NW-20-Kalliaditivu island

Kalliaditivu island

Latitude and longitude:   8.945369°; 79.909805°
(modified by RB from Wikipedia)

Surface: 1.71 km2
Distance from mainland: 100 m

Kalliaditivu island is one of the two islands linked by an old railway bridge who served to reach the largest Mannar Island. There are now two roads and bridges to reach Mannar, and the other one is most frequently used. The island, rectangle shapted, is approximatively 2200 m long and 1000 m wide.


Kalliaditivu and  Puliyantivu islands

This mangrove island is uninhabited and mainly frequented by fishermen.

Interest for tourism: +
Interest for Polymotu project: +
Other conservation interest: unknown

Sinhala name: Galadi doova
Other names: unknown

NW-30-Mannar island

Latitude and longitude: 9.061088° ;  79.808407°
(modified by RB from Wikipedia)

Surface: 126.46 km2
Distance from mainland: 360m

Interest for tourism: +++
Interest for Polymotu project: 0
Other conservation interest: unknown

Mannar is the large island closest to India. It gives the way to Adam's Bridge, a chain of limestone shoals, between Pamban Island, also known as Rameswaram Island, off the southeastern coast of Tamil Nadu, India, and Mannar. Between 1914 and 1964, there was a train and ferry link from mainland India via Dhanushkodi and Talaimannar to Colombo, but this was not resumed after the disastrous damages caused by a cyclone in 1964.
The island is quite dry; fishing is economically important. Its main settlements are Mannar and Erukkulampiddi on its eastern coast and Pesalai on its northern coast, all connected by the A14 road which leads across the bridge to mainland Sri Lanka.

Sinhala name: Mannaram doopatha

Other names: unknown

We visited Mannar island on the 20th of July 2014. The West South coast is under military control. We went to the beach at approximatively   (9.050362°; 79.786839°) and when arriving to the beach, a soldier immediately came and told us that it was permitted to walk along the beach but not to bath and swim. We walked about 300m on West side and we started to bath anyway, but very rapidly another soldier went from the East and told us again it was forbidden to bath. So the coast is well guarded, with a soldier for approximatively 500 m of beach.

A possible reason is that people told us that it is possible to go from Sri Lanka to India by... swimming! Their are on Adam Bridge many small islands where it is possible to rest. They says that it is even possible to go from some islands to others only by walking in the sea, as it is not deep.... 

NW-52. Puliyantivu near Mannar island

 

Puliyantivu Island near Mannar island

There are three islands named 'Puliyantivu' in Sri lanka. This one is located betwen mainland and the Mannar island. The two other ones are located in Eastern Batticaloa and Northern Jaffna.

Latitude and longitude: 8.95528°N 79.90028°E
(from Wikipedia)

Surface: 0.90 km2
Distance from mainland: 1500 m

Puliyantivu is the second of the two islands linked by an old bridge who served to reach the largest Mannar Island by train . There are now another road and bridge to reach Mannar, and the other one is no more used. It seems that the old bridge is now broken at North of Puliyantivu Island. The island, square shaped, is approximatively 1500 m long and wide.


Kalliaditivu and  Puliyantivu islands near Mannar

This mangrove island is uninhabited and mainly frequented by fishermen. A visit up to the old broken bridge is recommend for those who have the time to do it (only about 3km of road to reach this place). The beach located at North-West, and especially the narrow sandy band between sea and lagoon, may also be nice to visit.

Old railway bridge and Puliyantivu Island by Asitha Perera

Interest for tourism: ++
Interest for Polymotu project: ++ (in the elevated areas of the island)
Other conservation interest: unknown

Sinhala name: Kotidoova

Other names: unknown

NW-67. Adam's Bridge (a chain of 16 sand islands between Sri Lanka and India)

Adam's bridge between Sri Lanka and India

Adam's Bridge (Tamil: ஆதாம் பாலம் ātām pālam), also known as Rama's Bridge or Rama Setu (Tamil: இராமர் பாலம் Irāmar pālam, Sanskrit: रामसेतु, rāmasetu),[1] is a chain of limestone shoals, between Pamban Island, also known as Rameswaram Island, off the southeastern coast of Tamil Nadu, India, and Mannar Island, off the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka.

There are 16 sand islands, eight of which are said to belong to Sri Lanka, and the other eight, to India. The maritime boundary is at the middle point (source: Sundays time of Sri Lanka). In 2012, it was reported that on Urumali beach, the Navy has established a small-scale, commercial venture, which allows tourists to take a journey in a naval craft to see the ‘bridge’ for a fee of Rs. 600 per person. No information if this facility remains available in 2014.


Adam's bridge between Sri Lanka and India

The bridge was first mentioned in the ancient Indian Sanskrit epic Ramayana of Valmiki.^[7] The name Rama's Bridge or Rama Setu (Sanskrit; setu: bridge) refers to the bridge built by the Vanara (ape men) army of Lord Rama in Hindu theology with instructions from Nala,^[8] which he used to reach Lanka and rescue his wife Sita from the Rakshasa king, Ravana.^[7] The Ramayana attributes the building of this bridge to Rama in verse 2-22-76, naming it as Setubandhanam, a name that persists until today.
According to Islamic tradition, ‘Adam’ crossed these shoals in order to stand on one leg for 1,000 years on the mountain of Samanala (Adam’s Peak) as a penance for his indiscretion in Eden; hence, the name “Adam’s Bridge”.

The actual ‘bridge’, is about 30 km long. Geological evidence suggests that the 'bridge' is a former land connection between India and Sri Lanka. It was reportedly passable on foot up to the 15th century until storms deepened the channel: temple records seem to say that Rama’s Bridge was completely above sea level until it broke in a cyclone in AD 1480. Certain historical inscriptions, old travel guides, old dictionary references and some old maps have been said to reinforce a religious and geographical belief that this is an ancient man-made bridge. Some Sri Lankan historians have condemned the undertaking as "a gross distortion of Sri Lankan history". A former director of the Geological Survey of India, S. Badrinarayanan, claims that such a natural formation would be impossible. He justifies the same by the presence of a loose sand layer under corals for the entire stretch. Corals normally form above rocks.

Between 1914 and 1964, there was a train and ferry link from mainland India via Dhanushkodi and Talaimannar to Colombo, but this was not resumed after the disastrous damages caused by a cyclone in 1964.



Map of the old liaison by train and ferry