Rameswaram - Day 02 | Danushkodi | Kurusadai Island

I CONTINUE FROM HERE: Rameswaram - Day 01

The sunrise viewed from Agni Theertha was spectacular . A boy who was sitting behind me, took some pictures and shared it with me later. Devotees were doing all sorts of things there - Performing some rituals, taking a dip in the sea, dropping lamps and some kids even taking poop by the side. It was chaotic as I sat there watching the sun rise behind the clouds. The unhygienic atmosphere around, bothered me but I chose to ignore them and watch the beautiful view ahead of me. 

For breakfast, I went to a local restaurant and had masala dosa. It was very good. I then walked to the bike rental place. The man who was dealing with it managed a shop in the town centre and rented out scooters as a side business (Contact). He spoke descent english and was helpful in giving me some travel tips around the place. The scooter he gave me though was not in the best condition. There were no side mirrors or speedometer. The later, I did not mind as I could therefore drive the scooter to any distance without being tracked. 

First, I headed to Kurusadai island. Here, some tourists from other parts of Tamil Nadu were already waiting for the ferry to arrive. I bought a ticket for Rs300. The villagers have formed a community that arranges a guided tour to the island. 

Our guide Edwin Prem Kumar, introduced himself along with a comment that we could just call him Prem. I wondered if that was his way of connecting to his roots. He was very informative and spoke really well and explained to us the history of the place with clarity and confidence. 

At the island, he took us to various spots and informed us about the different plant and animal species found there. There is also a dilapidated building that served as a laboratory during the British era. There are still some specimens stored from that time. 

We then walked to the other end of the island where a beautiful beach with clear sea water awaited us. We were allowed to explore the beach for some time. As I stepped into the water, under me, I could see corals and sea weeds. Without human footprint, the place looked peaceful and most importantly, clean; in contrast to what I had seen earlier that day at Agni Theertha. I wish we could keep all our beaches so clean. 

On our way back, we were lucky to see some dolphins. Everyone cheered like little kids as we saw two dolphins hop by. 

Next, I headed to Villoondi Theertham. All around Rameswaram there are several theerthas - which are basically clean water sources - a well or a pond. They are considered sacred and each one is associated with Rama, Lakshmana, Sita or other characters from the Ramayana. At Villoondi theertha, a man stood to collect water from the well and offer to the devotees. He demanded Rs10 afterwards.

Next stop -Gandhamadhana Parvatham where there is a temple with a small relief of feet. It is considered to be that of Lord Rama and is known as Rama pada. 

On my way back to town, I stopped at Abdul Kalam memorial. Here you can find some pictures and sculptures of our Ex-President. They could have instead had some working models of rockets. I think we don’t get the point that to build a memorial for a person does not simply mean listing out facts from his life. We can make use of the place to educate common man and children about science and space technology as well as keep simulators or working models of his contributions or latest developments in space technology. 

I then visited Rama Theertha and Lakshmana Theertha which were accompanied by a temple dedicated to the respective Gods. There was a Panchamukhi hanuman temple which was famous for a floating rock. Earlier that day Prem had explained to us about the science behind floating rocks or Porus coral stones that are light enough to float on water. I laughed at how the such a rock was being used in a temple to fool the devotees as that from Rama Sethu. 

I had lunch a Marwari restaurant. Though the food there was not great, I longed to eat some chapati and sabji. I treated myself with a Jigarthanda at a shop very close to the entrance of Sri Arulmigu Ramanathaswamy temple. This was by far the best one I had had on this trip. 

After lunch, I rode to the light house. The road passed along peaceful beaches. I planned to return there the next day to take a dip in the sea thus avoiding crowded areas near Agni Theertha. 

I returned back to the hotel and extended my stay for another day. I decided to drop the plan of going to Tirunelveli and spend that extra day at Rameswaram, before heading back to Coimbatore. I felt that Tirunelveli requires more time and I did not want to rush through. Also, I had promised my mother in law that I would return back in a week as she had planned some local trips. 

At around 4PM, I set out again. First, I stopped at the house of our Ex-president and a scientist - A.P.J Adbul Kalam. I was disappointed with what I saw there. I had read that he did not keep a lot of belongings and lived in a small room. But it looked like the adjacent rooms or houses were all merged to create a large space to create a museum of sorts. The house was okay but just above the house , in the second floor of the building, they had setup stalls selling artificial jewellery and toys. It was like using the Presidents name and status to do some business. 

Disgusted, I walked out of the place as quickly as I could. This is exactly how all religions came into existence. People who lived after the so called saint, made use of his fame to create a cult. If Mr. President were to see this, he would never approve it. He lived a very simple life, despite being such a prolific and famous personality - A merit gained only through the power of knowledge and virtue. 

On my way to Dhanushkodi, I took a deviation into a jungle to reach Jada theertham. This is a beautiful place, mostly deserted. The place was filled with peacocks. Two locals who were there offered me some tea which I politely declined. 

I then rode to Kothanda Rama temple. It was heavily crowded. So, I decided to visit the place during my return. Dhanushkodi was closing at 5 PM. The police officers were asking people to return. I quickly took some pictures. About 10 years ago, I was standing on the other side of the ocean - at Thalaimannar. I had visited the place just to be at the end of Sri Lanka that was closest to India (Dhanushkodi). 

When I returned back to where I had parked my scooter I noticed that the ignition and the horn switches were gone. I looked at it in disbelief. A taxi driver standing close by asked me what had happened. I told him and he asked me to report it to the police. I smiled and asked him - Why would anyone want to remove it? I could anyway start the scooter mechanically through a kick start but I wondered why anyone would do so. 

I realised soon that one of the taxi or auto drivers had done it as they knew it was a rented scooter. As it is not legal to rent out private vehicles, they try to damage the bikes because they steal their business. Ignoring it, I stopped to view a beautiful sunset along the way. It calmed me down and allowed me to forget all the madness I have been witnessing since morning. Nature, indeed is the best healer. 

On my way back, I stopped at the Kodanada Rama temple. It was empty and was about to close. I got the Darshana and headed back to town. 

On the way, I stopped at a local mechanic to see if he could replace the switches. He had a very old switch that he wanted to replace. I refused the offer, thanked him and left as it would be better if the owners decide what they want to do. 

Back in town, I told the owners of the scooter about what had happened. They told me that it must be one of the auto rickshaw drivers and they do that all the time. I could not have gone to the cops because then they would question me about the scooter and it would land the owners in trouble. Somehow, it was a problem they had to learn how to deal with. 

To Be Continued...