Visit Dhanushgodi
Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu, India
About
Visit Dhanushgodi: Apart from the temple this certainly is one of the best things to see and do in Rameshwaram. There are two ways of getting to Dhanushgodi , hire a jeep (Rs 1,100 is the going rate) or hire an auto or by bus till the Mini truck stand from where you could travel by the Mini Truck (Rs 60 per passenger) just like the locals do. The lands end of Dhanushgodi is about 3 -4 kilometers from where the Mini Truck stand and is amazing experience.Its peferable to take Jeep if you can share it with others because the mini truck operators usually have a tendency to fool tourists by bringing them back from half the journey and not taking them to the ending point of Dhanushgodi. Do not venture by your own car as only jeeps and 4 WD vehicles can negotiate thru the slush and sand road till lands end , though its possible to reach there by bike , but you need to be ready to push and struggle in case you get struck. The view is amazing with sea on both sides , on one side the Bay of Bengal and on the other the Indian Ocean , the Bay of Bengal side is relatively calm and hence goes by the name (Penn Kadal , Lady Sea) and the India Ocean is rough with waves lashing and is called ( Aaan Kadal, Male Sea). The travel by Mini truck is an experience in itself and you have the option of either sitting inside , hanging outside or travelling on top of the minitruck , its best to sit on the top which gives you amazing views. The mini truck will take you to lands end , give a break of about 15 mins to play in the sea or do religious ceremonies , and the take you to the ghost town which was destroyed in the 1964 cyclone after which the city was deserted ,you can see the post office , railway station , church and rail tracks in ruins. The whole trip takes about 2 hours and its best to go in the evening or early morning to avoid the scorching sun , the mini truck start plying as early as 7 AM and ply till sundown 6 PM. The minitruck would start only after it’s packed to capacity which is about 20 passengers at the minimum , majority of your copasssengers would be fishmen and local folks.
