bridge
Pamban Bridge
India's first sea bridge, sweeping 2 km across the Palk Strait to Rameswaram island. The road bridge rides high above the century-old cantilever rail span and fishing boats below.
12 km · about 20 min drive
AsiaIndiaTamil Nadu
Rameswaram
Tamil Nadu, India · Asia
About Rameswaram
Rameswaram is worth a stop: 20 minutes from Pāmban, 12km from Pamban Bridge.
Rameswaram is in Tamil Nadu, India, with about 45,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Pāmban, about 11 km away.
Rameswaram (IPA: [ɾaːmeːsʋaɾam]; also transliterated as Ramesvaram, Rameshwaram) is a town in the Ramanathapuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is situated on the Pamban Island, separated from mainland India by the Pamban channel and is about 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Mannar Island, Sri Lanka, acrossRead more
the Gulf of Mannar. Rameswaram has been administered by a municipal body since 1994. It covers 53 km² and hosts a population of 44,856 as per the 2011 Census of India. Tourism and fishing are the primary sources of employment for its residents.
Rameswaram is the terminus of the railway line from Chennai and Madurai. It is one of the significant places in Hinduism—one of the four Hindu temples in the Char Dham pilgrimage tradition. According to the Hindu epic Ramayana, the deity Rama is believed to have built a bridge from the vicinity of Rameshwaram across the sea to Lanka to rescue his wife Sita from her abductor Ravana. The Ramanathaswamy Temple, dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva, is at the centre of the town. The temple and the town are considered as holy pilgrimage sites for Shaiva and Vaishnava sects. Geological research suggested that the shoal chain Adam's Bridge, also known as Rama Sethu, was formerly a land connection between India and Sri Lanka.
The Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project, the border disputes over Kachchatheevu, Sri Lankan Tamil refugees from the Sri Lankan Civil War and genocide, and the capturing of local fishermen for alleged cross-border activities by Sri Lankan Forces, are some of the major controversies related to Rameshwaram.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Rameswaram?
Within an hour or so of Rameswaram: Pamban Bridge (12 km), Dhanushkodi (21 km).
Where is Rameswaram?
Rameswaram is in Tamil Nadu, India, about 11 km from Pāmban.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 44,856
- Continent
- Asia
- Country
- India
- Region
- Tamil Nadu
- Timezone
- Asia/Kolkata
- Coordinates
- 9.2885, 79.3127
Tags
Worth the detour from Rameswaram
2 notable places within an hour's drive.
landmark
Dhanushkodi
A town at the tip of Pamban Island wiped out by the 1964 cyclone and never resettled, its church and railway ruins standing between two seas. A causeway road reaches it and runs on to Arichal Munai.
21 km · about 25 min drive
Driving roads near Rameswaram
- Right herePamban BridgeIndia's first sea bridge, sweeping 2 km across the Palk Strait to Rameswaram island. The road bridge rides high above the century-old cantilever rail span and fishing boats below.
When to drive here
Year-round
Tropical latitude: plan around the wet season rather than temperature.
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