KOCHI: The Iron Bridge over the Poorna River linking the royal town of Tripunithura with Kochi was built in 1890 by the London-based Westwood and Baillie & Co exclusively for horse-driven carriages used by erstwhile Kochi princes.
Ninety-six-year-old Krishna Rao, a retired devaswom commissioner, said the various parts of the bridge were designed in London and assembled along the river. Even after 132 years, the handrails of the bridge remain as fresh without even a small trace of rust, he said.
Every year the bridge attracts attention as the Thidambu (the replica of the idol of the deity of Poornathrayeesa Temple taken out for processions) is taken across the river in a country boat and devotees stand atop the Iron Bridge to witness the event. Till recently, even heavy trucks carrying tonnes of gravel and other building materials plied on the bridge but now only two wheelers are allowed.
