I was fortunate enough this summer to visit one of the most breath-taking and culturally enriched destinations in India. This gorgeous beach is home to small community of fishermen who live on the fringes of the ocean. It is not far away from Rameshwaram, another famous temple-town that is a must-see for devout Hindu pilgrims. One must go via Rameshwaram in order to get to Dhanush Koti in all senses as they are linked both geographically and historically.
One of the most interesting phenomena I have ever heard of occurs at this little sea-village. The two major oceans that lie on either side of the Indian peninsula, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean, converge at this exact point on the South Indian coastline. It is really something else to see this happen right in front of you. This is such an interesting phenomenon for me because I had never given the concept of ‘oceans meeting’ before I saw Dhanush Koti. When you really come to think of it, it is more of a meeting and exchanging of water that is taking place. After the initial clashing of the tides, the waters from the two oceans quietly flow into one another.
Every aspect of this experience is unique. Firstly, the journey to this village itself is amazing. From Rameshwaram, you have to travel for about 2 hours in your car (with beautiful views of the sea on either side of the road) until you reach the town of Dhanush Koti. However, in order to get to the beach, you need to rent a four-wheeled drive that they have available there. This ‘four-wheeled drive’ is more a goods-van or a sheep truck, not really built to suit a human passenger. But this is what makes it that much more exciting! This van then takes you across 8km of flat, uninterrupted sand. Much like a desert, you are surrounded by sand as far as your eye can see.
When you get to the beach after the 45-minute bone-rattling ride, it is something else. Breath taking, overwhelming and absolutely tranquil are only a few of the adjectives that can be used to describe the view. When the skies are clear, you an even see the Sri Lankan Tower. You are left standing in a circular patch of the beach that is almost completely surrounded by water. The middle of the circle is where the amazing meeting happens. The waves do not approach you as they normally do on every other beach. At Dhanush Koti, the waves come diagonally at each other from either side. The water on the left is bright green and more serene. The water on the right is shockingly blue and choppy. They collide into each other to create great white masses of froth and then die down. You can actually stand at this exact point of confluence and witness this brilliant mingling of oceans.
To witness this as a designer was incredibly inspiring to say the least. The brilliant mixing of colors and the unimaginably large masses of water flowing into one another really affected my work and provided food for thought and will do so for any designer, no matter what kind of design they practice. Safe to say, physically witnessing this occurrence and reading a description or seeing pictures of it are two entirely different things. I sincerely recommend this destination for anyone looking to experience something entirely new and exciting.
--Preethi Chethan
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