Kuttippuram Bridge is a distinctive and magnificient bridge which connects south and north shores of Bharatapuzha (also known as Nila). Nila is the second longest river in Kerala after river Periyar. It is a landmark symbol of not only Kuttippuram but also Malappuram district. The bridge which connects Tirur taluk and Ponnani taluk, Kuttippuram and Tavanur panchayaths, Kottakkal and Tavanur legislative assembly constituencies.
Ideal Location
Madras Government chose location of this important bridge due to its less distance from Malabar to Thiru-Kochi or Travancore-Cochin state via road. Malabar was part of Madras state while Thiru-Kochi was a separate state before formation of Kerala soon after independence. Eventhough railway line existed in Kuttippuram, major road transport from Kozhikode to Kochi was via Perinthalmanna- Cherpulassery-Ottappalam-Shornur. The bridge is part of NH 66 which connects Mumbai and Kanyakumari. Currently it is in the confluence of three districts, Palakkad, Malappuram and Thrissur. Kuttippuram Bridge provides easy transportation among three districts.
Famous Mallur Shiva temple lies at the entrance of the bridge. Mallur temple is known as “Mini Pampa” and it is the only one “idathavalam” or halting station for Sabarimala pilgrims in Malappuram district. Wide roads, parking facilities, restaurants, river side resting centre make this area is a perfect location for Idathavalam. Usually pilgrims take a bath in Nila river and pray in temple then proceed to Sabarimala.
Temple authorities has arranged all necessary infrastructure in the temple. There is a twenty four hours life guards services which provide for pilgrims due to strong undercurrents in the river. There is a Shiva statue overlooking to the river Bharathappuzha attracts pilgrims here. The Mallur Shiva Parvathy temple has a long history of 2000 years.
Construction of Kuttippuram Bridge
The foundation stone ceremony of the Kuttippuram Bridge was on 8 May 1949 and then Minister of Public Works of Madras State, M.Bhaktavalsam (later became Chief Minister of Tamilnadu) laid the foundation stone. Madras-based The Modern Housing Constitution and Properties Limited won the contract. The bridge was inaugurated on 11 November 1953 by then Public Works Minister of Madras, Shanmugha Rajeswara Sethupathi. The Bridge construction was a difficult task and the first pillar installation delayed one year due to successive collapse.
Rumour of Narabali (Human sacrifice)
There is a strong belief among the local people that a human sacrifice was held during the construction of Kuttippuram Bridge. But there is no any scientific or investigative datas to confirm this. Bridge work started from the southern part of river in Tavanur and first pillar collapsed many times and halted the construction couple of months. The rumour spread through the local construction workers and people were scared to visit the site even after the inauguration of the bridge.
Nilayoram Park and Bridge
Nilayoram Park is an entertainment park run by Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala. The park is a convenient for relaxation and recreation and there are many activities for kids. It is noteworthy that most beautiful panoramic view of Kuttippuram Bridge in only visible from Nilayoram Park. The Park is on he shore of Bharatapuzha or Nila, and it gets its name from two words, “Nila” and “Oram”. Oram means “shore” in Malayalam language.
Nilayoram offers visitors tremendous opportunities to explore Nila river which originates from Anamalai Hills in Tamilnadu and empties into Arabian Sea at Ponnani after establishing magnificent civilization along the shores of the river. Nila, for ages, people from across the Malabar region has been going to Nila to pay tribute to this holi river.
New Kuttippuram Bridge
Eventhough the magnificient bridge still exists in healthy condition, another bridge is on construction parallelly to the existing bridge as part of widening NH 66 which connects Mumbai and Kanyakumari.
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