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Ram Setu Bridge (Adam’s Bridge) : Scientific and historical facts

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Fact about RAM SETU

Ram Setu or Adam’s Bridge is a structure akin to a causeway, connecting Pamban Island in Tamil Nadu to Mannar Island in Sri Lanka.
The total length of the bridge is approximately 50 km. Adam’s Bridge also separates the Gulf of Mannar from the Palk Strait. Some of the sandbanks are dry. The sea around this structure is very shallow, ranging from three ft to 30 ft deep.
According to several scientific reports, the bridge was completely above sea level till 1480 but was damaged by a cyclone that hit the area. Till the 15th century, ram setu distance was passable on foot until the channel deepened.
There is geological evidence to prove that the bridge was earlier a land connection between India and Sri Lanka.
There are studies that show that the bridge is made of limestone shoals and is a linear sequence of coral reefs. There is also proof that it is made of floating rocks found scattered across Rameswaram and there are theories that believe volcanic rocks do float on water.
Pamban Island can be accessed from the Indian mainland by the two-km-long Pamban Bridge.
As the seawater near the coral reef is very shallow, navigation of ships is impossible, because of which ships have to take roundabout routes, to reach Sri Lanka.
The Sethusamudram Project was proposed, to provide a shortcut route from Pamban Island to Mannar Island in Sri Lanka. However, environmentalists say that the project could destroy the natural reefs, which had existed for thousands of years. Although the Sethusamudram Project was planned to be executed by deepening the Pamban pass, so that the Rama Sethu could also be preserved, the project is still at a standstill.
Oceanography research suggests that the bridge is 7,000 years old. This tallies with the carbon dating of beaches near Mannar Island and Dhanushkodi.
As per one theory that proves the truth about ram setu, the Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar were part of the Kaveri River basin. Owing to tectonic shifts, the outline of the area including the Rama Setu Bridge formed, and the shapes of these landforms resulted in coral growth.
According to the Marine and Water Resources Group of the Space Applications Centre (SAC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Ram Setu Bridge comprises 103 small patch reefs.

How deep is the Ram Setu Bridge?

The bridge is submerged in water. It is around 100 meters wide and up to 10 meters in depth.

What NASA says about Ram Setu?

According to NASA and images captured by satellite, there are a naturally occurring chain of sandbanks. It says that the photos taken by its astronauts do not prove the existence or otherwise of a man-made bridge, as specified in the Ramayana.