Shahi Bridge

Shahi Bridge
Shahi Bridge
	Panoramic view of Shahi bridge
Coordinates	25°44′55″N 82°41′05″E / 25.74870°N 82.68468°E
Crossed	Gomti River
Locale	Jaunpur
Official name	Akbari Bridge
Maintained by	Directorate of Archaeology, (U.P.); UP-PWD ; UP Bridge corporation
Heritage status	1978
Preceded by	Boat Bridge of Sharqi's
Followed by	Sadbhavana Bridge
Characteristics
Design	Arch bridge
History
Designer	Afzal Ali
Construction start	1564
Construction end	1567
Opened	1567
Collapsed	1934 (partial i.e. ⅓)
Statistics
Toll	free
Location

Shahi Bridge or Munim Khan's Bridge or Akbari Bridge or Mughal Bridge or Jaunpur Bridge is a 16th-century bridge over river Gomti in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. The Shahi Bridge is located 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi) north of Jaunpur Railway station, 7.3 kilometres (4.5 mi) northwest of Zafarābād, 16.2 kilometres (10.1 mi) north-northeast of Mariāhū and 26.6 kilometres (16.5 mi) west-northwest of the town of Kirākat.^[1]

Construction

Jaunpur Bridge: a plate from 'William Hodges' book 'Select Views in India'

Mughal Emperor Akbar ordered the construction of the Shahi Bridge, which was completed in the year 1568–69 by Munim Khan.^[2] It took four years to complete the bridge.^[3] It was designed by Afghan architect Afzal Ali.^[4]

Current use

Distant view of Shahi bridge over Gomti river, Jaunpur.

The bridge was severely damaged in the 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake. Seven of its arches had to be rebuilt. In addition to its historical significance, the bridge is still in use.^[5] The bridge consists of 28 colourful chattris, which presently operates as makeshift shops.^[6]

The bridge is on the Protection & Conservation list of Directorate of Archaeology, (U.P.) since 1978.^[7] The bridge is generally recognised as Jaunpur's most significant Mughal structure.

A new bridge parallel to Shahi Bridge was opened on 28 November, 2006 by the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mulayam Singh Yadav.^[8]^[9]

In literature

William Hodges in his book 'Select Views in India' mentions about bridge:^[10]

"The inundations have been frequently known to rise even over the bridge in so much that in the year 1774 a whole brigade of the British forces was passed over it in boats."

Rudyard Kipling's poem Akbar's Bridge mentions this bridge. ^[11]

References

^ ACME MApper
^ Asher, Catherine Ella Blanshard (1992). Architecture of Mughal India. The new Cambridge history of India. Vol. 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-521-26728-1.
^ Makhfi, Shahid A (22 April 2003). "Legacy of Sharqi Kingdom of Jaunpur". Victory News Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
^ Bradnock, Roma (2004). Footprint India (13 ed.). Bath: Footprint Books. p. 193. ISBN 978-1-904777-00-7.
^ Cumming, Sir John (1939). Revealing India's Past. London: India Society. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-4067-0408-2.
^ Datta, Rangan (22 April 2023). "Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh — the land of 'Shahi' forts, mosques and more". No. My Kolkata. The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
^ Directorate of Archaeology (Uttar Pradesh): Protection & Conservation list Archived 2009-04-14 at the Wayback Machine
^ Jaunpur: Mulayam to inaugurate bridge on Nov 28
^ MULAYAM SINGH YADAV INAUGURATES VARIOUS DEVELOPMENT WORKS COSTING RS. 128 CRORE IN JAUNPUR
^ India a modern idők elött^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ "Akbar's Bridge". 2 February 2021.

Notes

Alfieri, Bianca Maria. 2000. Islamic Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent. London: Laurence King Publishing, 103.

External links

[1] ACME MApper

[2] Asher, Catherine Ella Blanshard (1992). Architecture of Mughal India. The new Cambridge history of India. Vol. 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-521-26728-1.

[victorynewsmagazine.com-3] Makhfi, Shahid A (22 April 2003). "Legacy of Sharqi Kingdom of Jaunpur". Victory News Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2009.

[4] Bradnock, Roma (2004). Footprint India (13 ed.). Bath: Footprint Books. p. 193. ISBN 978-1-904777-00-7.

[5] Cumming, Sir John (1939). Revealing India's Past. London: India Society. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-4067-0408-2.

[Datta-6] Datta, Rangan (22 April 2023). "Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh — the land of 'Shahi' forts, mosques and more". No. My Kolkata. The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 August 2023.

[7] Directorate of Archaeology (Uttar Pradesh): Protection & Conservation list Archived 2009-04-14 at the Wayback Machine

[8] Jaunpur: Mulayam to inaugurate bridge on Nov 28

[9] MULAYAM SINGH YADAV INAUGURATES VARIOUS DEVELOPMENT WORKS COSTING RS. 128 CRORE IN JAUNPUR

[10] India a modern idők elött^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[11] "Akbar's Bridge". 2 February 2021.

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