Rameswaram Fire and Emergency Safety Guide

A cyclone in December 1964 sent an estimated 7.6 metre storm surge over Dhanushkodi on 23 December, destroying the town for good and killing at least 800 people there. A passenger train from Pamban overturned about 1.5 km short of Dhanushkodi station, and all 200 people on board died.

The district disaster section lists tsunami, cyclone, rain, flood, hurricane and fire accidents among the hazards it watches for human loss, cattle loss and hut damage. It runs an emergency operation centre round the clock on 1077.

Thousands of devotees visit Rameswaram every day, and many bathe in the sea at Agni Theertham, the beach east of the Ramanathaswamy temple, before entering it. New moon and full moon days are considered the best for bathing, so crowds and surf need extra care on those days.

Rameswaram has a dry tropical climate with low humidity, and most of its rain falls from October to January in the northeast monsoon. The highest temperature recorded at the Pamban station is 37 degrees Celsius.