PROF. JOHN KURAKAR AND FAMILY VISITED DHANUSHKODI , THE GHOST TOWN.

PROF. JOHN KURAKAR AND FAMILY VISITED DHANUSHKODI , THE GHOST TOWN.

Dhanushkodi is an abandoned town at the south-eastern tip of Pamban Island of the state of Tamil Nadu in India.It is situated to the South-East of Pamban and is about 18 miles (29 km) west of Talaimannar in Sri Lanka. The town was destroyed during the 1964 Rameswaram cyclone and remains uninhabited in the aftermath.The area around Rameswaram is prone to high-intensity geomorphic activity. A scientific study conducted by the Geological Survey of India indicated that the southern part of Dhanushkodi facing the Gulf of Mannar sank by almost 5 metres (16 ft) in 1948 and 1949, due to vertical tectonic movement of land parallel to the coastline. As a result of this, a patch of land of about 0.5 kilometres ,(0.31 mi) in width, stretching 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from north to south, submerged in the sea.

On 17 December 1964, a depression formed at 5°N 93°E in the South Andaman Sea. On 19 December, it intensified into a cyclonic storm. After 21 December 1964, it moved westwards, almost in a straight line, at the rate of 400 to 550 kilometres (250 to 340 mi) per day. On 22 December, it crossed Vavunia in Sri Lanka and made landfall at Dhanushkodi on the night of 22–23 December 1964. Estimated wind velocity was 280 kilometres per hour (170 mph) and tidal waves were 7 metres (23 ft) highAn estimated 1,800 people died in the cyclonic storm on 22 December including 115 passengers on board the Pamban-Dhanushkodi passenger trainThe entire town was marooned and the Government of Madras declared Dhanushkodi as a Ghost town, unfit for living.In December 2004, the sea around Dhanushkodi receded about 500 metres (1,600 ft) from the coastline, exposing the submerged part of the town for a while followed by massive tsunami waves that struck the coast

Kottarakara College Language Teachers visited Dhanushkodi on 19^th January,2019 is totally unexpected and a memorable one. We decide to go to Dhanushkodi as a part of  Fr. Prof. Jacobs retirement  meeting  The team includes Prof. John Kurakar, Prof. Molly Jacob, Dr. P.K Jose Kutty, Dr Shaini Jose, Prof. Nirmala Mathew, Prof. Annamma, Mr. Sabhu Kunara,Mrs Usha Kundara Prof. Lalithambika, Mr. Sreekantha ,Mrs Athira and two kids.This deserted island is occupied by hutments of fisherfolk who seem to live in isolation and with no connection other than jeeps to the mainland and their main means of survival seems to depend on the fish they catch from the sea. With no basic facilities to depend on, we come across an interesting way in which women from these communities get their drinking water and wonder if this is the place where reality coexists/mingles with myths, mysteries and miracles turning it into a seemingly unique location. Dhanushkodi, some 20 kilometres away from Rameshwaram, is one of the most spectacular stretches of Tamil Nadu with not more than 50 fisherfolk dwellings with a population of around 500. Myth says that this is the place where Lord Rama pointed to with the tip of his bow and Lord Hanumana along with his army built a bridge (Setu) to cross the sea to reach Sri Lanka.  Indeed, Sri Lanka is just 31 kilometres away from Dhanushkodi.

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Prof. John Kurakar