Talaimannar

A sleepy fishing village at the western tip of Mannar Island, once the ferry port to India and now the mainland gateway to the sand shoals of Adam's Bridge.

Overview

Talaimannar sits at the far western end of Mannar Island, about 30 km beyond Mannar town along a lonely road of palmyra scrub, salt flats and wind turbines. It is best known as the historic ferry terminal that once linked Ceylon to India across the Palk Strait, and as the point where the chain of sandbanks and limestone shoals known as Adam's Bridge (Rama's Bridge) reaches out toward Rameswaram. A weathered lighthouse, a ruined pier and wide empty beaches give the village a quietly evocative, end-of-the-line feel.

History

Talaimannar was for decades the terminus of the boat train from Colombo and the port for the ferry service across to Dhanushkodi and Rameswaram in India, a link that carried pilgrims, migrants and traders until it was suspended in 1984 amid the civil conflict. The pier and rail line fell derelict during the war years, and while the railway to Talaimannar has since been rebuilt, the passenger ferry to India has not resumed, leaving the village a peaceful outpost at the island's edge.