NH 87
Rameswaram–Tiruppuvanam Highway
178 km
Open
Tamil Nadu
National Highway
Route
NH 87 runs 178 km from Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu to Tiruppuvanam, Tamil Nadu.
Crosses Tamil Nadu.
Through Rameswaram, Mandapam, Ramanathapuram, Paramakkudi, Manamadurai and Tiruppuvanam.
Why it matters
Rameswaram is one of the four Char Dham shrines and draws pilgrims from all over India. This highway is the only road onto the island.
History
National Highway 87 runs from Rameswaram, on the island of Pamban at the tip of the Ramanathapuram coast, across the sea to the mainland and inland through Ramanathapuram and Paramakudi to Manamadurai and Tiruppuvanam near Madurai. Its crossing of the Palk Strait shallows on the Pamban road bridge, beside the century-old railway bridge, is one of the most striking pieces of road in India.
Good to know
- Crosses to Rameswaram island on the Pamban road bridge, opened in 1988.
- Runs beside the Pamban railway bridge of 1914, India's first sea bridge.
- Rameswaram is one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites and holds the Ramanathaswamy temple.
- From Dhanushkodi beyond Rameswaram, Sri Lanka is about 30 km across the water.
- The road is regularly closed to high-sided vehicles when the wind gets up over the bridge.
On the road
The Pamban crossing is exposed and can be closed in high winds. Rameswaram traffic peaks during the Tamil month of Aadi and at Mahashivaratri.
More details
- Lanes
- 2–4 lanes