Rawalpindi was developed as a modern city after British forces occupied it in 1849 and made it a permanent cantonment in 1851.

The British also laid a railway track besides constructing roads and bridges to connect the city with other parts of Indian subcontinent. Bridges were built on different rivers and Leh Nullah to connect the city areas with the cantonment. Leh Nullah is the main dividing line between the city and cantonment and more than 12 bridges are constructed over it.

The oldest bridge in the city was at City Saddar Road which was constructed before the arrival of the British forces. The bridge was made from wood and has been reconstructed several times during the last 150 years.

The main bridge on Murree Road near Marrir Chowk, commonly known as Rialto Cinema Bridge, was also constructed during the British rule. The bridge was reconstructed during the tenure of former president Ayub Khan and later in 2014.

The over 130-year-old wooden bridge connecting Raja Bazaar with the cantonment is also the oldest. But the truss bridge made from wood and iron over Leh Nullah is vanishing. Girders of the bridge were made from iron and deodar wood.

The bridge was constructed in 1890 to connect the city with army barracks and railway quarters in Westridge. After the construction of new concrete bridge adjacent to it in 1976, the truss bridge remained abandoned. But the local administration was asked to preserve the old structure as it was the property of the archaeology department.

Pirwadhai Bridge connected Rawalpindi with Islamabad and Margalla Hills, especially Saidpur village where the main temple of the Potohar region was located. Before partition of the subcontinent, a Hindu Goshala was established along the bridge area. Goshala was the place where cows were kept and their milk supplied to temples.

“Hindus considered cows as sacred and distribute its milk among those who came to temple for prayers,” said Jai Ram, the priest of Krishna Temple, adding such shelters were made to look after cows attached with temples.

The oldest bridges of Gawalmandi and Pirwadhai were re-constructed in the mid-70s but they were damaged again in the 2001 flood and later reconstructed.

All the old bridges are the best example of British engineering work and served the locals for more than 135 years. However, some of the bridges need repair. From truss bridge to the arch bridges as well as arch tied bridge, all forms of architect can be seen in the cantonment and city areas. The bridges still present the life and culture of the city.

Abdul Rasheed, 45, a trader at Pirwadhai, said the wooden bridge in the area was constructed before the partition to connect the city area with the cantonment.

He said most of the people and traders used the bridge to go to Pirwadhai, Golra Sharif and Islamabad and back. He said his grandfather used to narrate many stories of his childhood on the bridge especially during rain to see Leh Nullah.

Former district nazim Raja Tariq Mehboob Kiani told Dawn that he used to see people using these old bridges. He said he also saw bridges made from the deodar wood.

He said Gawalmandi and Pirwadhai bridges were damaged during the 2001 flood and were reconstructed during his tenure from 2001 to 2005. He said many bridges on Leh Nullah connected Rawalpindi and Islamabad as well as the city and cantonment areas.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2019