Tunga Bridge in

Thirthahalli Thirthahalli is a panchayat town located in the Shimoga district of the state of Karnataka, India. It lies on the bank of the river Tunga River, Tunga and is also the headquarters of the Thirthahalli Taluk of Shimoga district. Geography Thirt ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

, India, is one of the oldest bridges across the

Tunga River The Tunga River (alternatively spelled Thunga) is a river in Karnataka state, southern India. The river is born in the Western Ghats (Sahyadri mountains) on a hill known as ''Varaha Parvata'' at a place called '' Gangamoola''. From here, the riv ...

. This bridge is over 75 years old and it was designed by, and built under supervision of,

Bharat Ratna The Bharat Ratna (; ) is the highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conferred in recognition of "exceptional service/performance of the highest order", without distin ...

Sir

M. Visvesvaraya Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya (Moːkśguṇam Viśveśvarayya; 15 September 1861 – 12/14 April 1962), also referred to by his initials, MV, was an Indian civil engineer, administrator, and statesman, who served as the 19th Dewan of Mysore ...

. The bridge connects the area Kuruvalli with Thirthahalli. Tunga Bridge is also called Jayachamarajendra Bridge. The Tunga Bridge draws many visitors, especially on weekends to see the uniqueness of the bridge.

Bridge structure

This bridge has an arc-like structure at the top which is supported by consecutive pillars on either side of the bridge. There are beam-like structures on the top, connecting the two arcs, appearing as a roof. This unique bridge resembles the

Sydney Harbour Bridge The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North ...

but with a slight difference.

History

The bridge was completed in 1943, and inaugurated by H. H.

Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar (18 July 1919 – 23 September 1974), sometimes simply Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, was the twenty-fifth and last ruling Maharaja of Mysore, reigning from 1940 to 1950, who later served as the governor of Mysore until 1964 an ...

, then the

Maharaja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

, and also named after him.

References

{{coord, 13.6847, 75.2479, type:landmark_region:IN, display=title Bridges in Karnataka Bridges completed in 1943 Transport in Shimoga district Buildings and structures in Shimoga district 20th-century architecture in India

Bridge structure

History

See also

References