South Asia,  Sri Lanka,  Travel Tales

Sea Train and the Broken Clock

17 January 2024 /

The Southern coastal railway line in Sri Lanka almost inseparably kisses the Indian Ocean throughout its path. While travelling along the coastal road from Colombo to Galle, I thought about the cathartic backdrop the commuting locals are treated with. The rhythmic sounds of the train harmonizing with the music of the crashing waves under the cool embrace of the soothing sea breeze.

‘Lucky people!’ is what I thought! Until I heard about this…

Sri Lankan Railway Line Map
Sri Lankan Rail Map. Image from ResearchGate

En route to Galle from Colombo, our driver Chaturanga, stopped at the Tsunami Museum in Hikkaduwa. The museum houses photographs taken during and after the 2004 Tsunami that caused casualties across the coastal districts of Sri Lanka.

Photography was not allowed in the museum and the stern voice of the caretaker who explained the disaster demanded every bit of our attention. 

The 9.1-9.3 magnitude earthquake that had jolted a region in Sumatra, Indonesia, triggered waves up to 3 meters that hit the coast of Sri Lanka. The water had entered the village of Hikkaduwa but in just 20 minutes, it was back into the ocean again without causing much damage. Except when it went back, it went 50-100 meters further deep into the shoreline leaving the villagers awed and curious.

As the unsuspecting villagers moved closer to inspect this unusual phenomenon, the real disaster was waiting for them. This time the tsunami waves rose to a mighty 10 meters and crashed into the region at a demonic speed of 800kmph, leaving an unprecedented trail of destruction.

The Tsunami Honganji Buddha Statue, Hikkaduwa.
The Tsunami Honganji Buddha Statue, Hikkaduwa.

No structures big or small could survive the waves. And the railway line that was kissing the coast with all its affection suffered her wrath that day as about 1700 people in a passing by train were killed resulting in the deadliest recorded train disaster in history! 

As I heard this story, I looked into a piece of artifact stored in the museum. It was a broken clock that stood frozen from the shock of the disaster – its time-gliding wings stopped at 9:26 am and the day was 26/12/2004. As I stood gazing at the clock – my thought about the sea train and its views haunted me.

‘Lucky people!?’

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Author

  • Sundaram Venkateshwaran is an inquisitive learner who loves to understand places, people and cultures through his journeys. If being bombared with meaningful questions and having deep conversations is your thing, he is the person to grab a coffee with. Through his writing, he shares stories from his journeys and conversations that impacted him the most.

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Sundaram Venkateshwaran is an inquisitive learner who loves to understand places, people and cultures through his journeys. If being bombared with meaningful questions and having deep conversations is your thing, he is the person to grab a coffee with. Through his writing, he shares stories from his journeys and conversations that impacted him the most.

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