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A mythical experience awaits travellers in Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi

The tense tussle between Ram and Ravan and the places where the former desperately searched for his missing wife Sita might be etched in the minds of everyone who had watched Ramanand Sagar’s epic serial ‘Ramayana’ on the grainy and chunky TV sets of late 1980s. And when one travels to Dhanushkodi via Rameswaram, these images of the oncepopular TV series would flash through your mind. The seaside town of Rameswaram in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu is dotted with many small and big temples and these places of worship have a tale or two to tell about Ram. As you follow the trail of these sagas, you will reach the amazing Dhanushkodi, a small patch of land protruding from the southern tip of the country. Dhanushkodi, which is 24km from the Sri Lankan coast, is the melting pot of Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean. This magical land is surrounded by water on three sides and the dilapidated buildings and deserted pathways of Dhanushkodi would give a surreal feeling to the travellers. The spell-binding combo of expansive sea, sandy beach and blue sky is a treat to the eyes. The local people eke a living by venturing into the sea when there is even a semblance of calmness. Magic of Rameswaram A four-hour bus ride from the temple city of Madurai will take you to Rameswaram. The journey from Madurai to Rameswaram is pure bliss as the road is smooth and both sides of the carriageway are replete with green meadows. The clear blue sky can only give a touch of grandeur to the trip. Once you reach Rameswaram you don’t have to worry about missing any places of interest as the ubiquitous autos provide services to take you around. But make sure to drive a hard bargain as the autowallahs might charge you exorbitantly. Moreover, do a thorough research about the must-see places in Rameswaram before hitting the road. First you can pay visit to the memorial of A P J Abdul Kalam. Scores of pictures of Kalam along with world leaders adorn the walls of the memorial. The bag of clothes, diary and the books the former President of India carried and the footwear he wore during his last journey are exhibited near his grave. People from different walks of life come to the memorial to pay homage to Kalam who was known as the missile man of India. Another place worth visiting is the Viluandi Tirth, a sweet water pond situated amidst sea water and this is one of the 64 holy ‘tirths’ in Rameswaram. Legend has it that Ram, in order to quench the thirst of Sita, shot an arrow into a spot and from there fresh water started to flow. Pilgrims coming to Rameswaram make it a point to have a handful of freshwater from Viluandi Tirth. From the holy tirth, you can go to Pamban bridge, which is an engineering marvel. The sight of train passing through the long bridge in the backdrop of sun setting is simply out of the world. Next on the list is the main temple of Rameswaram. The interiors of the temple are decorated with exquisite murals and carvings. As cameras and other electronic gadgets are not allowed inside the temple, you will have to deposit them at a locker outside the place of worship. Off to Dhanushkodi Dhanushkodi is the meeting point of a rather turbulent Indian Ocean and a calm Bay of Bengal. Once Dhanushkodi, which is surrounded on three sides by water, had all the glory of a town but the cyclone of December 22, 1964 wreaked havoc and left behind a trail of destruction. Presently, only a small number of people are living in huts in Dhanushkodi. The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) is running services on the nearly 20km stretch between Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi. It is worth noting that TNSTC is offering free bus ride to women from Rameswaram to Dhanushkodi. The normal fare for a bus ride between these two places is Rs 30 and the services are available right from the morning. The final stop of the bus to Dhanushkodi is Arichal Munai, where the national highway ends. Earlier, the bus didn’t go up to Arichal Munai and the remaining distance had to be traversed in a jeep. But now people can drive to the last point in their own vehicles without any hassles and moreover, the state transport is running services every 90 minutes. It may be noted that the vehicles are allowed entry only after 6am. The region bears the distressing marks of a place where the majority of land had been gobbled up by the sea. If you want take some breathtaking snaps of the sun rising in the horizon, then Dhanushkodi is the right place for you. While returning from Dhanushkodi, one can also visit the spot where the old mosque and post office were situated. The roadside shops could be seen selling all kinds of fish and the women running these outlets would clean, marinate and fry the fish selected by you. Another set of shops sell fancy necklaces decked with shells, and bangles. After walking through the rustic beauty of Dhanushkodi, you can now offer prayers at the Kothandaramar temple. It is believed that Ram after defeating Ravan, conducted ‘Pattabhishekam’ (ascension to the throne) of Ravan’s brother Vibhishana at this temple. Holy places in Rameswaram One could also offer prayers at the Ram Tirtha, Lakshmana Tirtha and ‘Panchamukhi (five faced) Hanuman temple at Rameswaram. The Ramar Patham temple, which is the highest point in Rameswaram, is 4km away from the Hanuman temple. According to legend, Ram started his journey to Lanka in search of Sita from this temple. The Ramnathaswamy Temple is one of the prominent places of worship in Rameswaram and boasts of the longest corridor among the temples in India. The famous temple has 21 holy ponds (tirtha kulam). Like most of the temples in Tamil Nadu, the Ramnathaswamy temple has an array mural paintings and well-crafted carvings. While walking through the long corridors, the aroma of sandalwood and camphor will give a soothing feeling to your mind and body. You will be passing through Pamban bridge, an engineering excellence in every sense, if you are returning to Madurai by train. The bridge is designed in such a way that it can open up for vessel movement. A trip to Rameswaram and Dhanuskodi is unique as the journey can be an eye opener in many ways than one.

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Gujarat govt signs MoU with Taj group for hotel near Statue of Unity

In another round of signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit (VGGS) in Gandhinagar, the state government inked a pact on Monday with the Taj group of hotels for the construction of a hotel at the Statue of Unity fame Kevadiya. Industries and mining Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Rajeev Kumar Gupta, inked the pact with the hotel conglomerate in the presence of Revenue Minister Rajendra Trivedi and the Minister of State (MoS), industries, Hrishikesh Patel. Other major MoUs signed are for setting up a 70 MW hybrid renewable energy park, for specialty chemicals and radar parts manufacturing, insecticide formulation plant, defence thermal camera, defence accessories manufacturing and more in sectors like waste to energy, waste to oil, air pollution prevention, anti-bacterial patented equipment manufacturing and more. During the last four weeks, 80 MoUs have been signed. A total of 16 MoUs were signed on Monday. As many as 95 MoUs have been signed till now in preVibrant Summit.

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Attention passengers! Kerala gets general coaches for 4 more trains; 15 Sabarimala special trains

Thiruvananthapuram/Kochi: The Railways has decided to restore general coaches in four more express trains running through Kerala in January. Coaches D4, D5, DL1 and DL2 will be unreserved in MangaluruThiruvananthapuram Maveli Express and Chennai-Mangaluru (12601/02) Express from January 1. Coaches D3, D4 and DL2 in the Thiruvananthapuram-Mangaluru Malabar Express will be unreserved from January 1 till 16. Coaches D3, D4 and DL 1 and DL 2 will be unreserved in the Chennai-Mangaluru West Coast Express from January 17. After January 16, four coaches in Malabar will be unreserved. Sabarimala special trains Fifteen special trains will be operated for Sabarimala pilgrims. Train services will be operated from Kollam to Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday and from Kacheguda in Andhra to Kollam on January 3. The train will leave from Kollam to Kacheguda on January 5. The trains, operating services from Hyderabad to Kollam on January 4 and 11, will return on January 6 and 13. Services will be operated from Nanded in Maharashtra to Kollam on January 6 and 13. Train services will also be operated from Kollam to Tirupati on January 8 and 15. Services will be operated from Kacheguda to Kollam on January 5 and 12. These trains will return on January 6 and 13. Nod has also been given for services from Secunderabad to Kollam on January 7 and 14. These trains will return on January 9 and 16. Services will be again operated from Secunderabad on January 8 and 15, and the return train services are on January 9 and 16. Change in train timings from tomorrow Train timings will change from Sunday due to the ongoing modification works at the Tiruchirappally Ariyalur Yard. These changes will be in effect till January 15. The Chennai-Guruvayur daily train, that commences journey from Chennai at 9am, will operate services via Villupuram and Kumbakonam, skipping Virudhachalam, from December 26 to January 10 (except on December 30). The Guruvayur-Chennai Express will skip Sreerangam and instead operate services via Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur on January 9. The Madurai-Chennai Express will operate services till Tambaram on December 30 and 31. The Chennai-Egmore Karaikkudi Pallavan Express will commence services from Tambaram on these days. The Nagercoil-Mumbai Express, that departs at 6am on January 6, will start after a delay of 40 minutes. The Chennai-Madurai Vaigai Express will commence journey after a delay of 20 minutes on January 10, and the Lokmanya Tilak Madurai Express after a delay of 75 minutes on January 5. Trains along Arakkonam-Katpadi route cancelled Chennai: Rail traffic has been disrupted after travel through the bridge between Tiruvalam and Mukundarayapuram stations along the Arakkonam-Katpadi route was suspended. The Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram Superfast Express train (12695), and the Thiruvananthapuram-Chennai (12696) have been cancelled on Saturday. The Chennai-Mangaluru (22637) West Coast Express, MangaluruChennai (22638) West Coast Express too have been cancelled on Saturday and Sunday. The Dhanbad-Alappuzha-Dhanbad (13351/13352) Express will operate services via Katpadi and Renigunta. There will be no stoppages at Arakkonam, and Chennai Central. Kochuveli-Indore (22646), SilcharThiruvananthapuram (12508), Ernakulam-Patna (22669), KollamVisakhapatnam (18568) will also operate services via Katpadi and Renigunta

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Four-day Beypore water fest to end on December 29

Kozhikode: The four-day Beypore Water Fest as part of the government's efforts to tap the tourism potential of the ancient port town on the Malabar coast began on Sunday. Tourism and PWD Minister P A Muhammad Riyas presided over the inaugural function on December 26 that also seeks to further highlight the age-old culture of Malabar before the world. The event, which will end on December 29, aims to feature the heritage value of one of the country's oldest harbours, known for its shipbuilding tradition and cross-cultural influences amid communal amity, the Tourism department said in a release. “A chief attraction of the event will be competitive races and Malabar's first sailing regatta. It is curated by retired Naval officer-yachtsman, Commander Abhilash Tomy, who became the first Indian to complete a solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the world under sail," the release said. Mammootty appeared online to declare the festival open. Besides Riyas, Parliamentarians M K Raghavan, M V Shreyamskumar, Additional Chief Secretary (Tourism) Dr Venu V, Kerala Tourism Director V R Krishna Teja, District Collector Dr Narasimhugari T L Reddy and elected representatives of three-tier local administration bodies also took part in the event. On December 27, a kite fest will be inaugurated by Elamaram Kareem, MP. The valedictory function will have actress Manju Warrier as the chief guest, the release said. The fest, which will have races and celebrations held in ten venues, features kayaking, paddle race, display boat, boat races, the Navy's band music and an exhibition of naval ships. Beypore is located six km south-west of Kozhikode city on the estuary where the River Chaliyar empties into Arabian Sea. Long before the advent of the western colonialists, the port was a vital link in maritime trade with West Asia. As Malabar's commercial hub, it was renowned for the weather-resistant wooden ships built by the local artisans. Called uru' (dhow), it was in great demand and the vessels carried the bulk of trade with West Asia.

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No fresh curbs for this festive season, says Goa CM Pramod Sawant

While the state is ushering in Christmas and New Year festivities, chief minister Pramod Sawant on Friday raised serious concern about the Covid positivity rate increasing from 1.8 per cent to 3.5 per cent. However, he said that the state government has not imposed any restrictions on the celebrations and that there is no night curfew in the state for now. “People should take precautions so that there is no need to impose night curfew,” Sawant said. The Chief Minister chaired the meeting of the taskforce on Covid management and discussed issues related to the Omicron variant of Covid-19. “We have not restricted any activities being a tourist season and festive season. Christmas is celebrated in a big way and while celebrating Christmas we have to take precautions and I hope all will take precautions,” Sawant said. He said that the expert committee will submit a report on Monday and then the taskforce will meet on Wednesday to decide on the future course of action. In view of Omicron cases being detected in neighbouring states, Sawant said that the state government has decided to install a genome sequencing machine within one month. “We will finalise the source for the machine on Monday or Tuesday and then place the order for it. It will be installed at the Goa Medical College and Hospital. The machine is specially to detect the Omicron variant,” he said. Sawant said that 28 samples of foreigners suspected to be infected by the Omicron variant were sent for genome sequencing, eight people tested positive for the delta variant and 19 reports are still pending. The Chief Minister said that around 3,500 foreigners are in Goa and we are trying to keep in touch with these foreigners, but some of them cannot be contacted as their phones have been switched off. He also said that the public health department and the tourism department will issue an advisory for the general public and hotels on Monday. “We want to say that those foreigners staying in hotels and houses should compulsorily get themselves tested for Covid after eight days and they should go to nearby primary health centre for the test. If they do not conduct tests, then hoteliers and people who have come in contact with them should insist on conducting the test,” the Chief Minister said. Sawant said that if any foreigner tests positive for Covid then they should go to GMC to conduct genome sequencing. He said that as the positivity rate has gone up, the public and tourists should take precautions. The CM said that people should not go to crowded places and hold restricted functions in AC halls. He said that precautions are being taken in view of tourists from high risk countries like the UK and Russia visiting the state.

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Delhi announces night curfew starting today amid Omicron scare

The Delhi government on Sunday decided to impose a night curfew in the city from today in view of an increase in the number of coronavirus cases. The curfew will be imposed from 11 pm to 5 am every night. Meanwhile, Delhi recorded 290 new Covid-19 cases and one fatality, while the positivity rate rose to 0.55%, as per the data shared by the Delhi government's health department today. With this, the cumulative tally rose to 14,43,352 while the death toll rose to 25,105. The number of active cases stands at 1,103, of which 583 patients are in home isolation. There has been an uptick in the number of cases in the last few days, amid a threat of the Omicron variant of the virus. Earlier today, the Delhi government had postponed a play on the life of Babasaheb Ambedkar that was to be staged from 5 January in view of the rising coronavirus cases in the national capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced. The government did not announce a new date. "Delhi Govt had planned a grand show on the life of Babasaheb Ambedkar from 5th January, in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. However, this show is being postponed in light of rising Covid cases. We shall announce a new date as soon as the situation improves," Kejriwal wrote on Twitter. States like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Karnataka have also reimposed night curfew.

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