Shahi Bridge or Munim Khan's Bridge or Akbari Bridge or Mughal Bridge or Jaunpur Bridge is a 16th-century bridge over river

Gomti The Gomti, Gumti or Gomati River is a tributary of the Ganges. According to beliefs, the river is the son of Rishi Vashishtha and bathing in the Gomti on Ekadashi (the 11th day of the two lunar phases of the Hindu calendar month) can wash a ...

in Jaunpur,

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The Shahi Bridge is located north of Jaunpur Railway station, northwest of Zafarābād, north-northeast of Mariāhū and west-northwest of the town of Kirākat.

Construction

Mughal Emperor The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled t ...

Akbar ordered the construction of the Shahi Bridge, which was completed in the year 1568–69 by

Munim Khan Munʿim Khān ( fa, ) was a Mughal general under both emperors Humayun and Akbar. He was titled ''Khān-i-Khānān'' ('Khan of Khans') when Emperor Akbar appointed him as Prime Minister of the Mughal Empire in 1560. In 1564, he became the Su ...

. It took four years to complete the bridge. It was designed by Afghan

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Afzal Ali.

Current use

The bridge was severely damaged in the

1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

. Seven of its arches had to be rebuilt. In addition to its historical significance, the bridge is still in use. The bridge is on the Protection & Conservation list of Directorate of Archaeology, (U.P.) since 1978. The bridge is generally recognised as Jaunpur's most significant Mughal structure. A new bridge parallel to Shahi Bridge was opened on 28 November, 2006 by the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh,

Mulayam Singh Yadav Mulayam Singh Yadav (22 November 1939 – 10 October 2022) was an Indian politician, a socialist figure and the founder of the Samajwadi Party. In the course of his political career spanning more than six decades, he served for three terms as ...

In literature

William Hodges in his book 'Select Views in India' mentions about bridge: "The

inundation A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...

s have been frequently known to rise even over the bridge in so much that in the year 1774 a whole brigade of the British forces was passed over it in boats." Rudyard Kipling's poem ''Akbar's Bridge'' mentions this bridge.

References

Notes

* Alfieri, Bianca Maria. 2000. Islamic Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent. London: Laurence King Publishing, 103.

External links

bridge across the Gomati River :: Jaunpur (India) -- Britannica

Students' Britannica India By Dale Hoiberg, Indu Ramchandani

India Perspectives: JAUNPUR: SHIRAZ OF INDIA

Islamic studies in India By Mohamed Taher

PROGRESS IN NANOTECHNOLOGY By Govind Prasad, Shardendu Kislaya

Northeast India By Vanessa Betts, David Stott
{{Authority control Bridges completed in 1567 Bridges in Uttar Pradesh Transport in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh Mughal architecture 1567 establishments in India Buildings and structures in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh Tourist attractions in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh