Last Updated At: 03-Apr-2024
What if we tell you that there exists a real bridge from Hindu mythology that was constructed by a King and his forces to defeat a demon and evil King?
Well, sounds like an intriguing story, don’t you think so? But if you are thinking it to be a cooked-up story then let us tell you, it is not so!
In fact, the bridge we are talking about here was built by none other than Lord Rama.
Known as Rama's Bridge or Ram Setu, this architectural wonder is essentially a chain of limestone shoals situated somewhere between Pamban Island and Tamil Nadu.
It covers a length of about 48km, separating the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait. Here, you will be finding that some of the areas are dry, and the sea in this particular stretch rarely exceeds 1 meter in-depth, which is equivalent to around 3 feet.
And it is this fact that makes the ships unsalable on this stretch. Owing to this, the vessels passing through this direction have to take another course.
What is interesting to know is the fact that this bridge was passable on foot somewhere around the 15th century but with the passing of time and eventual storms, the passageway was somewhat deepened and this whole channel sank further in the ocean.
This mythological bridge got its first mention in Ramayana which was written by Valmiki. According to the Ramayana, Lord Rama built the bridge to travel to Lanka to save Maa Sita from Rakshasha King Raavana.
As per the western history record, this Setu finds its mention in the 9th-century historian Ibn Khordadbeh's book, Book of Roads and Kingdoms, and refers to it as the Set Bandhai or Bridge of the seas.
The earliest map which states this as Adam’s Bridge was made by a British Cartographer sometime in the year 1804.
This bridge starts from Dhanushkodi’s tip of the Pamban Island and finds its ending at Sri Lanka’s Mannar Island. The nearby areas such as Rameswaram, Dhanushkodi, Devipattanam, and Thirupullani find mention in different stages of Ramayana.
To this day, there is still an ongoing debate about the origin of this Lord Rama bridge. Some claim it to be having a supernatural origin whereas others call it a man-made architectural wonder. According to Ramayana, the ten-headed Rakshasa, King Raavana had captured Lord Rama’s wife Goddess Sita in the disguise as a golden deer and had taken her to his Kingdom Lanka.
Raavana had done so to take revenge from Rama and his brother Lakshmana for cutting the nose of his sister Shurpanakha.
To save his wife from the demonic King, Lord Rama had to travel to Lanka to fight the demon king and on his way, he met the vanaraas who we can refer to as intelligent monkeys. They helped him create this historical bridge to cross over the immense sea which lay before them.