The Maraimalai Adigal Bridge (previously the Marmalong Bridge) is a road bridge on

Anna Salai Anna Salai (), formerly known as St. Thomas Mount Road or simply Mount Road, is an arterial road in Chennai, India. It starts at the Cooum Creek, south of Fort St George, leading in a south-westerly direction towards St. Thomas Mount, and end ...

connecting the northern and southern banks of the Adyar River.

History

The oldest bridge across the Adyar River - the Marmalong Bridge - was originally constructed by the Armenian merchant

Coja Petrus Uscan Coja Petrus Uscan (1680/81 – 1751) was an Armenian merchant and leader of the Armenian community of Madras who was known for his immense wealth and unflinching devotion and loyalty to the British during the French occupation of Madras. Anc ...

in 1728 at the cost of Rs. one lakh. The bridge was named after the nearby village of

Mambalam West Mambalam is a residential and commercial area in Chennai, India. It is known for its shops, bazaars and Hindu temples. It is bounded by Kodambakkam to the north and Saidapet to the south. T. Nagar and Nandanam stretch all along its eastern ...

which was Anglicized to Marmalan or Marmalong. The dilapidated old bridge was replaced by a new one in 1966. The new bridge is named after

Maraimalai Adigal Maraimalai Adigal (15 July 1876 – 15 September 1950) was a Tamil orator and writer and father of Pure Tamil movement. He was a fervent Tamizh Saivite. He wrote more than 100 books, including works on original poems and dramas, but most famous ...

, a Tamil writer and proponent of the

Pure Tamil movement ( ta, தனித்தமிழ் இயக்கம், , Independent Tamil Movement) is a linguistic-purity movement in Tamil literature which attempts to avoid loanwords from Sanskrit, English and other languages. The movement began in ...

. Uscan's construction of the bridge is commemorated by a plaque at the northern end of the bridge adjoining the Saidapet bus stand.

Notes

Other sources

* {{coord missing, Tamil Nadu Road bridges in India Bridges in Tamil Nadu Bridges and flyovers in Chennai