Title - Standing the test of time

The State of Kerala is blessed with a vast history and heritage. Kollam is known for its blue beaches, tranquil backwaters, religious sites and fairs and festivals. Among the heritage attractions in the district, the Thirteen Eye Bridge holds a specific space on Kerala’s tourism map due to its uniqueness, oldness and architectural elegance.

The Thirteen Eye Bridge, locally famous as Pathimoonnu Kannara Palam or ‘thirteen arch bridge’, is truly an architectural marvel. It is a metre gauge railway bridge situated in Kazhuthurutti between Thenmala and Aryankavu in Kollam district.

The bridge that took several years to build was constructed by the British in 1901. The Kollam-Shenkotai railway line — the first in the erstwhile Travancore region — is more than a century old. According to history, the Kollam-Shenkotai metre gauge line was conceived and implemented by the Great Maharajah Balarama Varma-I (Uthradam Tirunal) of Travancore.

Being one of oldest mountain rail routes in India and the last metre gauge route in the State, it was the main commercial rail route between Kollam and Chennai before independence. The inaugural train chugged out of here on July 1, 1904. The line was constructed to transport forest products, spices and cashew nuts from Kollam to Chennai.

The Thirteen Eye Bridge is a landmark attraction for passengers travelling through NH-208. The bridge has 13 arches known as thirteen eyes or fort doors, having a height of 5.18 metres and a length of 102.72 metres. The bridge was constructed using surki due to the shortage of cement during that

period and it is a perfect example of British architecture that displays marvellous engineering skills. Even after one hundred years of construction, the bridge still shows no sign of deterioration and the railways have decided to retain it.

Passengers travelling by road usually take a small break near the bridge in order to take pictures of it with hills and forests in the background.

The Kollam-Thirumangalam National Highway 208 and the Kazhuthurutti river that drains into the Thenmala reservoir makes the locale extraordinary. Besides photography, this bridge has found place in many movies as well.

Located between the Thenmala Eco-Tourism Project and Palaruvi Waterfalls it is easy to access the bridge from Kollam and Punalur towns. Buses are available during frequent intervals.