View source for Palk Strait

{{Short description|Strait between India and Sri Lanka}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name               = Palk Strait
| native_name        = 
| other_name         = 
| image              = File:Adams bridge map.png
| alt                = 
| caption            = Palk Strait separating [[Palk Bay]] from the [[Gulf of Mannar]]
| image_bathymetry   = File:Palk Bay bathymetry.jpg
| alt_bathymetry     = 
| caption_bathymetry = [[Bathymetry]] of the Palk Strait, with water depth in metres
| location           = [[Bay of Bengal]]&ndash;[[Laccadive Sea]]
| group              = 
| coordinates        = {{coord|10|00|N|79|45|E|region:LK_type:waterbody_scale:2500000|display=title,inline}}
| type               = [[Strait]]
| etymology          = [[Sir Robert Palk, 1st Baronet|Robert Palk]]
| basin_countries    = India, Sri Lanka
| width              = {{cvt|137|km}}
| min_width          = {{cvt|64|km}}
| length             = {{cvt|137|km}}
| max-depth          = {{cvt|35|m}}
| cities             = [[Rameswaram]] <br/> [[Jaffna]]
| pushpin_map        = India
| pushpin_label_position = <!-- left, right, top or bottom -->
| pushpin_map_alt    = Location of the strait between India and Sri Lanka
| pushpin_map_caption = 
}}

'''Palk Strait''' is a [[strait]] between the [[States and territories of India|Indian state]] of [[Tamil Nadu]] and [[Northern Province, Sri Lanka|Northern Province]] of Sri Lanka. It connects the [[Palk Bay]] in the [[Bay of Bengal]] in the north with the [[Gulf of Mannar]] in the [[Laccadive sea]] in the south. It stretches for about {{cvt|137|km}} and is {{cvt|64 to 137|km}} wide. It is named after [[Robert Palk]], who was a governor of [[Madras Presidency|Madras]] (1755–1763) during the [[Company rule in India|Company Raj]] period.

Several rivers including the [[Vaigai river|Vaigai]] flow into the strait. The strait consists of many islands and is interspersed with a [[archipelago|chain]] of low islands and [[reef]] [[shoals]] that are collectively called [[Ram Setu]] or [[Adam's bridge]]. The shallow waters and reefs make it difficult for large ships to pass through, although fishing boats and small craft navigate the waters. [[Dredging]] the sea to make it deeper for navigation and plans for a bridge over the waters have been proposed.

== Geography ==
[[File:Tamil Nadu topo deutsch mit Gebirgen.png|thumb|left|[[Gulf of Mannar]]]]

The Palk strait extends between [[Pamban island]] in the south eastern tip of the [[States and territories of India|Indian state]] of [[Tamil Nadu]] and [[Thalaimannar]] in the [[Northern Province, Sri Lanka|Northern Province]] of Sri Lanka. It connects the [[Palk Bay]] in the [[Bay of Bengal]] in the north with the [[Gulf of Mannar]] in the [[Laccadive sea]] in the south. It stretches for about {{cvt|137|km}} and is {{cvt|64 to 137|km}} wide. Several rivers including the [[Vaigai river|Vaigai]] flow into the strait.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Palk Strait|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Palk-Strait|encyclopedia=[[Britannica]]|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref>

The strait consists of many islands and is interspersed with a [[archipelago|chain]] of low islands and [[reef]] [[shoals]] that are collectively called [[Ram Setu]] or [[Adam's bridge]].<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Palk Straits|volume=20|page=635}}</ref> As per the 
[[Hindu mythology|Hindu]] [[Indian epic|epic]] ''[[Ramayana]]'', the bridge was purportedly constructed by the [[vanara]] army of [[Rama]] to rescue Rama's wife [[Sita]] from the [[Asura]] king [[Ravana]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Ram Setu|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9003680|encyclopedia=[[Britannica]]|year=2007|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref> The strait is relatively shallow with the region around the shoals typically around {{cvt|1-3|m}} deep, while the central part of the strait is typically around {{cvt|20|m}} deep. The strait reaches a maximum depth of {{cvt|35|m}}.<ref name="Geo">{{Cite journal |last=Dubey |first=K.M. |last2=Chaubey |first2=A.K. |last3=Gaur |first3=A.S. |last4=Joglekar |first4=M.V. |date=January 2023 |title=Evolution of Ramasetu region as a link between India and Sri Lanka during the late Pleistocene and Holocene |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0033589422000412/type/journal_article |journal=Quaternary Research |volume=111 |pages=166–176 |doi=10.1017/qua.2022.41 |issn=0033-5894|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

== Geology ==
Due to lowered sea levels during the [[Last Glacial Period]] (115,000-11,700 years [[Before Present]]) where sea levels reached a maximum of {{cvt|120|m}} below present values, the entirety of the relatively shallow strait was exposed as dry land. Following the rise to present sea levels during the [[Holocene]], by around 7,000 years ago, the strait became submerged.<ref name="Geo"/> The [[Ocean wave|waves]] around it, to its north and south are of high contrast. To the north, the waves in the Bay of Bengal are mostly [[Swell (ocean)|swells]] while that on the south, in the Palk Bay, the waves are mostly smaller [[wind waves]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Observation on dominance of swells over wind-seas in the coastal waters of Gulf of Mannar, India|last=Kumar|first=Sanil|date=2017-08-09|doi=10.5194/os-2017-16-ac1|journal=Ocean Science Discussions |doi-access=free }}</ref> The [[significant wave height]]s is relatively low with an average of around {{cvt|0.5|m}} close to the Ram Setu.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=George|first1=victor|last2=Kumar|first2=V. Sanil|date=October 2019|title=Wind-wave measurements and modelling in the shallow semi-enclosed Palk Bay|journal=Ocean Engineering|volume=189|pages=106401|doi=10.1016/j.oceaneng.2019.106401|s2cid=203096484 |issn=0029-8018}}</ref>

== Transport and navigation ==
The shallow waters and reefs make it difficult for large ships to pass through, although fishing boats and small craft navigate the waters. [[Dredging]] the sea to make it deeper for navigation and plans for a bridge over the waters have been proposed.<ref name="Canal">{{cite web|url=http://www.ipcs.org/article/india-the-world/harnessing-the-troubled-waters-sethusamudram-canal-project-1508.html|title=Harnessing the Troubled Waters: Sethusamudram Canal Project|work=IPCS|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref> Construction of a shipping canal through the strait was first proposed to the British government of India in 1860, and a number of commissions have studied the proposal. The latest of which was the [[Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project]] was commissioned by the [[Government of India]] in 2005.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brunn |first1=Stanley D. |title=Engineering Earth: The Impacts of Megaengineering Projects |date=19 March 2011 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-90-481-9920-4 |pages=298–299 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mEyjMx7EV8IC&dq=Sethusamudram+Shipping+Canal+Project&pg=PA310 |access-date=23 May 2022 }}</ref> However, the plan encountered opposition on religious grounds.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hanuman bridge is myth: Experts|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Hanuman-bridge-is-myth-Experts/articleshow/25601383.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811080809/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2002-10-19/india/27311963_1_adam-s-bridge-nasa-rama-or-ramayana|url-status=live|archive-date=11 August 2011|date=19 October 2002|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=25 April 2011}}</ref>

The island of [[Rameswaram]] is linked to the Indian mainland by the [[Pamban Bridge]], which was opened for traffic on 24 February 1914.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/infrastructure/pamban-bridge-10-awesome-facts-about-indias-first-sea-bridge/will-turn-100-in-february-2014/slideshow/25683811.cms|title=Pamban bridge: 10 awesome facts about India's first sea bridge - Pamban bridge: India's first sea bridge|access-date=1 December 2023|newspaper=[[The Economic Times]]|archive-date=11 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240711112517/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/infrastructure/pamban-bridge-10-awesome-facts-about-indias-first-sea-bridge/will-turn-100-in-february-2014/slideshow/25683811.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> A [[New Pamban Bridge|new railway bridge]] was completed near the old Pamban Bridge in 2024 after rail transportation on the old bridge was suspended permanently in February 2023 due to concerns on stability of the bridge.<ref>{{cite news|date=3 February 2023|title=Rail traffic on old Pamban bridge permanently stopped|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/rail-traffic-on-old-pamban-bridge-permanently-stopped/article66467820.ece|access-date=4 February 2023|issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://press108.online/india/ministry-of-railways-confirms-new-bridge-in-pamban/|title=Ministry of Railways confirms New Bridge in Pamban|date=25 December 2018|work=Press108|access-date=1 December 2023|archive-date=1 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301140327/https://press108.online/india/ministry-of-railways-confirms-new-bridge-in-pamban/|url-status=dead}}</ref> An adjacent road bridge was opened in 1988.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Datta|first1=Rangan|title=Rameswaram: A holy island town along India's southern borderland|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/places/travel-to-the-edge-of-india-on-a-trip-to-pamban-islands-rameswaram/cid/1913631|access-date=9 February 2023|work=My Kolkata|agency=The Telegraph|date=1 February 2023|archive-date=9 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209171347/https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/places/travel-to-the-edge-of-india-on-a-trip-to-pamban-islands-rameswaram/cid/1913631|url-status=live}}</ref> Trains used to traverse from [[Madras]] to [[Dhanushkodi]] at the southern tip of the Pamban island and a ferry connected to Talaimannar on the [[Mannar Island]], before a train carried passengers to [[Colombo]]. The railway line to Dhanushkodi was destroyed during [[1964 Rameswaram cyclone|1964 Dhanushkodi cyclone]] along with the Pamban-Dhanuskodi passenger train, killing around 200 people.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/17/stories/2006071705960300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027141816/http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/17/stories/2006071705960300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 October 2007|title=Their sentiment to metre gauge train is unfathomable|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=17 July 2006|first=C.|last=Jaishankar|access-date=1 December 2006}}</ref> The ferry service continued till the 1970s between Rameswaram and Talaimannar, but was discontinued, and was reopened in 2011.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2011/01/07/sri-lanka-india-to-relaunch-ferry-service-after-three-decades/ | title=Sri Lanka, India to relaunch ferry service after three decades | date=7 January 2011 | agency=Reuters | work=Pakistan Today | access-date=20 July 2020 }}</ref> [[Palk Strait bridge]], was an undersea tunnel linking India and Sri Lanka proposed to be constructed across the Palk Strait.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hegadekatti|first1=Kartik|title=Tunnel from India to Sri Lanka|url=http://www.blog.indianrailways.gov.in/the-tunnel-from-india-to-sri-lanka/|access-date=9 January 2019|date=6 January 2016|archive-date=9 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109204813/http://www.blog.indianrailways.gov.in/the-tunnel-from-india-to-sri-lanka/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Andaman Sea]]
* [[Coral reefs in India]]
* [[Borders of India]]
* [[Exclusive economic zone of India]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Palk Strait}}
* [http://www.theodorekaye.com/palk-strait-2 Photo essay on the Palk Strait.]

{{Waters of South Asia}}
{{Geography of Sri Lanka}}
{{list of seas}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Palk Strait| ]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Jaffna District]]
[[Category:India–Sri Lanka border]]
[[Category:International straits]]
[[Category:Landforms of Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Straits of India]]
[[Category:Straits of Sri Lanka]]