SSC
Pamban Island, on which Rameswaram stands, is located in:
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Answer: Option C — Tamil Nadu
Detailed Solution
Pamban Island (also called Rameswaram Island) is located in the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, between mainland India and Sri Lanka.
About Pamban Island:
- It lies in the Gulf of Mannar, separating the Palk Bay (to the north) from the Gulf of Mannar (to the south).
- It is about 30 km long.
- The town of Rameswaram, famous for the Ramanathaswamy Temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas and one of the Char Dham, is located on the island.
Dhanushkodi, at the south-eastern tip of the island, was a busy town until it was destroyed by a cyclone in December 1964. It is now a "ghost town". It is the closest point in India to Sri Lanka (about 30 km).
"Adam's Bridge" (Ram Setu), a chain of shoals and sandbanks, links the island to Mannar Island in Sri Lanka.
Bridges to Pamban Island:
The Pamban Bridge (railway bridge), opened in 1914, was India's first sea bridge. It was about 2 km long and had a "Scherzer rolling lift" section that opened to let ships pass.
A new Pamban Bridge, India's first vertical-lift railway sea bridge, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6 April 2025. It replaced the old bridge, which was closed in 2022.
The Annai Indira Gandhi Road Bridge, opened in 1988, connects the island to the mainland by road.
Other facts:
Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, was born in Rameswaram on 15 October 1931. A memorial to him was opened at Pei Karumbu in Rameswaram in 2017.
The Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park and Biosphere Reserve (1989) is nearby. It was India's first marine biosphere reserve.
About the Palk Strait:
- It separates Tamil Nadu from the Jaffna peninsula of Sri Lanka.
- It is named after Robert Palk, a Governor of the Madras Presidency.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Kerala has islands such as Willingdon Island (Kochi).
- ✗Andhra Pradesh has Sriharikota (a barrier island) on the Pulicat Lake.
- ✗Puducherry is a Union Territory with no such island.
Quick tip
Remember: Pamban Island (Rameswaram) = Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu (Pamban Bridge 1914, India's first sea bridge; new vertical-lift bridge 2025; Dhanushkodi destroyed by cyclone 1964; Kalam's birthplace).
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Physical Features of India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Physical Features of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's location and extent, its neighbours and boundary lines, and its physiographic divisions: the Himalayas, the Northern Plains, the Peninsular Plateau, the Indian Desert, the coastal plains and the islands, along with important mountain passes, peaks and hill ranges. Questions often ask which states the Tropic of Cancer passes through, the southernmost point of India (Indira Point), the highest peak in India (Kangchenjunga), and which pass connects which regions. India shares its longest land border with Bangladesh. Learning the Himalayan ranges from north to south (Himadri, Himachal and Shiwaliks) is also useful. Practise the physical features of India questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.