The bridge of many stories

Headdeck: Even as time takes its toll on Tripunithura’s Irumbupalam, which is more than a 100 years old, the debate rages on how to save it.

“This bridge has many stories to tell,” says R Rajasekharan, a history enthusiast from Tripunthura, about the Irumbupalam or Iron Bridge, now in the eye of a debate. One of the most important landmarks of the heritage suburb of Kochi, in Tripunithura, it was commissioned by the Cochin Royal Family and built in 1890 by London-based Westwood and Baillie &Co. Built for horse driven carts to cross the Poorna river the construction of the bridge was the turning point in the destiny of the temple town.

The bridge that has stood the test of time is now in dire need of conservation. The changing modes of transportation have caused it much damage and deterioration to its condition. Vijay Kumar, a resident of Tripunithura, raised his concerns aboutthe condition of the bridge by suggesting at a Local Council meeting that the bridge be dismantled and displayed at the Hill Palace Museum, with all the other artefacts of royal heritage.

“There is no point in trying to preserve the bridge in i

ts spot, since it is continuously weakening. There is no space to build a new bridge near it either, so the Iron Bridge has to be removed,” he says.

Future generations may only get to hear about such a bridge, if the current situation prevails, he adds. He made the suggestion to make sure that the next generation does not miss out on the chance of seeing this structure. It is one among many other ideas about how to preserve and maintain the Iron Bridge. “It is best to hand it over to the Hill Palace Museum.”

“It is one of the most important sites in the heritage walk I conduct; I think it’s over 125 years old,” informs Balagopal, a descendant of the Cochin royal family, who takes interested groups on heritage walks in Tripunithura. “Before the bridge was built, there used to be a wooden drawbridge, which no one used to cross,because the river was infested with crocodiles. There was a man called Kaalan Thampuran, who was an expert at catching these crocodiles. Kaalan is the word used to describe a kind of a trap, which was used by Kaalan Thampuran.” he explains.

“Before the bridge was built the temple elephants of Poornathrayesa temple had to wade through the river from a point called Anachalkadav , to reach the temple from Poonithura,” informs Rajasekharan.

During the Para festival, the idol of the deity of Poornathrayesa temple was made to cross the river o

n a boat, before the bridge was built, the elephants used in procession had to swim and cross the river. “Now they use two elephants! The wooden bridge was not big enough for elephants to cross,” he adds. “The bridge was also a sort of a border of the western side of the old fort area in Tripunithura,” says Balagopal.

Pradeep K, a journalist and resident near the Irumbupalam says, “This cannot be done arbitrarily, all of a sudden. You'll have to have some alternative option for pedestrians to cross over, the traffic can be diverted, but what will the pedestrians do?”

The Rotary Club of Tripunithura wishes to keep the bridge where it belongs, across the Poorna river, leading its residents and guests to and from the old town of Tripunithura.

The former Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India, Babu Rajeev believes in the old saying, that if there’s a will, there’s a way. “The problem with the Irumbupalam is that, it is not a protected monument. The ASI, takes care of monuments that are protected nationally by the government. That doesn’t mean that structures like the Irumbupalam may not be protected. The people at the State Archaeological Department, should have the will to come forward with a decision and share it with the ministers, secretary, as everyone is involved.” He is also the local convener of The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).

Urbanisation has also led to the loss of many other important landmarks in the area, which has weakened the historical richness of the temple town. “The public also has a certain amount of responsibility,If nobody takes care of it, then naturally, since it is made of iron it will rust, you have to understand the heritage value,” says Rajeev.

The Iron Bridge is one of the few landmarks of the majestic town, along with the Statue Junction, Kalikota Palace, and the Clock tower.

“Bridges by nature, all over the world have a great significance. They bring people together, they bring places together. That's why it is called

a ‘bridge’.” says Rajeev. It now remains in the hands of the people and the powers that be to choose between preserving Tripunithura’s regal identity or move ahead disregarding the historic significance of the old landmarks.

Factoid:Ancient bridges that are still in use today can be found from all around the world, one of them, the Arkadiko bridge in Greece, dates back to the Greek bronze age