PAMBAN BRIDGE (Rameswaram) | Train Over The Ocean | A Dangerous & Exciting Train Ride click here

A short trip from Rameswaram island to Mandapam (in mainland India) via the iconic Pamban Bridge built over the Indian Ocean, onboard 06654 Ramewaram - Madurai Passenger Special, at the dawn.

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is significant for many Hindus as a pilgrimage to Varanasi is considered to be incomplete without a pilgrimage to Rameswaram. The town along with the Ramanathaswamy temple is one of the holiest Hindu Char Dham (four divine sites) sites comprising Badrinath, Puri and Dwarka.

Pamban Bridge is a railway bridge which connects the town of Mandapam in mainland India with Pamban Island, and Rameswaram. It is an engineering marvel that evokes awe! Few can forget a train journey on the Pamban bridge, connecting Rameswaram island to the mainland.

With 143 piers, spanning 2 km between the mainland and the island, it is the second longest sea bridge in India after the 2.3-km Bandra-Worli sea link on Mumbai's western coast.

Efforts were taken for the construction of the bridge as early as the 1870s with the British administration planning to expand trade connectivity to Sri Lanka, then Ceylon. However, the construction of the rail bridge commenced only by 1911 and it was commissioned on February 24, 1914.

In 1988, a road bridge was also constructed parallel to the rail bridge. This road bridge is also known as Annai Indira Gandhi Road Bridge. The Annai Indira Gandhi Road Bridge connects the National Highway (NH 49) with the Rameswaram island. It stands on the Palk Strait and between the shores of Mandapam (a place on the Indian mainland) and Pamban (one of the fishing towns on Rameswaram island). It was inaugurated by then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on 2 October 1988. This 2.345 km long bridge took close to 14 years to be completed.