chain of submerged sandbanks (shoals), also called Rama's bridge , located betweends of Mannar, near north-western Sri Lanka, and Rameshwaram, off the southeastern coast of India. The 48-km-long bridge separates the Gulf of Mannar (southwest) from the Palk Strait (northeast). Some of the sandbanks are dry, and nowhere are the shoals deeper than 1 m; therefore they seriously hinder navigation. Geologic evidence suggests that Adam's bridge represents a former land connection between India and Sri Lanka. Traditionally, and as depicted in the Ramayana, it is said to be the remnant of a huge causeway constructed by Lord Rama to facilitate the passage of his army into Sri Lanka to rescue Sita. According to Muslim legend, Adam crossed there to Adam's Peak in Sri Lanka, atop which he stood repentant on one foot for 1,000 years.