Ghost town, Ghost jeep !

On Dec 22, 1964 a severe cyclone wiped out the bustling town of Dhanushkodi …. 1800 people died, the ill fated last train carried 115 passengers who also perished. The then Congress President, legendary K. Kamaraj declared Dhanushkodi to be a ghost town after his aerial survey. 

On June 18, we went to Dhanushkodi.. Our first experience of a ghost town. To go over the sand dunes you need to take the jeep or a mini van. We chose to take the jeep, well it turned out to be quite an experience. The driver said the jeep was of 1988 make, but we thought he probably meant 1938 :). See the pictures and decide for yourself. But it’s safe to do the interesting ride all the way to the ghost town. 

 

Found this picture online of the last train to Dhanushkodi on Dec 22nd, 1964

 
This was a handsome Jeep some 80 years back … closer to WW2 ?
  

Was glad for all the Gods that were present inside the Jeep … they were the safety belt 🙂
 
The route to Dhanushkodi ghost town
  

There are places where the sand is deep !
 
Theview from the backseat
 
 

The railway station …
 
The old church
  

Krishnan standing on the remnants of the old train tracks
 
A panoramic shot including the ruins and the new temple
 
A new road is being built, but the jeep driver and many others we spoke to were sure it wouldnt stay … the sands keep shifting and already the road has sunk a few inches.
 
There are a couple of shops selling cold water and soft drinks besides some pearl and coral strings.
  

Nice collection of shells … I dont buy seashells at all since 1999 otherwise I probably would have bought them all. Beautiful.
  

in the far corner is Archal Munai … the point where Sri Rama and the Vanar Sena built the Rama Setu or Adam’s bridge as it is called by NASA. there is no way to go there because of quicksand.
 
A contemplative eagle …
  

The new road being attempted ..
 We came away from Dhanushkodi in a contemplative mood … This is such a recent history, just 50 years old and still feels much older. How fortunes change in an instant.. A flourishing town becomes a ghost town. 

There are just a few fisherfolk who stay in Dhanushkodi, others return before sundown. Time wrap in a tiny strip of land. 

Leave a Reply

Discover more from 90rollsroyces

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading