[Leica] Rameshwaram and Dhanushkodi

[Jayanand Govindaraj]

As soon as we came back from Mussoorie, Neela and I left immediately for a
long overdue trip to the very southern  tip of India - to the holy city of
Rameswaram, and the spit of land nearby that takes India to within 20km of
Sri Lanka. The Ramanathaswmy Temple in Rameswaram has been mentioned in
Tamil texts dating back to the 7th century, and is one of the three or four
holiest pilgrimage spots in Hinduism. Unfortunately, photography is
strictly prohibited, so no photographs of the temple in this gallery! Both
are on Pamban Island, which is connected to mainland India by a modern road
bridge - and a century old rail bridge, built in 1914, over the Gulf of
Mannar:

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/India/Rameshwaram/Rameshwaram-20170424-2637.jpg.html

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/India/Rameshwaram/Rameshwaram-20170424-2651.jpg.html

The other photographs are from the southernmost tip of Pamban Island -
where a road has been laid recently till the end. It is an exhilarating
drive on a spit of sandy land, with the Gulf of Mannar on both sides, and
no traffic at all, because vehicles are not allowed for most of the road
without prior permission. As it is so close to Sri Lanka, it is no wonder
that there a bunch of Tamil refugees from there. They sell trinkets and tea
to the tourists who come here:

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/India/Rameshwaram/Rameshwaram-20170424-820.jpg.html

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/India/Rameshwaram/Rameshwaram-20170424-822.jpg.html

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/India/Rameshwaram/Rameshwaram-20170424-828.jpg.html

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/India/Rameshwaram/Rameshwaram-20170424-849.jpg.html

The village of Dhanushkodi comes further on, but it is just a complete
ruin, having been devastated and abandoned during the infamous cyclone of
1964:

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/India/Rameshwaram/Rameshwaram-20170424-960.jpg.html

After this it is clear till the end of the road at the southern most tip,
where sand, sea and sun meet, surrounded by sand flats and the sea on both
sides. All you see are occasional fishermen, on virginal sand:

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/India/Rameshwaram/Rameshwaram-20170424-858.jpg.html

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/India/Rameshwaram/Rameshwaram-20170424-867.jpg.html

Finally, at the end, there is an Ashoka Pillar, the symbol of the
sovereignty of India:

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/India/Rameshwaram/Rameshwaram-20170424-869.jpg.html

Please see LARGE

Comments and criticism, as ever, welcome!

Cheers
Jayanand