The Punalur Suspension Bridge, located in

Punalur Punalur is a Municipality in Kollam district of Kerala State in India. It is the headquarter of the Punalur Taluk and Punalur Revenue Division. It's situated in the eastern part of Kollam district of Kerala, on the banks of the Kallada River a ...

is the oldest motorable Bridge in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

, which was built by

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

Government and is now a historical attraction. The bridge has a length of . The suspension bridge was built to prevent wild animals from crossing into the town from the forest area of old Kattupathanapuram.

History and Construction

The Punalur Suspension Bridge is the first motorable bridge in South India. The

suspension bridge A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...

crossing the river is the only suspended-deck type in south India. Built in 1877 by Albert Henry across the

Kallada River Kallada River/Kulathupuzha " Puzha "means River.Its's the longest river in Kollam District, Kerala, India.The river originates in Kulathupuzha,a part of Western Ghats and flows west reaching Arabian Sea after travelling a distance of 120km. Ri ...

, this huge bridge was suspended by two spans and was used for vehicular movement. Construction took more than six years. It is said that after completion of the bridge people hesitated to walk over the bridge. In order to prove the strength of the bridge the engineer and his family passed under the bridge in a country boat while six elephants were walking over it. Now the bridge is of historical interest and is a major tourist attraction.

Reason for the construction

The main concept behind the construction of this bridge was that areas on the other side of the river Kallada was dense forests. A bridge was necessary. It was also built to prevent wild animals from getting to the populated side, a bridge which shakes when some one gets on it was built, this shaking scared off the animals and they wouldn't cross the bridge.

Method of Construction

The bridge is connected to four wells. The iron rods of the bridge is connected to the clips, situated in the wells. Each well is about 100 feet deep and no one since knows the engineering behind the construction of this bridge. It still remains a mystery.

Replacement for the suspension bridge

A new concrete bridge was built near to the Punalur Suspension Bridge in 1972 due to heavy traffic on the National Highway 208, a new strong bridge was built.

Renovation

The bridge was recently repaired and renovated by the government of Kerala. The structure was strengthened, new wood panels of the same tree (Kambakom) which was first used in the construction were fit, the steel armrests and the stone columns were painted, night lamps were installed and a new park and resting place were made near the bridge.

References

External links

{{commons category-inline, Punalur suspension bridge
SketchUp Model of the Bridge
Bridges in Kerala Buildings and structures in Kollam district 1877 establishments in India Bridges completed in 1877 Suspension bridges in India Transport in Kollam district