Shahi_Bridge
Shahi Bridge
Bridge in Jaunpur
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]
Shahi Bridge | |
|---|---|
Panoramic view of Shahi bridge | |
| Coordinates | 25.74870°N 82.68468°E / 25.74870; 82.68468 |
| 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 Sharki'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 | |
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]
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]
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]
- 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.
- "Akbar's Bridge". 2 February 2021.
- Alfieri, Bianca Maria. 2000. Islamic Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent. London: Laurence King Publishing, 103.
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