Tourists who throng Dhanushkodi to witness the ruins have to return disappointed because these relics are obliterated by the innumerable shops that have come up in front of these damaged buildings.

Dhanushkodi was once a busy port with export and import activities in full swing. The place is located at the end of Rameswaram Island. During those times Dhanushkodi had a railway station, a port office, customs building, a church and many houses. A special train was also operated to Rameswaram from Dhanushkodi for the sake of devotees.

The topography of Dhanushkodi was transformed when a cyclone lashed the area in 1964, claiming several lives. A few medical college students who were travelling by a train also lost their lives. The fury of the cyclone razed down buildings to rubble and the ruins of the buildings importantly the railway station and the skeleton of a church speak volumes of the devastation.

Tourists come to witness these ruins from different parts of the country. But shops have cropped up in the devastated villages that prevent the tourists from viewing the ruins adding to their discomfort and the shopkeepers lure the tourists with their wares.