The Last Road to the Lost Town - NH87, India

A drive on the Last Road to the Lost Town

Ever wondered driving for about 25 km, on a narrow stretch of a two-lane Highway severing two different oceans at both sides - the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal?  It seems like a breathtaking adventure drive, isn't?  

This whimsical drive along NH87 is quite exciting and a lot more adventurous than it seems on the internet images, as it is this shoreline that has witnessed many natural calamities in the past. The NH 87 ends in the la(o)st mystic town of Dhanushkodi where the Indian ocean and the Bay of Bengal meet.

From a busy town to a lost town

Dhanushkodi meaning- 'end of bow', which marks the end of the Indian mainland, was a busy seaport and just another normal coastal town until December 1964 - the day when calm waters of the sea turned into a furiously devastating cyclone with high tides ranging from 7 to 10 meters height with wind velocity swiping off everything in the town!

This catastrophe marked the day in history when a lively busy town was washed away overnight leaving pristine sand dunes on land & human bodies floating on waters. Today this lost town has only the abandoned ruins of the then busy seaport - a Catholic church, a railway station with trails of railway track, a portion of a water tank, a wall of the post office; it is more of a tourist attraction now, only during the day time till the sun sets. Why was Dhanushkodi declared as "Ghost town", by the Government of India after 1964 catastrophe? Why hasn't the government taken steps to renovate or develop the town again? This ghost town has become unfit for living due to its highly risky geographical location witnessing frequent high tides causing ever-changing landscape & shore profile. Research says that the sea level is constantly changing, that one day a sand patch on the beach is seen while it is covered by sea the same night!

Just imagine how this lost town would look like after sunset - No electricity, No water, just the roaring noise of oceans around, and the dryness caused due to the saline air. Exhausting and haunting, right? It is said that very few fishermen huts fit with solar panels over thatched roofs are built here to serve as an emergency haven for the fishers out in the sea.

The Lost land as etched in my memory

I have visited Dhanushkodi when I was a kid and I still have a clear picture of the ride on the beach sand in a very sturdy jeep (which was the only vehicle fit to be driven on beach sands). Throughout the journey, till the last point of the land, I was pretty scared which I think was quite normal (even more scared after hearing the history of Dhanushkodi); both sides ocean, narrow shoreline, without a road or big stone embankments, or dolosse blocks to protect against the erosive force of waves; I imagined being engulfed by the unprecedented sea tides from both sides!

(A quick fact: These reinforced concrete Dolosse were invented in 1963 and was first deployed in the South African coastline in 1964 - the year when Dhanushkodi town went missing under the sea!)

Recently after the construction of this "Last road of India - NH87", and its coastal management measures with revetments all around, Dhanushkodi has become one of the favorite tourist havens of South India in the limelight.

While this drive on the Dhanushkodi beach road is allowed only after the sunrise till 5pm (before sunset), it has spectacular alluring beaches on both sides of the road. During the day time, the waters are too calm, without waves, crystal clear, aesthetic & breathtaking scenary, and even walkable inside the sea for quite some distance.

Rama Setu Viewpoint

As a symbolic reference of the last point of the mainland of India (southeastern), there is a statue of the National emblem (seen more like a sentry tower!). Now, this is the viewpoint of the mythologically...religiously... scientifically...geologically... geographically...even politically significant "Ram Setu or Rama Setu Bridge". For those who haven't known about the Rama Setu bridge- according to the Hindu mythology, it shares its history way back from 5000BCE during the Ramayana period. Geographically, it is a visible causeway created across the oceans, formerly connecting the Pamban Island of TN- India and Mannar Island of Sri Lanka.

Ram Setu bridge is a 35km long stretch consisting of visible patches of small sandy islands on the surface, and limestone shoals, coral reefs, floating rocks (pumice stones), rare earth minerals (it is said to have deposits of thorium, uranium). And this uneven, unclear formation in the middle of the sea has made it impossible for the ships to sail across it. Surprisingly, this formation of a bridge-like structure has existed for so many years (calculate from 5000BCE) even after facing several deadly cyclones & storms through the years.

Personally, this place (Dhanushkodi & its beach road) seemed very fascinating to me which inspired me to paint it as an art using Satellite image reference and Google maps.

Watercolor painting of the aerial view - Dhanushkodi beach road (click image to zoom in)

PS: If you wish to see this location on the google maps, the sand patches along the shoreline have extended a bit more from the statue point due to the changing tidal activity

Art & Article by Swasthi

Original image reference

Facts reference from Wikipedia