Punalur is a city situated near the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border in the Kollam district, in the southern State of Kerala, India. It is situated on the banks of the Kallada River, receiving its name from two Tamil words; punal, meaning “water” and ooru, meaning “town”, therefore “town of water”. It is about 45 km north-east of Kollam and 75 km north of Thiruvananthapuram. Punalur is the headquarters of Pathanapuram Taluk, the gateway to Western Ghats. It is also known as the “Lap of the western ghats”.
History and Construction
The Punalur Suspension Bridge is the first motorable bridge in South India. The suspension bridge crossing the river is the only suspended-deck type in south India. Built in 1877 by Albert Henry across the Kallada River, 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.
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
A full view of the renovated Punalur Suspension Bridge
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 fitted, the steel armrests and the stone columns were painted, night lamps were installed and a new park and resting place was made near the bridge.
