Pamban Bridge: A Hair Raising Train Ride To Rameswaram

I have traveled a lot in main colorful land of Incredible India., always preferred a train journey.I can never forget a train journey on the Pamban Bridge which connects Rameswaram Island to the mainland.In real that was hair raising train journey, which I enjoyed on way to Ramesvaram.

The Pamban Bridge is a railway bridge on the Palk Strait which connects the town of Rameswaram on Pamban Island to mainland of India. The bridge refers to both the road bridge and the cantilever railway bridge, though primarily it means the latter.

 Opened on 24 February 1914, it was India's first sea bridge, and was the longest sea bridge in India until the opening of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in 2010.

But what a beauty! You are surrounded by pristine blue waters till as far as your eyes can see. The Pamban bridge is only 1 meter wide and 2.5 km long. The speed is reduced to 20-30 km/hr while the train is on this vulnerable bridge. The experience was totally a life long hair raising Rail Ride. 

Our first glimpse of the sea was near Mandapam halt.It was early evening when train halted there for a brief period .Few passengers boarded down and few up. 

 Sea was visible on both sides, as the train moved ahead Mandapam. Road was parallel to the tracks. The landscape changed rapidly and signaled that we were approaching coastal area.

In craziness of excitement, for an uninterrupted viewing, I went to the door.The calm and peaceful Arabian sea was in my full sight.The blue sky was bowed somewhere in horizon to meet sea.There was playing a colorful magic in west of sky.

There were less of coconut palms and more of oil palms and fruit (Palmyra) palms. The terrain too changed, and the area had more of dry sand than soil.I took my camera and focused to capture this life time hair raising journey .Soon I realized, better to save the whole scenes in memory chip of my mind my heart, that will never fade with time.

This was a prized moment – a moment that I had been waiting for a long time. The train slowly crawled its way towards Rameswaram – over Pamban Bridge. The bay was green in color and very attractive unlike the brackish color seen in the Arabian Sea. Fishing activities were at its peak – Train took about 15 minutes time to cover 2.3 kms long Pamban Bridge. 

It was late evening time of sunset, Bursts of gold on lavender melting into saffron. It's the time of day when the sky looks like it has been spray-painted by a graffiti artist.The mighty ocean was below my feet; suddenly a fragrant breeze wandered up from the quiet sea, touched me and drifted back to the sea again.

After Pamban bridge, the train passed through an area that closely resembles a desert – its sand dunes all around. The sidings at Pamban station was all mired in sand. The train picked up speed after Pamlban. The road still runs parallel to the tracks. We finally reached Rameswaram station at 19.30 – late about 1 hour. 

Finally we were standing at railway plate form of Rameshvaram. Before exit from here we thought to have hot coffee and some snakes. There were plenty of autos available outside station.Hired an auto for advance booked hotel Agnee teertham (Tamil Nadu Tourism Corporation Hotel).

It ends this travelogue on Pamban Bridge: A Hair Raising Train Ride to Rameswaram.Next we will meet in Rameswaram and ghost town of Dhanushkodi beach.

Written, Photographed and posted by Engr Maqbool Akram.