Vivekananda Setu
Encyclopedia
Vivekananda Setu is a bridge
over the Hooghly River in West Bengal
, India
. It links the city of Howrah, at Bally, to its twin city of Kolkata
, at Dakshineswar
. Built in December 1932, it is a multispan steel bridge and was built to provide road cum rail link between the Calcutta Port
and its hinterland. It is 2887 feet (880 m) long.
The construction of bridge was done by famous Kutchi-Mistri
contractor and Industrialist Rai Bahadur Jagmal Raja Chauhan
. His nameplate can still be seen on each girder of the bridge. The construction of bridge started in year 1926 and was completed in year 1932. The Bally Bridge was named Willingdon Bridge after Viceroy of India, Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon
, who inaugurated it. The first train that ran across the bridge was named Jagmal Raja Howrah Express by British acknowledging the feat of Rai Bahadur Jagmal Raja. It is said that bridge cost over one crore in those years.
The bridge serves both road and rail:
The famous Dakshineswar Temple
is situated on the banks of the Hooghly river near the Bally Bridge. The bridge also has sister bridges over the river at different points, namely the Howrah Bridge
(Rabindra Setu) and the Vidyasagar Setu
.
This bridge currently handles a daily traffic of 24,000 vehicles.
Vivekananda Setu had become weak as a result of ageing and with heavy traffic even repairs became difficult. There was need for a second bridge. Nivedita Setu
was constructed parallel to it and around 50 m downstream. It was opened to traffic in 2007.
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
over the Hooghly River in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It links the city of Howrah, at Bally, to its twin city of Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, at Dakshineswar
Dakshineswar
Dakshineswar is a town in Barrackpore subdivision of North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal.-History:In 1847, Rani Rashmoni of Bengal began the construction of the famous Dakshineswar Kali Temple. Rani, who was a rich and pious widow of colonial Bengal had a divine revelation ordering her to...
. Built in December 1932, it is a multispan steel bridge and was built to provide road cum rail link between the Calcutta Port
Kolkata Port Trust
The Port of Kolkata is a riverine port in the city of Kolkata, India. It is the oldest operating port in India, having originally been constructed by the British East India Company....
and its hinterland. It is 2887 feet (880 m) long.
The construction of bridge was done by famous Kutchi-Mistri
Mistri
Mistri, or Mistry, is a term for a master-craftsman, foreman or supervisor of manual workers in India. Mistri is being replaced with "supervisor" and other terms, as for example by the Indian Railway who replaced it with supervisor in 2005....
contractor and Industrialist Rai Bahadur Jagmal Raja Chauhan
Rai Bahadur Jagmal Raja Chauhan
Jagmal Raja Chauhan , better known as Rai Bahadur Jagmal Raja, was an industrialist in Bombay and a railway contractor at the time of Independence of India. He was born in a small village named Nagher, in Kutch and belonged the Kutch Gurjar Kashtriya community...
. His nameplate can still be seen on each girder of the bridge. The construction of bridge started in year 1926 and was completed in year 1932. The Bally Bridge was named Willingdon Bridge after Viceroy of India, Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon
Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon
Major Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon was a British Liberal politician and administrator who served as Governor General of Canada, the 13th since Canadian Confederation, and as Viceroy and Governor-General of India, the country's 22nd.Freeman-Thomas was born in England and...
, who inaugurated it. The first train that ran across the bridge was named Jagmal Raja Howrah Express by British acknowledging the feat of Rai Bahadur Jagmal Raja. It is said that bridge cost over one crore in those years.
The bridge serves both road and rail:
- Rail - connects Sealdah Station to DelhiDelhiDelhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
- Road - connects Grand Trunk RoadGrand Trunk RoadThe Grand Trunk Road also formerly known as Uttarapatha, Shah Rah-e-Azam or Sadak-e-Azam or Badshahi Sadak is one of South Asia's oldest and longest major roads...
(Howrah side) to Barrackpore Trunk Road (Kolkata side)
The famous Dakshineswar Temple
Dakshineswar Kali Temple
The Dakshineswar Kali Temple is a Hindu temple located in Dakshineswar near Kolkata. Situated on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, the presiding deity of the temple is Bhavatarini, an aspect of Kali, meaning, 'She who liberates Her devotees from the ocean of existence i.e Saṃsāra'...
is situated on the banks of the Hooghly river near the Bally Bridge. The bridge also has sister bridges over the river at different points, namely the Howrah Bridge
Howrah Bridge
The Howrah Bridge is a cantilever bridge that spans the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India. Commissioned in 1943, the bridge was originally named the New Howrah Bridge, because it links the city of Howrah to its twin city, Kolkata . On 14 June 1965 it was renamed Rabindra Setu, after Rabindranath...
(Rabindra Setu) and the Vidyasagar Setu
Vidyasagar Setu
Vidyasagar Setu, also known as the Second Hooghly Bridge, is a bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India. It links the city of Kolkata to Howrah. The bridge is a toll bridge for all vehicles. At a total length of 822.96 m, it is the longest cable-stayed bridge in India and one of the...
.
This bridge currently handles a daily traffic of 24,000 vehicles.
Vivekananda Setu had become weak as a result of ageing and with heavy traffic even repairs became difficult. There was need for a second bridge. Nivedita Setu
Nivedita Setu
Nivedita Setu is a cable-stayed bridge over Hooghly River that runs parallel to and around 50 m downstream of the old Vivekananda Setu opened in 1932...
was constructed parallel to it and around 50 m downstream. It was opened to traffic in 2007.
See also
- List of longest bridges in the world
- List of longest bridges above water in India