Adam's Bridge

From the department of the-increasingly-absurd:

The chief minister of India's southern state of Tamil Nadu is sticking to his controversial statement questioning the existence of Hindu God Ram.

M Karunanidhi also said there was no proof that Lord Ram had constructed a bridge where a new shipping canal is planned between India and Sri Lanka.

Hard-line Hindu groups say the chief minister's statement is blasphemous.

On Tuesday Hindu activists angered by the comments set fire to a Tamil Nadu bus, killing two people, police said.

Enraged Hindu hardliners in the city of Bangalore, in neighbouring Karnataka state, also attacked the home of Mr Karunanidhi's daughter, Selvi.

Hindu scripture says the area between India and Sri Lanka - now known as Adam's Bridge - was built millions of years ago by Lord Ram, supported by an army of monkeys.

But scientists and archaeologists say Adam's Bridge, or Ram Setu, is a natural formation of sand and limestone. Hard-line Hindu groups say a proposed canal project between India and Sri Lanka will destroy the bridge.

Adam's Bridge is a series of islands and reefs that, when sea levels were lower, formed a land bridge between Sri Lanka and India. Unfortunately they constitute a barrier to shipping, since the reefs are so shallow, which means that shipping has to go around Sri Lanka rather than between Sri Lanka and the Indian mainland. The current problem is due to the fact that the Indian government wants to dredge a channel so shipping can go through... and the followers of Rama are angry that this would destroy their god's bridge (which is obviously not a bridge any longer).

Personally, I think one solution would be to build a road and rail bridge linking the two nations as well as having a shipping channel. Building a real bridge on a mythical bridge is not going to be blasphemy, surely?