Atharanala ( or, ଅଠରନଳା) - a historic laterite stone bridge over the Madhupur or Musa stream at the entrance to the city of

Puri Puri () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state capital of Bhubaneswar. It is als ...

, Odisha (India) on Puri - Bhubaneswar road, locally known as Atharnala bridge; a

Monument of National Importance This article contains lists of Monuments of National Importance in India. An Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 defines an "Ancient Monument" as follows: A "Monument of National Importance" is designated by the Archaeological Survey o ...

N-OR-64 officially recognized by

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexande ...

. Due to safety reasons the bridge is excluded from heavy vehicle traffic.

History

According to the report of the

Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi is a premier government-funded arts organization in India. It is an autonomous institute under the Union Ministry of Culture (India), Ministry of Culture. History The Indira Ga ...

the structure was assigned to the second half of the 18th century AD (Maratha rule) based on architectural ground and building materials. The present bridge has been placed directly on top of the structure which had been started as early as 13th century AD by Bhanu Deva I (1266–1278) of the

Eastern Ganga Dynasty The Eastern Ganga dynasty also known as Purba Gangas, Rudhi Gangas or Prachya Gangas were a large medieval era Indian royal dynasty that reigned from Kalinga from as early as the 5th century to the mid 20th century. Eastern Gangas ruled much of ...

and continued by Narasimha Deva II (1279–1306). He reconstructed the Atharanala bridge for proper discharge of surplus water of that time Saradhar rivulet with an additional culvert thus increasing its total number to nineteen (290 ft long).

Legends

The bridge is to be built by Maharaja

Indradyumna Indradyumna (Sanskrit: इन्द्रद्युम्न, IAST: Indradyumna) was a Pandya king as mentioned in Bhagvata Purana. Another namesake, son of King ''Tejodeva'' and Queen ''Sunandini'' , was a Malava king, according to the Mahab ...

. The construction process was unsuccessful until, by the order of the

Lord Jagannath Jagannath ( or, ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ, lit=Lord of the Universe, Jagannātha; formerly en, Juggernaut) is a deity worshipped in regional Hinduism, Hindu traditions in India and Bangladesh as part of a triad along with his brother Balarama, Ba ...

, he offered the heads of his eighteen sons into the water of the river. If a non-Hindu is caught trespassing inside the Jagannath Temple in Puri the entire

Prasad 200px, Prasad thaal offered to Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad ">Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad">Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad Prasada (, Sanskrit: प्रसाद, ), Prasadam or Prasad is a religious offering in Hinduism. Most o ...

must be thrown away from Atharanala bridge.

Architecture

Atharanala bridge is made of

laterite Laterite is both a soil and a rock type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red coloration, because of high iron oxide content. They develop by ...

and

lime mortar Lime mortar or torching is composed of lime and an aggregate such as sand, mixed with water. The ancient Egyptians were the first to use lime mortars, which they used to plaster their temples. In addition, the Egyptians also incorporated various ...

with

ashlar masonry Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruvi ...

building technique, in medieval architectural scheme of pillars and arches. It is oriented north to south. The bridge spreads over a length of 85 meter (280 feet) and breadth of 11 meter (36 feet) and encompasses eighteen arches ("athara" means eighteen, "nala" canals or passages) ranging from seven to sixteen feet across. The bridge offers a spectacular long distance view of the

Jagannath Temple The Jagannath Temple is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Vishnu - one of the trinity of supreme divinity in Hinduism. Puri is in the state of Odisha, on the eastern coast of India. The present temple was rebuilt f ...

. The façade is decorated with reliefs of deities, people, nayikas, genre scenes and floral decorations: Brusaarudha Siva,

Ekapada Ekapada refers to a one-footed aspect of the Hindu god Shiva. This aspect is primarily found in South India and Orissa, but also occasionally in Rajasthan and Nepal. The Ekapada is primarily represented in three iconographical forms. In the Ekapa ...

Bhairava Bhairava (Sanskrit: भैरव ) or Kala Bhairava is a Shaivite and Vajrayāna deity worshiped by Hindus and Buddhists. In Shaivism, he is a powerful manifestation, or avatar, of Shiva associated with annihilation. In Trika system ''Bhairava ...

Ardhanarisvara The Ardhanarishvara ( sa, अर्धनारीश्वर, Ardhanārīśvara, the half-female Lord, translit-std=IAST), is a form of the Hindu deity Shiva combined with his consort Parvati. Ardhanarishvara is depicted as half-male and half ...

, Parvati, Gajabhisekha Laxmi, Durga Mahisasuramardini, bharabahaka, people playing musical instruments, sakha mouldings, Kartika, Navagraha panel, lotus medallions, elephant figures and boar hunting scenes.

Maintenance

Renovated and repaired by Archaeological Survey of India the bridge was found in good condition. However, high siltation and growth of vegetation was gradually closing the openings of the bridge. The urban pressure was another risk identified. It was decided by the Odisha state government in 2014 (before

Nabakalebara 2015 The Nabakalebara 2015 is a celebration of the ancient ritual of the Nabakalebara associated with most of the Jagannath Temples when the idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshan are replaced by a new set of idols; the last su ...

) to start beautification of the bridge by removing the moss and mud heaped near the bridge and facilitate boating to attract tourists to the spot.

References

External links

''Digital Images of Archaeological Sites: Puri Town''
by