The European Space Agency (ESA) unveiled a satellite image of the Ram Setu, also known as Adam's Bridge, which was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite. This bridge of shoals links India and Sri Lanka, extending 48 kilometers between Rameswaram Island, located off the southeast coast of India and Sri Lanka's Mannar Island.
'Ram Setu' separates the Gulf of Mannar, which is an inlet of the Indian Ocean to the south, from the Palk Strait, Bay of Bengal's inlet to the north.
Various theories exist about how the bridge was formed. According to ESA, the geological evidence indicates that these limestone shoals are nothing but the remnants of land that once connected India and Sri Lanka, TOI reported.
Historical records suggest that this natural bridge was navigable until the 15th century. But after that it gradually eroded over time due to storms.
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The ESA mentioned that a few of the sandbanks in the Ram Setu are dry, and the sea surrounding the area is very shallow, with depths ranging from merely 1 to 10 meters, as shown by the light color of the water.
Mannar Island, which covers around 130 square kilometers, is linked to Sri Lankan mainland by both a railway and a road bridge. These brides are visible at the southern end of the island.
On India's side of the bridge, Rameswaram Island, also called Pamban Island, is connected to the Indian mainland via the 2-km-long Pamban Bridge. The two main towns of the island are Pamban which is on the western edge, and Rameswaram, which is approximately 10 km east of Pamban.