The Cochin Bridge is a collapsed historical bridge located in Palakkad district, Kerala, India. It was originally constructed as a rail bridge, that lies across the Bharathapuzha river, connecting Shoranur in Palakkad district with Cheruthuruthy in Thrissur district.[1] The bridge's construction was completed in 1902 at the cost of 84 lakh rupees by Shri Rama Varma Thampuran, the Maharaja of Kochi, who reigned from the year 1895 till 1914.[2] This was the only bridge built in that time to make Malabar navigable to the Kingdom of Kochi. The first freight train passed over the bridge on 2 June 1902 and a few days later on the 16 June, the first passenger train made the journey from Shoranur to Kochi through the bridge. Due to damage, it was closed in 1989, and a new bridge was built parallel to it. As of October 2023, the bridge is in a collapsed condition and the authorities are planning to completely dismantle it.[3]
Cochin Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Old Cochin Bridge and new Cochin Bridge in 2007 | |
| Coordinates | 10°45′12″N 76°16′32″E / 10.753273°N 76.275426°E |
| Carried | Rail (former) Road |
| Crossed | Bharathappuzha |
| Locale | Shoranur, Palakkad district, Kerala |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 322 m |
| No. of spans | 15 |
| History | |
| Construction end | 1902 |
| Opened | 2 June 1902 |
| Collapsed | 2009 |
| Closed | 1989 |
| Location | |
 | |
History
editRama Varma Thampuran, who ruled the Kingdom of Cochin from 1895 to 1914, constructed the bridge. The railway line that came up to Shoranur was intended to be extended all the way to Cochin by the King, who was praised as a progressive leader. Two arterial train routes intersected in Shoranur, making it a significant location on the rail map. The Ernakulam-Shoranur railway line was constructed on the King's initiative, and the first train ran on it in June 1902.[4] According to railway historian Devan Varma, to fund the railway project, the King sold some of the royal family's prized possessions, including the elephant's nettipattam (caparisons).[4]
Bullock carts were allowed to traverse the bridge in its early days even though it was initially a narrow gauge rail bridge. It was converted to a broad gauge bridge in 1935. When the British built a brand-new rail bridge next to it, the old one was converted to a road bridge in 1945. The Kerala government built a new Cochin Bridge in 2003 to replace the old one. In 2009, a pillar of the bridge collapsed and in November 2011, the eighth and ninth spans of the bridge collapsed when the ninth pillar gave in.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "A bridge to Kochi's past lies in ruins". The Hindu. 20 September 2013. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ "Rama Varma Thampuran, Last Maharaja of Cochin". The New York Times. 13 November 1964. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ "The Cochin Bridge, Cheruthuruthy - Shornur". 29 November 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ a b "117-year-old Cochin bridge lies in ruins". The Times of India. 16 September 2019. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ Naha, Abdul Latheef (19 September 2022). "Historic Cochin Bridge loses one more span". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2 October 2023.