Danushkodi is a coastal town in Tamil Nadu with the Indian Ocean on one side and the Bay of Bengal on the other. It was the point where ferries would depart from India to Srilanka. An old railway line connected Chennai to Danushkodi after which passengers would board the ferry to Srilanka.
In 1964, a massive cyclone swept the city away. A train was on its way to Danushkodi. Its conductor could not see in the dark and took a call to drive onwards. The train plunged into the ocean leaving no survivors. All the houses in the town were razed to the ground. The government of India deemed the town 'unfit to live' and it has since existed a ghost town.
Last week, I visited Rameswaram with my family. We drove down to Danushkodi which is 20km away from the temple town. The drive gave us spectacular views of both the Indian ocean and the Bay of Bengal. It was only once we came to the cyclone hit town that time stood still.
At the old town center, there are remnants of the once bustling public structures that give us a grave idea of what the town had to offer. The coast itself is spectacular. Clean and pristine, the sea is rough on the side of the Indian Ocean but calm a the Bay of Bengal. Some local fishermen tell us that it is possible to reach Sri Lanka within a half hour. It is not allowed but being so close to the country makes you long to reach out and wish the trip were possible.
Today, a handful of fishermen have rebuilt temporary huts in the town. This is the soil they were born on, they say. And they cannot leave it. The point out to the old temple -some of it's old outer adornment is still intact. A few meters away, the old church is a point for tourists to take #wanderlust photos and for children to play hide and seek.
The Old Church
Abandoned boats that were washed up after the cyclone.
The Bay of Bengal receded.
A chilling visit but also one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to.