22 December 1964: Cyclone Dhanushkodi and its aftershock nation can't forget

The cyclone of 1964 that swept Dhanushkodi town in the state of Tamil Nadu still sends a severeshock to the people who fled the region.

The cyclone of 1964 that swept Dhanushkodi town in the state of Tamil Nadu still send a sever shock to the people who fled the region. (EPS | Sathya P) 

Dhanushkodi lies at the South-Eastern tip of Pamnan Island in Tamil Nadu. It shares the only land border between India and Sri Lanka, smallest in the world at 45 meters on a shoal in Palk Strait. In pic: The remains of Ponmalar church in Dhanushkodi. (EPS | Sathya P)

An estimated wind velocity of 280 km per hour and tidal waves as high as 23 ft swept Dhanushkodi on the night of 22-23 December 1964. Around 1800 people died in the cyclonic storm. Including 115 people traveling by the Pamban-Dhanushkodi passenger train that night. (File photo)

The cyclone washed down the Pamban bridge. The town was abandoned by the residents during and after the cyclone and the Tamil Nadu government declared Dhanuskodi as a 'ghost town' unfit for living. (File photo)

The town was an important transit point for India and Sri Lanka. It was a commercial centre with a railway station, a custom office, post and telegraphs office, two medical institutions, one railway hospital, a panchayat union dispensary, a higher elementary school and port offices. (EPS | Sathya P)

The total damage caused by the cyclone is estimated at USD 150 million. (EPS | Sathya P)

The leftover buildings after cyclone including arms warehouse Roman catholic church and post office are standing as testimony to fury of the nature. The pictures of cyclone hit Pamban bridge and the train have become unforgettable memory. (EPS | Sathya P)

After the cyclone the Pamban Bridge was rebuilt and a stable road connection was constructed but the town was never rebuilt. (EPS | Sathya P)