The submerged town of south India
People thought that, it was another rainy day of 1964 and done their day’s routine work and went asleep. They don’t know that they never see again either their loved ones or their golden land. Yes most of them were vanished, buried in their land instantly when the cyclone struck the harbour town DHANUSHKODI and killed thousand of people instantly on the fateful day.
When you look at those reaming structures of the buildings how the town was functioned in a systematic way
On the fateful day a group of 500 students from MADURAI city boarded on the train to DK .on the way some of the students got down the near by railway station and send of the reaming students to DK
But, none of them know that they are heading their burial ground. its a pity that on one escaped from the train when the storm hit the shore , the rail bridges and the track were thrown miles away and still one can see some of the remaining parts of the railway tracks near by road.
It’s a tragedy that the train driver refused to move the train from the near by railway station and he sent the message to the control office( the office situated @ MADURAI more than 150 kms from DK) that the weather conditions are very bad and if I proceed surely all of us trapped under the storm.. But the then higher officials madly ignored and refused his repeated crying and ask him to proceed with the passengers to DK.
The storm and the calm of the ghost town
One can see the skeleton structure of the buildings that braved the fateful day still exists in the sand from few KMS before DK. MOONRAM CHATIRAM till this village one can use the regular vehicle. After that point actually the real journey begins in the fish cart vehicles, jeep, and maruthi gypsy. I hired a maruthi gypsy from RAMESWARAM with a driver cum guide who knows better knowledge of DK as well as the locals.. DK.( the shore is monitored by INDIAN NAVY FORCE and each and every passing vehicle was got entered officially and the report was collected by crew members of helicopter in the evenings.
Loose soils, watery surface very hard black soil very difficult to drive and after 7 kms hard drive you can reach the” ARICHA MUNAI” ( the correct meaning of the word is “EROSION EDGE”)this is the place were INDIAN OCEAN and BAY OF BENGAL merged together.
Uneasy calm , sweating, strange fishy smell all along the stretch of the so called GHOST TOWN DHANUSHKODI.
DHANUSHKODI-THE EXAMPLE OF LIFE OF YESTERDAY… TODAY…AND TOMARROW…
From RAMESWARAM to DK exactly 18 kms. THE FIRST 6kms(ie) till NATARAJAPURAM there is available of electricity, mobile connectivity, PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM (its your luck if you get mobil connectivity when you @DK.
But after that there is no govt activities or common normal life.( one can understand that after 1964 INCIDENT that the land of DK was unfit for human living. but still there is human traffic due to the fisheries activities ,business most of the fishermen stayed on the shore with provided temporally guts even though they have got own houses in NATARAJAPURAM..
How to get there…
Direct trains from Chennai to RAMESWARAM named SETHU EXPRESS journey time 12 hours
BY road-THERE IS NO DIRECT BUSES TO RAMESWARAM, BUT FROM MADURAI THERE IS A BUS IN EVERY 10mts.. ( JOURNEY TIME 3 HRS) FROM MADRAI BUS FACILITY AVAILABLE 24 HRS.
STAYING
SOMANY guest houses, mutts lodges available there. But the food timings are very restricted in the afternoon. Nothing available between, 2.30pm-5pm( if you go with children’s plan your food timings. I had very bad experience… )
Or if you go with package( food accommodation ,sight seeing) better approach TAMILNADU TOURISUM DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION @ CHENNAI.
I ENJOYED MYSELF VERYMUCH WHILE STAYING THE NOMANS LAND AS WELL AS@ RAMESWARAM
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