Spanned across the beautiful Teesta
River, Coronation Bridge popularly known as Baghpool by locals is positioned at
a distance of 19 km from the city of Siliguri in Sevoke town of Darjeeling
district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
The name Baghpool meaning tiger
bridge owing to the two statues of lions at the entrance of the bridge though
bagh actually means tiger. Constructed at the meeting point of Teesta River and
Rangeet River, the architectural masterpiece and the views from the bridge site
attracts a large number of domestic and as well as foreign tourists.
The construction work of this massive
project was commenced in 1937 and was completed in 1941 with the foundation
stone laid by the then Governor of West Bengal, John Anderson. The name of this
bridge was named to honor the coronation of Queen Elizabeth and King George VI
in 1937.
The bridge was the venue for
Shailendra Nath Roy (famed stuntman) who tried to improve his own world record
of reaching the farthest distance using a zipwire at an elevation of 10, 000
feet above the sea level. Unfortunately, he couldn’t measure the depth of the
Teesta River and had to lose his life suffering from cardiac arrest while on
the halfway of the bridge.
Architecture:
The architectural layout of this
bridge was carried out by John Chambers who was the last British executive
Engineer of the Darjeeling Public Works Department (PWD).
The Bridge is constructed on a
reinforced concrete system as it was impossible to acquire hold from the Teesta
River owing to its heavy current and depth.
Supported by a fixed arch which has
two ends fixed on rock layers on either side of the river, the bridge is
considered among the top architectural wonders of India owing to its unique art
of construction. The total cost of this construction is amounted to be Rs. 4
lakhs.
Things to
Do:
From the bridge one can witness a
captivating view of the surrounding emerald mountains and a majestic view of
the blue and clean Teesta River which is sure to reenergize any visitor.
Visitors can also pay their visit to
the famed Sevokeswari Kaali Mandir which is a Hindu temple devoted to goddess
Kaali (goddess of destruction). It is placed nearby the bridge and attracts
hordes of visitors.
Visitor enroute to Darjeeling or
Sikkim breaks their journey and attend this magnificent bridge site which is
truly a masterpiece with the architecture resembling the workmanship of the
people of that era.
Note: Abundant of monkeys reside
in the vicinity of this bridge, so be careful while walking as they can snatch
your edibles and bags.
Best time to
Visit: Though
you can visit it throughout the year, it is suggested to visit from the month
of October to January when the views
from the bridge retain its beauty like a princess.
Accommodation:
Large
numbers of accommodation options are available in Siliguri (22 km) ranging from
budget to luxury. Some of the hotels and resorts in Siliguri where you can opt
to stay are Hotel Sinclairs, Hotel Apollo, Marinas Hotel and Hotel Blue Star.
How to Reach:
By Air: The nearest airport is
placed in Bagdogra at an expanse of 29
km from this place.
By Train: The closest major railhead
is NJP (New Jalpaiguri Railway Station) about 28 km away from this place. Sevoke
has its own train station on the New Jalpaiguri-Alipurduar-Samuktala Road Line
but many trains don’t stop in this station.
By Road: It is connected with
Siliguri (22 km) and other nearby cities. It is the gateway connecting the
North Eastern part of India to the mainland.
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