Nanu Oya Arch Bridge (Kiribathkumbura)

Nanu-Oya Arch Bridge (Sinhala: කිරිබත්කුඹුර පිහිටි නානුඔය පැරණි පාළම) is located near the Kiribathkumbura Highway Museum premises in Kandy District, Sri Lanka. It was constructed in 1826 across the Nanu Oya stream by engineer Captain A. Brown during the period of Governor Sir Edward Barnes [(1824-1831 A.D.) Abeyawardana, 2004; Jayasinghe, 2021; Rajapakse, 2016].

 

The bridge has 3 arches built out of stone and bricks (Rajapakse, 2016). The lower part of the arches is made of stone while the upper part of the arches and the bridge are made of brick (Jayasinghe, 2021). The bricks are bonded together with lime mortar and the brick surface is not plastered. The length of the embankment of the bridge is 5.9 m, the width between the two embankments is 7.6 m and the height of the section which is supported on both sides is about 80 cm (Jayasinghe, 2021).

The usage of the bridge was replaced later by a new bridge constructed in close proximity. The Highway Museum by the Department of Highways has been established near the bridge.

 

Attribution

1) Old arch bridge by shankar s. is licensed under CC BY 2.0

References

1) Abeyawardana, H.A.P., 2004. Heritage of Kandurata: Major natural, cultural and historic sites. Colombo: The Central Bank of Sri Lanka. pp.92-93.

2) Jayasinghe, J.L.G.V.M.S.S., 2021. An Industrial Archaeological Study of bridges built during the British period in Kandy and Suburbs (Based on Selected sites). Trivalent: Journal of Archaeology, Tourism & Anthropology, Volume II Issue II. pp.91-101.

3) Rajapakse, S., 2016. Pauranika Sthana Ha Smaraka: Mahanuwara Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Archaeological Department of Sri Lanka. ISBN:955-9159-34-8. p.77.

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This page was last updated on 4 February 2023