Kalutara Bridge — Local services in Western Province

brige of kalutara.

Sri Lanka, also known as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean is adorned with the beautiful mother nature and claims a proud history going back as far as 500 BC. Colonialism plays a significant role in the country’s olden times.

It was under the influence of Portuguese, Dutch and the British in their respective eras. Several historic sites in Sri Lanka originated during these periods and still remains as evidence of these influences. The Kalutara Bridge is such significant landmark inherited as a result of the Colonial period.

Kalutara bridge is the connecting line between the western and southern borders of the country. J. R. Mosse, Director of the PWD (Public works department) is the pioneer in designing and building the bridge and it was the largest bridge on the island built during the early 1900s. It was considered the first concrete bridge in Sri Lanka as well.

Locals say on very clear mornings one can see Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak) Mountain from the bridge. Which is, in turn, the starting point of Kalu River. That would make Kalu River the only river in Sri Lanka of which starting point and ending point can be seen at the same time. The old bridge comprised of two separate bridges, each with 6 spans of lattice girders where a single girder was an enormous 100ft long.

It is separated by a ridge in the middle of the river (Kalu Ganga) and it was opened for road traffic in August 1877 along with a single line of rails in the middle. It was 450ft in length.

Currently, There are twin bridges for railway and one for the road traffic. And it is a perfect place to...

Early 1900’s Kalutara is a resort town located approximately 40km south of Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital. Once an important spice-trading center, the city’s name is derived from the Kalu Ganga River (‘Black River’ in native Sinhala). In the 11th Century, the town was temporarily made a capital on the orders of a South Indian Prince. The region was later planted with coconut trees, whose by-products are used for both internal and external trade. The location also boast fortifications dating back from the times when Portuguese, Dutch and British vied for control of the area. The 38-meter long Kalutara Bridge was built at the mouth of the Kalu Ganga River and serves as a major link between the country’s Western and Southern border. At the southern end of the bridge lies the 3 stories-high Kalutara Vihara, a Buddhist temple built in the 1960s which holds the distinction of being the only stupa in the world...

There are two bridges near kalutara. This one is located near to the historical Kalutara bodiya connecting Kalutarata north and Kalutara south across the Kalu river by A2 main road and railway. There is a specialty about this bridge, according to the folklores this is the only place in the world that you can see the start point of river from the river's end point. According to folklores the start point of the Kalu river is Samanala Kanda (AKA Sri padaya, Adam's peak) and end point is Kalutara which is sure. If you are lucky and there is no fog you might be able to see the Samanala kanda from this bridge. The bridge will be decorated with Buddhist flag an series of light in Poya days. Further you can see the Indian ocean from one side while seeing...