Wellesley Bridge, Srirangapatna
Bridge in Srirangapatna / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wellesley Bridge, Srirangapatna is an ancient stone bridge built in 1804 on the Highway road leading to Bangalore (now Bengaluru) from Mysore (now Mysuru) in the state of Karnataka. This stone bridge is built across the north bank of the Cauvery River (also spelled Kaveri River). When built it was the main first artery approach to the island town of Srirangapatna (also known as Srirengapatam during British Raj) which was initially the capital city of the Wodeyar Dynasty of Mysore Kingdom after the death of Tipu Sultan in 1799. The bridge was dedicated to Marquis Wellesley who was the Governor-General of British India when it was completed, and it was inaugurated in October 1804. It was built under the overall supervision of Dewan, Purnaiah of the Kingdom of Mysore, as directed by the King Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar.
Wellesley Bridge, Srirangapatna Kiraguru Sethuve | |
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Carries | Mysore-Srirgapatna-Bengaluru Road |
Crosses | Kaveri River |
Locale | Srirangapatna |
Other name(s) | Purnaiah Bridge |
Named for | Richard Wellesley, Governor General of India |
Owner | Archaeology Department of Karnataka |
Heritage status | Heritage bridge |
Characteristics | |
Material | Entirely of stone |
Total length | 512 feet (156 m) |
Width | 20 feet (6.1 m) |
Longest span | 8 feet (2.4 m) each span |
No. of spans | 64 |
Clearance below | 22 feet (6.7 m) |
Design life | More than 200 years |
History | |
Constructed by | Dewan Purnaiah of Mysore Kingdom |
Construction start | 1802 |
Construction end | 1804 |
Construction cost | Rs 5.5 lakhs |
Opened | Now open to cycles, motorcycles and pedestrians only |
Inaugurated | 4 October 1804 |
Rebuilt | Renovated in 2022 |
The strong bridge is built from stone pillars and corbels, surrounded by stone girders, and survived over 200 years of heavy traffic and heavy floods in the river. It was repaired in 2018-22 and put to use by cyclists, motor cyclists, and pedestrians. It has been proposed to promote the bridge to a heritage monument.