Kammatadurga

The 1964 cyclone had a catastrophic and transformative impact on Dhanushkodi and the surrounding areas. Before the disaster, Dhanushkodi was a bustling port town with railway and steamer links to Sri Lanka, thriving commerce, and a permanent population. On December 22–23, 1964, a super cyclonic storm struck, bringing winds up to 280km/h and a tidal wave estimated between 25–50ft high.

This enormous wave submerged the entire town, destroyed the railway line and station, overturned a passenger train, and swept away or demolished nearly every structure—homes, schools, medical facilities, the customs office, and temples. Over 1,800 people perished in the storm, and countless others were left stranded or displaced. The devastation was so severe that the Government of Tamil Nadu officially declared Dhanushkodi unfit for habitation and resettled survivors elsewhere.

Since then, Dhanushkodi has remained largely abandoned, its ruins standing as a ghost town on the edge of the sea. The disaster severed road and rail links, with rail service never restored beyond Rameswaram, and the area’s commercial importance vanished. In nearby regions, the Pamban Bridge was quickly rebuilt and communities received humanitarian aid, but the landscape, economy, and demography of the coast were irreversibly altered.