Pamban

Pamban
Town
Map of Pamban island showing the location of Pamban along its western edge
Map of Pamban island showing the location of Pamban along its western edge
Pamban is located in Tamil Nadu
Pamban
Pamban
Location in Tamil Nadu, India
Pamban is located in India
Pamban
Pamban
Pamban (India)
Coordinates: 9°17′N 79°12′E / 9.283°N 79.200°E / 9.283; 79.200
CountryIndia
StateTamil Nadu
DistrictRamanathapuram
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
37,819
Languages
 • OfficialTamil
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)

Pamban is a town in the Rameswaram taluk of Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu. It is located at the west edge of Pamban Island. It is connected to mainland India with two rail bridges, and a road bridge.

Demographics

As per the 2011 census, Pamban had a population of 37,819 with 19,163 males and 18,656 females. The literacy rate was 85.16%.

Climate

Pamban has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification As) with hot summers and cool winters. Unlike most locations in India with this climate, most rainfall occurs in autumn and winter, with the heaviest rain falling from October to December, and very little rain in the summer months of June to August.[citation needed]

Climate data for Pamban (1991–2020, extremes 1902–2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 33.6
(92.5)		 34.5
(94.1)		 35.7
(96.3)		 38.0
(100.4)		 38.8
(101.8)		 37.2
(99.0)		 37.5
(99.5)		 37.5
(99.5)		 36.9
(98.4)		 36.5
(97.7)		 35.4
(95.7)		 33.9
(93.0)		 38.8
(101.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 29.2
(84.6)		 30.7
(87.3)		 32.9
(91.2)		 34.3
(93.7)		 34.2
(93.6)		 33.6
(92.5)		 33.4
(92.1)		 33.1
(91.6)		 33.0
(91.4)		 32.3
(90.1)		 30.3
(86.5)		 29.0
(84.2)		 32.2
(90.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 24.2
(75.6)		 24.2
(75.6)		 25.3
(77.5)		 27.3
(81.1)		 28.1
(82.6)		 27.7
(81.9)		 27.2
(81.0)		 26.8
(80.2)		 26.7
(80.1)		 26.0
(78.8)		 25.0
(77.0)		 24.4
(75.9)		 26.1
(79.0)
Record low °C (°F) 17.0
(62.6)		 17.0
(62.6)		 19.4
(66.9)		 20.3
(68.5)		 19.8
(67.6)		 20.2
(68.4)		 20.7
(69.3)		 20.0
(68.0)		 20.6
(69.1)		 20.0
(68.0)		 19.5
(67.1)		 18.2
(64.8)		 17.0
(62.6)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 46.4
(1.83)		 17.9
(0.70)		 12.6
(0.50)		 46.4
(1.83)		 44.1
(1.74)		 6.9
(0.27)		 5.5
(0.22)		 19.6
(0.77)		 41.4
(1.63)		 217.7
(8.57)		 306.9
(12.08)		 187.4
(7.38)		 952.7
(37.51)
Average rainy days 2.3 1.5 0.8 2.5 2.1 0.5 0.5 1.0 1.7 8.7 13.1 8.3 43
Average relative humidity (%) (at 17:30 IST) 74 71 68 69 75 75 74 75 77 77 79 79 74
Source: India Meteorological Department

Transport

A train on the New Pamban Bridge with the old Pamban Bridge in the foreground

The Pamban Bridge is a 2,064 m (6,772 ft)–long rail bridge which connected Mandapam in mainland India with Pamban at the tip of Pamban Island. It was opened on 24 February 1914, and was India's first sea bridge. A road bridge was constructed adjacent to the rail bridge in 1989. In 2020, the Government of India announced that a new railway bridge will be constructed near the old Pamban Bridge at a cost of ₹2.5 billion (equivalent to ₹3.2 billion or US$33 million in 2026). In December 2022, rail transportation on the bridge was suspended permanently as the bridge had weakened significantly due to corrosion.

The New Pamban Bridge was completed in 2024 and was opened for traffic in April 2025. The new bridge is constructed parallel to the old bridge and spans a length of 2.07 km (1.29 mi). It has a bascule section of about 72 m (236 ft) which can be lifted vertically using a Scherzer rolling lift trunnion and is the first vertical lift sea bridge in India.

The Pamban Lighthouse is located on the Pamban Island. It was first commissioned on 21 April 1846, with a 41-foot brick-and-lime tower using coconut-oil wick lamps and parabolic reflectors. In 1860, the tower was raised and fitted with a 4th-order dioptric lens and later upgraded in 1902 with an occulting optic. During this time, it was reconstructed into 66-foot cylindrical tower in 1902 to aid navigation through the Pamban Canal during British rule.

References

  1. ↑ "Primary Census Abstract - Census 2011". Directorate of Census Operations-Tamil Nadu. Archived from the original on 17 February 2011.
  2. ↑ "Pamban". Census 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  3. ↑ "Climatological Tables of Observatories in India 1991-2020" (PDF). India Meteorological Department. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  4. ↑ "Station: Pamban Climatological Table 1981–2010" (PDF). Climatological Normals 1981–2010. India Meteorological Department. January 2015. pp. 583–584. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  5. ↑ "Extremes of Temperature & Rainfall for Indian Stations (Up to 2012)" (PDF). India Meteorological Department. December 2016. p. M201. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  6. ↑ "Pamban bridge: 10 awesome facts about India's first sea bridge - Pamban bridge: India's first sea bridge". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "Pamban bridge: 10 awesome facts about India's first sea bridge". The Economic Times.
  8. ↑ Datta, Rangan (1 February 2023). "Rameswaram: A holy island town along India's southern borderland". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  9. ↑ "Ministry of Railways confirms New Bridge in Pamban". Press108. 25 December 2018. Archived from the original on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  10. ↑ "Rail traffic on old Pamban bridge permanently stopped". The Hindu. 3 February 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  11. ↑ "New Pamban Railway bridge gets nod for passenger service". DT next. 28 November 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  12. ↑ "PM Modi Opens India's First Vertical Lift Sea Bridge in Rameswaram, Marking a New Era of Connectivity". Bru Times. 6 April 2025. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
  13. ↑ "New Pamban rail bridge: Commissioner of Railway Safety permits operation of trains but flags 'glaring lapses'". The Hindu. 27 November 2024. Archived from the original on 29 November 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  14. ↑ "When Heritage Meets Technology: Take A Look At India's First Vertical Lift Rail Sea Bridge". India Times. 29 December 2022. Archived from the original on 14 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  15. ↑ "New Pamban bridge work picks up momentum, expected to be over by March 2023". The Hindu. 4 December 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 14 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  16. ↑ "Lighthouse Act". Government of India. Archived from the original on 21 November 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  17. ↑ "Master Ledger of Pamban Lighthouse" (PDF). DGLL. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  18. ↑ "122-Year-Old Pamban Lighthouse Now Open To Public, Enjoy Views Of Rameswaram Island At Just Rs 10". News18. Retrieved 1 July 2025.