Athu Ela Arch Bridge

Athu Ela Arch Bridge

Athu Ela Bridge  (Sinhala: අතු ඇල පාලම) is a stone arch bridge located on the Gall-Deniyaya-Madampe road (A017) between Morawaka and Pitabeddara towns in Matara District, Sri Lanka. It has been built over the Athu Ela stream, a tributary of the  Nilwala Ganga River . The bridge is claimed to be one of the biggest and oldest stone arch bridges on the national highways of the country. The bridge was built during the British Period of Ceylon (1815-1948). It is said that a local contractor named Haramanis Basunnehe was given the contract in about 1871 and his initial construction assisted by Indian labourers was too small in height hence it was damaged by elephants walking along the stream below. The height was then revised to make enough space for elephants and the completed bridge was declared open in about 1873. The purpose of building the bridge was to transport the tea exports of colonial landowners who had their tea estates nearby. Situated at a big bend, the bridge consists of three arc…