Rama's Bridge

NASA satellite photo of Rama's Bridge

Rama's Bridge or Adam's Bridge is a narrow land connection between Sri Lanka and the Indian mainland which, according to the Ramayana (Chapter 66, The Great Causeway), was constructed at Rama's request by his subjects. This roughly 30 km long bridge is now mostly submerged approximately 1.2 m below sea level, with only a chain of limestone shoals left showing. It is, however, clearly visible in satellite photos taken by NASA such as the one shown here. The alternate name Adam's Bridge derives from the notion that the biblical Garden of Eden was Sri Lanka. Temple records suggest that the bridge may have been submerged by a violent storm as recently as 1480.

The October 2002 release of a series of images by NASA caused quite a furor, as previously the bridge had been thought to exist in legend only. Nasa spokesman Mark Hess hurriedly released a cautious statment, distancing the Agency from the multitude of claims being based on the images:

"The images [...] may be ours, but their interpretation is certainly not ours. [...] Remote sensing images or photographs from orbit cannot provide direct information about the origin or age of a chain of islands, and certainly cannot determine whether humans were involved in producing any of the patterns seen."

Meanwhile, there remains the fact that the bridge's shape is very unusual indeed for a natural geological feature. Archeological studies of the bridge are ongoing, but several archeologists believe to have found additional evidence suggesting that it is indeed man-made. Its age is currently estimated at approximately 1.75 million years.