Malviya Bridge, inaugurated in 1887 (originally called The Dufferin Bridge), is a double decker bridge over the
Ganges
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
at
Varanasi
Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.
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* The city has a syncretic t ...
. It carries rail track on lower deck and road on the upper deck. It is one of the major bridges on the Ganges and carries the
Grand Trunk Road
The Grand Trunk Road (formerly known as Uttarapath, Sarak-e-Azam, Shah Rah-e-Azam, Badshahi Sarak, and Long Walk) is one of Asia's oldest and longest major roads. For at least 2,500 years it has linked Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. ...
across the river.
It has 7 spans of 350 ft and 9 spans of 110 ft and it was the first bridge of its type constructed in the Indian sub-continent by the engineers of
Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway
Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway was an extensive railway network in the North India, mostly north of the Ganges, starting from Benares and subsequently up to Delhi.
History
The Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway was formed in 1872 with the assets of ...
(O&R Railway). The engineer in charge of construction of the Dufferin Bridge was
Frederick Thomas Granville Walton, who went on to become the Engineer in Chief of the
Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway
Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway was an extensive railway network in the North India, mostly north of the Ganges, starting from Benares and subsequently up to Delhi.
History
The Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway was formed in 1872 with the assets of ...
company.
The bridge was renamed as the Malviya Bridge in 1948 after
Madan Mohan Malaviya
Madan Mohan Malaviya ( (25 December 1861 — 12 November 1946) was an Indian scholar, educational reformer and politician notable for his role in the Indian independence movement. He was president of the Indian National Congress four times and ...
. As the bridge is near Rajghat, it is also locally known as Rajghat bridge. Malviya Bridge is between
Kashi
Kashi or Kaashi may refer to:
Places
* Varanasi (historically known as "Kashi"), a holy city in India
**Kingdom of Kashi, an ancient kingdom in the same place, one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas
**Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi
* Kashgar, a cit ...
,
Varanasi Junction and
Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction (Mughalsarai Junction) stations.
In fiction
In Rudyard Kipling's story ''The Bridge Builders'', the bridge is given the name
Kashi
Kashi or Kaashi may refer to:
Places
* Varanasi (historically known as "Kashi"), a holy city in India
**Kingdom of Kashi, an ancient kingdom in the same place, one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas
**Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi
* Kashgar, a cit ...
Bridge, after the nearby city also known as Varanasi. Dufferin Bridge's opening ceremony was delayed because of floods; the Kashi bridge in the story also faces similar problems due to flooding just before it was opened to public.
See also
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List of longest bridges in the world
This is a list of the world's longest bridges that are more than in length sorted by their full length above land and water. The main span is the longest span without any ground support.
'' Note: There is no standard way to measure the total l ...
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List of longest bridges above water in India
This is a list of India's bridges longer than , sorted by their full length above water.
Bridges
See also
*List of longest bridges in the world
*List of road–rail bridges
*List of bridges in India
*List of longest bridges in West Bengal
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References
External links
{{Hydrography of Uttar Pradesh
Buildings and structures in Varanasi
Bridges in Uttar Pradesh
Bridges over the Ganges
Bridges completed in 1887
Memorials to Madan Mohan Malaviya
Transport in Mughalsarai
Transport in Varanasi
Road-rail bridges in India
Double-decker bridges
Railway bridges in Uttar Pradesh