Sri Lanka is one of the most beautiful places in the world that I have had the opportunity to visit. In the weeks leading up to the trip, I decided to venture to the edge of India and the closest land between these two different countries - Rameshwaram and Danushkodi. My journey took place through land passing through the Pamban Bridge, India's sea bridge.
The journey can also be taken through train, ship, or flight. As a person born and raised for the first six years in India, public education failed me and I never realized that India had islands like Rameshwaram until I went on this journey and was told we would be island hopping by car. The journey across the bridge was like no other. Half-way through we decided to stop the car and sightsee. The winds were blowing rough and fast and the view of the strait with its enormous ships sailing through was magnificent.
About thirty minutes later, we arrived at the island and were greeted by narrow streets, in what looked like a rural village for someone who has only ever known life in the metropolitan areas. There are many things to do in Rameshwaram and unfortunately, the day trip there was not enough to cover them all. After parking the car, a journey by foot was made to visit the first attraction, Ramanathaswamy Temple. The heat of the summer air scorched the sacred ground that I walked on as I stumbled forth to the nearby hotel that we had booked. After refreshing, I entered the majestic temple and had bought the Indian "fast-pass" service to cut lines and visit each edifice saving time. The walls were vibrant in color and boasted a history of culture.
After spending the afternoon looking around, I bought myself a coconut monkey as a souvenir and ate lunch at a local shop.
One of the other main attractions was rocks that floated on water - Ram Setu and the mythological evidence behind the floating rock bridge between India and Sri Lanka. The temple that held the relics only opened at 4 and we were afraid that the sun might set before making the day trip back home so we weren't able to visit.
Instead, we traveled to Danushkodi - the closest point between India and Sri Lanka.
The strait was extremely windy and waves were as rough as the sea in a storm. Sand blew into my face and I could barely open my eyes without crying in pain. After trekking along the waters and facing the majestic ocean and having the car fill up with a literal bag of sand, it was time to head back to the mainland.
In exactly a week, I would stand on the opposite side - in Sri Lanka looking towards the ocean to the exact place I was at in that moment of time. On the way back, I stopped by a couple of museums by the exuberant amount of beaches and enjoying seeing other tourists parasail and jet ski in the frigid waters.
There are so many attractions and places to see in India from the Taj Mahal, Har Ki Pauri, Ganges, and Jaipur. However, Rameshwaram and Danushkodi deserve to be up there on the list. The pristine beaches and scenery are definitely something that I have not been able to find elsewhere.
Sit back, relax, order a coconut, and enjoy the beauty the ocean has to offer in this spectacular island of India.
