Why in the News?

An international, high-speed passenger ferry service between Nagapattinam on the eastern coast of Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai in the northern province of Sri Lanka, has resumed as of Saturday, October 14, 2023, after a gap of nearly four decades.

About the Palk Strait:

• Palk Strait, situated between the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the island nation of Sri Lanka, derives its name from Robert Palk, the governor of Madras Presidency (1755-1763) during the British Raj.
• Bounded by Pamban Island (India), Adam's (Rama's) Bridge, the Gulf of Mannar, and Mannar Island (Sri Lanka) to the south, the strait serves as a crucial link connecting the Bay of Bengal in the northeast with the Gulf of Mannar in the southwest.
• The southwestern segment of the strait is referred to as Palk Bay.
• Spanning 40 to 85 miles (64 to 137 km) in width, 85 miles in length, and with a depth of less than 330 feet (100 meters), it features the inflow of several rivers, including Tamil Nadu's Vaigai River.
• The port of Jaffna, serving as the commercial hub for northern Sri Lanka, is situated along this significant waterway.

Facts About Adam's Bridge:

• Adam's Bridge, also recognized as Rama's Bridge or Rama Setu, constitutes a series of limestone shoals situated between Pamban Island (Rameswaram Island) off the south-eastern coast of Tamil Nadu, India, and Mannar Island off the north-western coast of Sri Lanka.
• Geological evidence supports the idea that this bridge once formed a land connection between India and Sri Lanka.
• Extending over 50 km, it delineates the separation between the Gulf of Mannar to the southwest and the Palk Strait to the northeast.
• Featuring dry sandbanks and shallow waters ranging from 1 to 10 meters in depth, hindering navigation, scientists posit that Ram Setu is a natural formation resulting from tectonic movements and the entrapment of sand in corals.
• Significantly, this structure holds cultural significance in Hindu and Muslim mythology.
• Hindus believe it to be the bridge constructed by Lord Ram and his army for their journey to Lanka to confront Ravan.
• According to Islamic legend, Adam traversed this bridge to reach Adam’s Peak in Sri Lanka, where he purportedly stood on one foot in repentance for 1,000 years.