For and against Lord Ram's bridge

By Chris Morris
BBC News, Dhanushkodi, Tamil Nadu

The faithful insist the bridge was built by Ram and his monkey army

It's just after dawn on the island of Rameshwaram, on the southern coast of Tamil Nadu, and Hindu pilgrims from across the country have come to bathe in the sea.

They sprinkle turmeric powder onto vegetables and balls of rice to make offerings - praying and paying homage to the gods.

Inside the grounds of the nearby temple there are 22 wells, which the pilgrims believe were created by arrows fired by their god, Lord Ram.

The Hindu epic Ramayana recounts how he visited this place, and crossed the sea to fight the demon king.

But now a ship canal backed by the national and state governments threatens to dredge a channel right through the middle of what pilgrims believe is Ram's Bridge.

For many of them it's an act of sacrilege. "It's our faith, it's our tradition," declares Swyamprakash Srivastava, standing waist deep in the water.

'It's wrong'

"It's not just me but millions of people believe in Lord Ram. I don't want to hear any word against Ram's Bridge."

The focus of the dispute is a series of shoals and small islands

Adds Ramji Prajapati, "It was built by Lord Ram. It's part of our Hindu religion. Trying to break it is an attack on our society and our beliefs, it's wrong."

There are temples associated with Ram all across this small island.

One of them exhibits one of the floating stones with which Ram is said to have built his bridge.

But supporters of the ship canal are dismissive.

The local MP Bhawani Rajendran says the project was originally approved by the government led by the Hindu nationalist party, the BJP, which is now so vociferously opposed to it.

"There's no such man-made bridge in the place where it's being implemented," she insists.

"We should look at the development of our country, at the economy of our country. This project should be carried out without any delay."

Not worried

We set out on a small boat with local fishermen to have a look for ourselves.

Opponents of the ship canal have launched a national campaign against it.

Mr Srivastava says destroying the bridge would be sacrilege

Religious groups are heavily involved. They have also set out economic and environmental objections.

But the fishermen seem less concerned.

"If the ships go through here, we'll still do our work and we won't be affected," Raja says.

"We will also be able to use the canal to go from one side to another. And the deep channel will bring more fish."

Our boat reaches a small sandbank about a mile off the Indian coast.

In front of us, a further 20 miles away, is the coast of northern Sri Lanka.

And in between lies the focus of this dispute - a series of shoals and small islands which scientists say are formed by tidal action and sedimentation.

But the faithful insist that they are part of a bridge, built by Lord Ram and his monkey army.

"Just like one cannot ask whether Christ was born to a virgin, it is a matter of faith," argues Murli Manohar Joshi, a senior BJP leader.

Politics of religion

"So you cannot ask whether this Sethu (bridge) was built by Ram. It is not a question to be asked."

Ms Rajendran wants the project to be implemented without delay

The BJP denies accusations that it has been trying deliberately to inflame passions for political gain.

That will be put to the test when an official report on the ship canal, due later this month, is released.

Most observers expect that it will approve the route.

This isn't the first time, of course, that a dispute about Lord Ram has entered the political realm in India.

Fifteen years ago, right wing Hindus destroyed a mosque in the northern town of Ayodhya, which they say had been built on the site of Ram's birthplace.

Riots followed, and in subsequent years bomb attacks seeking revenge.

India still lives with the consequences. It's unlikely that such tumult will be repeated, but these are still sensitive issues.

As our boat returns to shore pilgrims gather on a sandy beach on the Indian mainland, at the closest point they can get to their holy bridge.

Protecting it, they say, is an issue on which they won't compromise.

Legal challenges, and popular protests, loom.