Adam’s Bridge, a reef of sunken rocks, which extend across the gulf of Manaar, from Ramisseram on the coast of Coromandel, to Talamanaar on the coast of Ceylon. It exhibits evident marks of the Island having been once united with the continent, separated, in all probability, by some convulsion of nature.

The natives however, who call it ” Tiroowanai,” or the sacred embankment, and ” Seetoopandanam” or the structure of Seetoo (which is one of the classical names of Ramisseram), persuade themselves, that it is the remains of a bridge constructed by Rama, the king of ” Ayodhya,” for passing over with his army to the Island, in the war he waged with Ravana, for the recovery of his consort Sita. Valmika, in his Uttara kanda, cap. xviii., describes the bridge as being ten yojanas in breadth and one hundred in length, and composed of no other materials than huge rocks, piled up in a chain by the Vanaras, under the direction of Nala, one of the chief engineers of the gods. The situation of these rocks rendering the passage often dangerous for vessels, the British government employed people to remove them; but the result has been unsuccessful.