The Palk Bay lies between

Palk Bay is essentially an inlet of the Bay of Bengal lying between the Indian peninsula and Sri Lanka; it is bordered to the south by the Adam’s Bridge (chain of shoals) and opens toward the Bay of Bengal via the Palk Strait [1]. The maritime geography of the region links Palk Bay directly with the adjoining Gulf of Mannar to the southwest, and the two features are commonly treated together in maritime boundary and ecological descriptions of the area [3]. Thus Palk Bay functions as the marine zone between the Bay of Bengal and the Gulf of Mannar along the India–Sri Lanka maritime frontier, making option 2 correct [2].

Sources

1. [1] https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/LIS-66.pdf
2. [2] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 16: India–Political Aspects > India-Sri Lanka Boundary > p. 50
3. [3] CONTEMPORARY INDIA-I ,Geography, Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 1: India Size and Location > Before 1947, there were two types of states in India — the provinces and the Princely states. Provinces were ruled directly by British officials, who were appointed by the Viceroy. Princely states were ruled by local, hereditary rulers, who acknowledged sovereignity in return for local autonomy. > p. 5