௧ The story
The end of the bow
From this point Rama’s army built the bridge of stones across the sea to Lanka.
When the war was over, Vibhishana asked that the bridge be broken so no army could cross again. Rama struck it with the end of his bow. Dhanush-kodi: the tip of the bow.
As the story is told at the temple. Legends vary in the telling.
௨ Across the centuries
What time has done here
Until 1964
A port town
Dhanushkodi has a railway station, a church, a post office and a ferry to Ceylon.
December 1964
The cyclone
A storm surge destroys the town in one night. Its ruins still stand in the sand.
௩ What to look for
When you stand inside
Two seas
Calm water on one side, rough on the other, meeting at Arichal Munai.
௪ Going there
Journeys that bring you here
- Most Tamil Nadu temples close around midday and reopen in the late afternoon. Each day keeps temples for the morning and evening and puts the road in between.
- Dress traditionally and modestly. Footwear is left outside every temple.
- Darshan arrangements differ from temple to temple and can change on festival days. We confirm what is possible at each one before you travel.
To stand here yourself, with the car, the stay, the guide and the darshan arranged, ask us to plan your journey. We call you back and listen first.
Draft Legends and history are retold from widely published sources and await review. Timings, dress code and special-entry arrangements are published once each fact has a source and a review date.