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A bridge too near: From Ram Setu to the New Pamban Bridge, India’s legends and infrastructure meet over sacred waters

Between ancient stones and stainless steel, India links history and a strategic future

Last updated:
Makarand R. Paranjape, Special to Gulf News
4 MIN READ
Built at a cost of over Rs5.5 billion, the vertical lift railway sea bridge, marks a significant milestone in India’s infrastructural evolution.
Built at a cost of over Rs5.5 billion, the vertical lift railway sea bridge, marks a significant milestone in India’s infrastructural evolution.
IANS

I just read a scintillating account of Ram Setu, the “enchanting bridge” of limestone shoals that connects the Indian mainland to Sri Lanka. Written by a former student, Professor Arup K. Chatterjee, the book will soon appear in an Indian reprint.

Celebrated in the ancient epic, Ramayana, Ram Setu was believed to have been built in mythical times by Rama’s army of forest-dwelling hominid subalterns and sepoys. With this rag-tag army, the god-hero marched to Lanka, the capital of the demonic despot, Ravana, to win back his wife, Sita, whom Ravana had abducted.

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