Tracing the myth: The ancient stone bridge connecting India to Sri Lanka -by Kaif Shaikh

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If you look at satellite imagery, you will notice a faint hint of a connecting strip between India and Sri Lanka. This is Adam’s Bridge, also known as Ram’s Bridge or Ram Setu (राम सेतु), a vast chain of natural limestone shoals that spans an impressive 30 miles (48 km) over the Indian Ocean.

This ancient land bridge is celebrated for its geological, historical, and mythological significance, and it fascinates scientists and scholars alike. Let’s uncover the history, myth, and geology layers that shape this formation.

The natural history of Adam’s Bridge/Ram Setu

Adam’s Bridge, linking the Indian island of Rameswaram with Sri Lanka’s Mannar Island, holds significant archaeological and historical importance. Once passable by foot until the 15th century, it has been shaped by natural forces over millennia.

Geological surveys, including those by the Geological Survey of India (GSI), suggest that the land masses at Rameswaram and Talaimannar became exposed between 7,000 and 18,000 years ago. The shoals that form the visible part of Adam’s Bridge may have emerged as sea levels fluctuated during this period, with coral growth atop sand deposits contributing to the formation we see today.

The geological forces gradually altered the landscape, causing India and Sri Lanka to drift apart and giving rise to the Palk Strait. In this newly formed strait, sediment deposition from the Kaveri River and longshore currents created a series of islands and sandbanks today known as Adam’s Bridge.

Some corals in the area date back 125,000 years, reflecting a long history of geological activity.

There are two main theories about the Bridge’s creation. One posits that it formed through continuous sand deposition and natural sedimentation, resulting in a chain of barrier islands. Another suggests it may be an old shoreline, indicating that India and Sri Lanka were once directly connected.

The Sethusamudram Shipping Canal project

Oceanographers and engineers have explored ways to navigate the shallow waters between southern India and northern Sri Lanka for centuries. The first significant proposal came from English oceanographer James Rennel in 1782, who envisioned a maritime channel through these waters.

This idea materialized with the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project, first proposed in 1955. The “Suez Canal of Asia” aimed to create a 167-kilometer channel linking the Palk Strait with the Gulf of Mannar, cutting over 400 kilometers from maritime routes and saving up to 36 hours of travel time.

Despite the strategic benefits, the project faced significant opposition. Approved by the Government of India in 2005, the initiative intended to dredge the shallow ocean floor to create the channel.

Environmentalists warned the project could destroy vital coral formations and disrupt the local fishing ecosystem. Additionally, there was fear that dredging might release India’s thorium deposits into the ocean, increasing environmental risks and potentially enhancing the region’s vulnerability to tsunamis.

Further complicating the project’s progress, significant opposition stemmed from religious and cultural groups. To many, Ram Setu is not merely a natural formation but a structure of immense religious importance, believed to have been built by Lord Rama.

This sentiment led to strong resistance from various community groups and political parties, culminating in a 2013 Supreme Court judgment that effectively halted the project due to these sensitivities. As a result, the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project remains in limbo, and its future is uncertain amidst ongoing debates over its environmental impact and cultural implications.

A mythological crossroads between faiths

Adam’s Bridge, also revered as Ram Setu, is a geological formation and a cultural and mythological symbol. In the ancient Indian epic, the Ramayana, attributed to the sage Valmiki around 1000-500 BC, the Bridge plays a central role in Lord Rama’s quest to rescue his wife, Sita, from the demon king Ravana of Lanka.

According to the text, the Bridge was constructed by the Vanara Sena (Army of Ape Men), who created a passable route from Rameswaram, India, to Sri Lanka by writing Rama’s name on stones and casting them into the sea, where they floated due to divine intervention. Whether formed by natural processes or divine intervention, Adam’s Bridge continues to capture the imagination, linking not only distant lands but also generations of myth, faith, and inquiry.

In addition to its significance in Hindu tradition, Adam’s Bridge also appears in Abrahamic traditions. It is said to be Adam’s path after his expulsion from Paradise, crossing from Adam’s Peak in Sri Lanka to India.

This association is found in texts such as Ibn Khordadbeh’s 9th-century Kitāb al-Masālik wa-l-Mamālik, which refers to the structure as Set Bandhai or “Bridge of the Sea,” and Al-Biruni’s writings in the 11th century further enhance the structure’s mythical status.

Whether a product of human engineering or natural processes, Adam’s Bridge is a testament to structural grandeur, bridging distant shores and linking generations in wonder and inquiry.

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