The bridge across time

The city today, sans the Sambhaji Bridge, would be crippled. Yet, in the annals of history, there can be found no reference to what prompted...

The city today, sans the Sambhaji Bridge, would be crippled. Yet, in the annals of history, there can be found no reference to what prompted Nanasaheb Peshwa to order the construction of this bridge 237 years ago. With no written records that could present the required evidence, we can only guess.

The year 1761 saw Maratha power suffer a mighty blow, following the debacle at Panipat. Hearing of the losses, Nanasaheb set out from Pune to aid his elder son Vishwasrao and brother Sadashivrao Bhau, and attempt to avert the impending doom. But en route came the dreaded news of the duo8217;s death, and a broken Nanasaheb headed back home, reaching the city in the month of June that year. It was then that he ordered the construction of this bridge across the Mutha river.

In immediate response to his orders, his men set to work, and hastily completed the wooden bridge. This was probably the last piece of civic work under Nanasaheb8217;s instructions, who died soon thereafter.

While one school of historians would like to believe that this construction was in keeping with his dream of the city8217;s expansion, another lot feels that the honourable leader did not want to enter the city by the Dagdi Pul, that was the way to enter the city then. This Dagdi Pul is said to have been at a lower level near the present Dengle Bridge from the Kumbhar wada area towards Shivajinagar/PMC and was considered the main approach to Pune.

With the news of the Panipat defeat taking a toll on his spirits, Nanasaheb probably wished to enter the city without any pomp, and consequently demanded that a bridge be constructed on the western side so that his disheartened troops could march in.

Whatever be the reason over two centuries ago, the bridge that we see at present is veritably the fourth version. The fragile lakdipul8217; that was Nanasaheb8217;s idea could bear the beatings of nature only till about 1840, and that year it gave way.

The British government then ordered a stone bridge to be built at the same site as the erstwhile lakdipul8217;. One can even find references of the then collector Eastward8217;s public appeal for donations, and apparently one wealthy man, Naro Ramchandra Tulshibaugwale, responded with the princely sum of Rs 10!

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In his book Haravlele Pune, author Avinash Sovni mentions an interesting episode in the tale of Lakdi Pul that is a pointer to its narrow width in the early years of this century. He writes about an incident in 1910, when the then principal of Fergusson College, the late Wrangler Paranjape, was headed across the Lakdi Pul after the inauguration ceremony of the college8217;s amphitheatre. Apparently, the entire bridge was blocked by a herd of sheep 8211; the city indeed has a history of traffic jams!

Then came renovations in 1938, when footpaths were added and the width was extended around 1950. In the aftermath of the Panshet floods of 1961, the bridge had to be virtually re-constructed, so devastating was the damage. Gradually Lakdi Pul acquired its present look that Puneites are familiar with today.