The Ram Sethu (known as Adam’s Bridge by the British) is a stretch of limestone shoals between Dhanushkodi near Rameshwaram in Southern India and Mannar in Northwest Sri Lanka. Hindus believe these are the remains of an ancient bridges built by Lord Rama in the holy epic Ramayana.
The Government of India has proposed dredging the sea between India and Sri Lanka to allow ships to pass – a project called the Sethusamudram project. They claim that this will reduce sailing distances for ships travelling between the east and west coasts of India. However it will also result in the loss of an invaluable symbol and holy site of the Hindu faith as well as potentially reduce natural protection against tsunamis. An international campaign has been launched against this destruction – to find out more about the campaign and how to support it, click here.