Life is unpredictable, like that annoying kid in your neighbourhood who always throws something at you when you least expect it. For me, every month and every day brings a new challenge. Some people say that whatever happens to you is your own doing, but I don’t agree with that. Our life is influenced by both internal and external factors. Sometimes, the decisions of others can affect us in ways we don’t even realize.

That’s what happened to me when my colleague quit her job, leaving me alone in a group of three. That’s when I decided to take a break and visit Karaikudi, a town in Tamil Nadu known for its heritage and cuisine. Then, last month, my manager also quit, adding more stress and pressure to my work. And that’s when I decided to escape from my situation and frustration by travelling to Rameshwaram.

But… why Rameshwaram of all places?

Maybe I was tired of the turbulence of my life and wanted to find some peace and clarity. Rameshwaram is believed to be sacred island in the Indian Ocean, connected to the mainland by the Pamban Bridge. It is one of the four holy places (Char Dham) for Hindus, and it is believed that Rama built a bridge from here to Lanka to rescue his wife Sita from the king of Lanka Ravanan. I wanted to wash away my confusion, regrets, and existential crisis in the pristine waters of Rameshwaram (dramatic). I also wanted to see the Pamban Bridge, which had caught my eyes while I was working at Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation.

Okay… let’s talk about the trip now.

What makes Rameshwaram and Ramnad special? The turquoise water, dusty plains, religious fervour, thousands of eagles and hawks that swarm the neighbourhood instead of crows, numerous bikers on road and temples full of colours and stories.

Chennai To Ramnad

My dad also wanted to visit Rameshwaram, so we decided to go together. We booked a bus ticket one week in advance. We got on the bus on Saturday night (August 12th). The bus ride was extremely uncomfortable, because of all the snores. But I slept a bit late, as I was going through some notes on marketing and business finance metrics that I needed for my work. Around 9 AM we reached Ramanathapuram, a town near Rameshwaram. The countryside welcomed us as we looked through the window. It was a bit dusty and arid place. From the bus stand, we took an auto and reached the non-AC average room that we had booked in Garish Palace. It wasn’t a lavish place, but I didn’t mind that. I don’t usually spend too much money on stay, as I prefer to spend it on the places and experiences that I get during sightseeing.

The Nonchalant Moments On Day 1

Our stay receptionist helped us book a cab. We got an elderly and experienced driver who knew Rameshwaram and Ramnad like the back of his hand. We first went to Bheemas Restaurant, a franchise that you usually find in popular religious destinations like Tirupati. We ordered some Podi Dosa and a milk tea. With full of energy, we left for Pamban Bridge first.

Pamban Palam/Pamban Bridge

The words pristine water and turquoise water were always less relatable for me as I hadn’t seen any water bodies in that state. But after seeing the Pamban Bridge standing, surrounded by pristine turquoise water that glistened in the sunshine, I realised what it actually meant. I had never seen such a beautiful looking water body. Its colour, its transparency and the way it reflected the bridge like a glass, everything was perfect.

There were some repair works going on the bridge, but still, it was such a photogenic and stunning view. We spent a solid 30 minutes taking photographs of the majestic view with Pamban Bridge on one side and the far wide sea with the boats dangling in the waters on the other side, while the eagles and hawks soared up in the sky. We could witness around 200 eagles in that spot alone flying quite close to our heads.

After getting enough of Pamban, we went to honourable Dr Abdul Kalam’s memorial.

Dr Abdul Kalam Memorial Hall

If you are a person who has always looked up to this legendary, selfless and lovable scientist, you should definitely drop by and greet him. The memorial was managed by Central Government, and it was maintained quite well. We were not allowed to take our phones or cameras inside, so we better kept them in the car or we could find lockers opposite to the memorial hall where we could keep them.

For visitors, it was free, we didn’t really have to pay. We just went in and looked at some of the artworks with Kalam’s face in them, gave respect to his tomb, looked and admired his contributions and achievements. And we reminded ourselves that we should never stop dreaming to achieve greater things.

We were quite thirsty so we had some watermelons, took some photographs from the outside and left for our next destination.

Along the way, the bright sea on the right and muddy shores on the left were such a view to enjoy. The sand looked absolutely stunning that each and every frame I saw there was quite a new visual to my eye. We got caught into heavy traffic as it was Sunday and it was also a seasonal time where people came to Ramnad and Rameshwaram to do some rites and poojas. So naturally people added Dhanushkodi to their bucket list.

Dhanushkodi

Dhanushkodi, the ghost town, is a very famous place if you have been born and brought up in Tamil Nadu. If you haven’t heard about it, I will definitely judge you. This famous town was destroyed by the 1962 cyclone and even now you can see the ruins of churches and railway. When you enter close to this south-eastern tip where two oceans join, your phone network turns into Sri Lanka. Yes, Sri Lanka is quite close from here and you all must have known it because most of our fishermen are always harmed by the Sri Lankan extremists.

Dhanushkodi is a place that one should visit once in their lifetime. This place carries so much of positive energy. Since it was quite crowded, our driver stopped 1 km away from the tip point. So we took a walk to go till the end. It was fun to see happy people all excited to see something simple. It’s just a beach and why are these people raving for it, said one of the persons who was standing there. And I told him, isn’t it what we live for? To enjoy simple things. That is what humans are designed for. Not to work all day in an office so that someone lives in riches while the ones who earn get a few pennies in the pocket that can hardly help them to travel and see the beauty of the world.

We humans designed this society and capitalism as a centerpiece that ruined our purpose forever. I am getting pissed off lately, finding everything unfair and nature is what gives me reason to keep on living. It’s a shame we all are born as humans. At least we can’t ruin our life by not being still and enjoying the beauty of nature and cherishing little things instead. But sadly for some of us it is. We have no other way.

Okay… I got off the track again. So yes, Dhanushkodi is surrounded by water on all three sides. You can’t see a place like this every day, unless you live there.

I am not a sea person, but strangely, very strangely I removed my shoes and socks and stepped into the shore and let the clear water flow and cover up my legs. For the first time I fell in love with the sea and water. After sitting and gazing at its beauty at different spots, my dad realized it was too hard to let me be, so he dragged me back to the car. Then we went to the ruined part of the town where the destroyed church is present. I spent few minutes there. Took some photographs and then set out to our next stop which is Kothandaraman temple which is close to Ramar Setu.

Kothandaraman Temple

When it comes to Rameshwaram and Ramnad, it all starts with Ram. There is a strong belief that, as per Ramayana, Ramar visited this Rameshwaram and from here he set out to Lanka with the help of the floating stones placed by the people who lived back then. So in every part of the town you can get the essence of Ramar. And there are many temples situated in the region for Ramar.

Kothandaraman Temple is one such place which is close to Ram Setu which is the beginning of the floating stone pathway that was made till Lanka. You can see one existing unique looking stone placed a few feet away from the temple where people swarm to touch and pray it.

When you are in Dhanushkodi to this temple, your network will be pretty much down. So you can’t make any calls, that’s a warning. So stop roaming there around night time.

Our next stop was for lunch… but getting food here is difficult if you miss lunch hour. So none of the restaurants had food left over. So our next stop was to few renowned temples in the town.

Aadhi Jagannatha Perumal Thirukovil

This is a very old temple, with exquisite and detailed architecture and sculptures carved inside the stone. It is really a huge temple, bigger than I expected. It was very calm and serene. The theppakulam (temple tank) was such a spot to just sit, meditate and disappear. I had the temple’s prasadam (sacred offering) for lunch. Adhirasam (sweet rice cake) and Murukku (crispy snack). Absolutely delicious. A white shy dog asked me for some Adhirasam, so I shared with him. And then we left for the next temple, which was actually in my bucket list, as I fell in love with its gopuram (gateway tower) while I saw its photo in TTDC (Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation).

Uthirakosamangai

I absolutely love Uthirakosamangai’s architecture. The Gopuram of Lord Shiva has a fan base. I am an absolute fanatic of Goddess Parvati’s Gopuram. Such a cute and colourful architecture that you can sit and watch all day. This temple also covers a vast area. It was so eventful on the inside and serene on the outside. We spent some time there and then decided to visit the Varahi Amman temple. This goddess is quite famous as a wish granter. It piqued my interest to visit this temple. I am not that superstitious, but I like to try things out.

Suyambu Varahi Amman Temple

Goddess Varahi is someone who I have heard of, but have never seen before. She has a face of a wild furious boar. The thing about Tamil deities is that they are not just alone. They are not detached from wilderness or nature, but co-exist. That is how we human beings are supposed to live… but look at us. Selfish brats.

This temple is quite small, but has a beautiful and dreamy pond close to it. Perfect place to watch sunset. So here people believe that if they grind turmeric in stone grinder and offer it to goddess and pray, their desperate wishes will come true. She is also known as a protector of people from negativity. Most needed. I had one wish that day, I was desperate about something. So I asked for it to happen on the same day. Unrealistic expectation, to be honest. It was something to do with manipulating a person. But fun fact is, it happened. Not on the same day, but the next day. But still it caught me off guard. I am still somewhere between, should I believe it or not? Did it work out or not?

End of Day 1

After a very long day, we got back to our room, freshened up a bit and had dinner in a nearby restaurant called Karuvepillai situated inside a mall. Spent 1300 Rs on food. Should I say wasted? The food wasn’t that great. Plus my dad ordered more than needed. Ice cream was the only delicious thing there. I know I shouldn’t eat ice cream, but whenever I travel I end up eating one. Maybe it’s because of the feel I get while I travel. It often feels like there is no tomorrow.

Day 2 At Rameshwaram and Ramnad That Felt Like – Am I still In Tamil Nadu?

Our day 2 plan was pretty much Temple and Palace.

The renowned Rameshwaram temple was on top of the list. We left the room around 8 am. Had breakfast at another branch of Bheema restaurant. Had absolutely delicious Podi Dosa and some smooth and rich flavoured Badam milk.

Rameshwaram Temple

It took solid 1 hour to reach Rameshwaram temple. Hell a lot of traffic, felt like I was in Ooty traffic. The day was a bit dry and sunny but I loved it. I love sun. After a long ride, we reached close to the temple. Our driver dropped us a bit far away from the temple because of the crowd. It was so different. The entire place. It felt like Haridwar. I felt like I had suddenly gone to Northern part of India.

If you don’t know, Rameshwaram temple and Rameshwaram beach are well known as places where people do rituals, throw the ashes into the water so that their dead family members will be at peace and go to heaven. The water here is believed to be divine and pure.

When we entered the Rameshwaram temple, I was pretty sure that we couldn’t get darshans (sight of the deity). There were around 20 thousand people inside that place. Not kidding. People from all around India were there. The locality surrounding the temple had more businesses run by North Indians. Just like I said, it felt like a different place.

The inside of the temple was too stunning and marvellous. One with photogenic cravings couldn’t get enough of this place. It was more like a Labyrinth. If you felt like you got lost or roaming in the same place again and again, it was natural. It meant you were lost. This temple had several theerthams (holy water sources) where they would drench you in water. It had a pure water theme park vibe. I didn’t have spare clothing so I tried my best not to get wet.

After getting most of the temple inside out, we decided to go for a 30-minute boat ride.

Which was so fun. It costed only 100 Rs. Very cheap. But such a pleasant ride.

Ramar Padham

This was again one of the famous temples in the town. It sat on top of a small hill. It had a very country vibe, even the house sparrows found this place safe. The temple was known to have footprints of Rama. The view from top of the temple was surreal. You would hear the sounds of crickets singing in chorus as if giving a background music for the view.

After this visit, we went to a food mess to have lunch. This time we went a bit earlier. Got food, but not tasty. I loved the taste of drinking water in Rameshwaram more than food. I am sorry to say this. Maybe I might have gone to wrong places to eat. But if you know a good place to eat in Rameshwaram, tell it in the comment section so that I visit it next time.

Ramnad Palace

Very old palace. Not maintained well. But had a gothic energy on the inside. You guys had to pay 5 Rs per person and if you were planning to take still photographs, 30 Rs per person. If you were going to take videos, 100 Rs. I liked all the unique stuffs placed in the gallery of the palace. I liked the sharp weapon that worked more like a Boomerang called Valari. People back then used to capture thieves using it. The entire palace had wall paintings as artworks. But they were slowly getting erased and not withstanding time. This palace also had a sanctum for Rama. And also there was a Throne designed in a British fashion, had some serious Narnia energy. It was a good place to explore. Since I like to visit museums, palaces and ruins, I liked this one.

End Of Escape Back To Reality

After a long but fun day, we went back to the room, slept for a while and packed our bags and left for the bus stand by 5:45 PM. The bus left by 6:30 ish. With a very sad note, I left the town. I felt like staying there for a few more days, but yeah work… We had dinner at one stop point. I had 2 Chapatis, kurma & kalaki. They didn’t mess with my sensitive stomach, so quality wise they passed.

On the whole, Rameshwaram and Ramanathapuram are such interesting places to visit if you are wanting to escape and take a weekend trip. There are so much to explore there. But I always wish you take more time at each place and embrace every moment.

The trip was such a rejuvenating experience. I was able to let my muscles loose and able to stay disconnected from all the bothering things. It gave me some time to remind me how important I am to myself. Over time, I realized that it is always important to nurture and upskill ourselves instead of doing things that are required for others to be done. And every time I travel, I have this feeling that I am outgrowing who I was yesterday. For me, knowing who I am, knowing what this planet is made of and understanding what people are here for drives me. I find my purpose there.

Thats all folks! Hope you enjoyed the blog. I know its long. And whoever you are. I am glad you made it till the end. And thank you for reading till the end.

Photographs are taken using: Fujifilm XA7, Google Pixel 7A, Samsung (Not sure what the model is – its my dad’s)