Demodara Nine Arch Bridge | Well Known Places

Up, up away in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, are nine arches of pure splendour. What are they? They are nine arches of solid rocks that together make up the impressive Demodara Nine Arch Bridge.

Where exactly is it?

It’s located in the little village of Gotuwala in Ella, a charming town situated about 6 hours away from the Bandaranaike International Airport in the commercial capital of Colombo. So, if you’re planning on seeing it, you will have to stay here and that won’t be much of a problem as accommodation in Ella is so easy to find. You can choose to book a budget hotel like those by Yoho Bed or stay at one of the luxury resorts. Whatever you choose its bound to be a memorable stay, as Ella has more to see than the bridge.

How To Get There?

Nine Arch Bridge Ella | Image Credit: By Kiaradiaries (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

By a train of course! At least that would be the most fun way of doing it. The Demodara Nine Arch Bridge connects the two railway stations of Ella and Demodara, so it’s only fitting that you take the train to see it!

How Old Is It?

Nine Arch Bridge Ella | Image Credit : By AntanO (Own work) [<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>], <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ANine_arches_bridge.jpg">via Wikimedia Commons</a> — Nine Arch Bridge Ella | Image Credit : By AntanO (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Very old! The Demodara Nine Arch Bridge was built during the British colonial era in Sri Lanka. It was commissioned in 1921. There’s a quite a story behind it. Apparently, the construction work commenced on the bridge, just when the World War 1 broke out. As a result, the steel consignment allocated for it was detained and used for war-related projects. When the work came to a halt, the local villagers came forward and built the bridge themselves using solid stone bricks and cement to replace the steel.

Why is it so awesome?

Nine Arch Bridge Ella | image Courtesy:Tuderna [<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0">CC BY 3.0</a>], <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ADemodara_Nine_Arch_Bridge_-_panoramio.jpg">via Wikimedia Commons</a> — Nine Arch Bridge Ella | image Courtesy:Tuderna [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

At 3100 feet above the sea level, and standing at an astounding 99.6 feet in height, the Demodara Nine Arch Bridge or the Ahas Namaye Palama as it’s called in Sinhala; is an engineering marvel of Sri Lanka. It is said that when one stands underneath the bridge, a spectacular view of ‘nine skies’ is seen. This has resulted in the bridge also being named the “The Bridge in the Sky”. Quite appropriate as well as romantic don’t you think?

Intrigued by history, art and food, Lavinia Woolf is a writer who is passionate about the extraordinary and writes of the exhilarating and enchanting. Google+