Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the newly constructed Pamban bridge on April 6, 2025. It will replace a 110-year-old structure that once connected Rameswaram to the Indian mainland.
The idea of linking India and Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, through the Adam’s Bridge route was first explored in 1876. However, the plan was shelved due to high costs. Eventually, a more feasible plan was approved in 1906: a railway line from Madurai to Dhanushkodi via Rameswaram, and a steamer service from Dhanushkodi to Sri Lanka.
The Pamban bridge, India’s first sea bridge, was an engineering marvel of its time. Standing 12.5 meters above sea level, it stretched across 145 piers and featured a double-leaf bascule span—a Scherzer rolling lift bridge—that opened for ships to pass through.