Mughal bridge still stands tall over Bara River

[ghazi52]

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Mughal bridge still stands tall over Bara River

The Chuha Gujar Bridge is 100 yards long and six yards wide with beautiful, domed pillars.

PESHAWAR: The Chuha Gujar Bridge stands above Bara River and near the Chuha Gujar village.

A Mughal-era construction probably built during Shah Jehan’s rule in 1629, the bridge is 100 yards long and six yards wide with six-foot tall pillars on each side. The pillars are topped with beautiful domes which add to the grandeur of the bridge. Two of the domes, however, have fallen off. As is typical of Mughal architecture, there are 12 arched tunnels or water ways running under the bridge.

The Chuha Gujar Bridge is 100 yards long and six yards wide with beautiful, domed pillars.

The bridge is in considerably good condition, despite the fact that it has been there for more than three centuries and has not been preserved as a historical site. It is among the few Mughal monuments in the city of Peshawar. In his book, Peshawar: Past and Present, SM Jafar shows the original plaque with Emperor Shah Jehan’s name and details of the bridge on it, such as the date of construction.

One of the pillars used to have a plaque with details about the historic bridge, but it has been removed. Researcher Humayun Akhund said residents claimed the plaque was taken away by officials from the archeology department. He added that they had searched the department and found nothing. “If we had the plaque, we would be able to learn about the bridge’s history,” he said. “But since we do not have any historical documents or manuscripts, we don’t know much. The structure and design show that this was built in the Mughal period.”

According to researcher Muhammad Nawaz Khan, who has written about the history of Peshawar, many people believe the bridge was built by Karim Bakhsh Sethi, a philanthropist from Peshawar. There is, however, no proof. Khan added there was another bridge on the road between Chamkani village and GT Road which was constructed by Sethi. He claimed there used to be a mosque near the bridge but it doesn’t exist anymore.

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[ghazi52]

...........................Attock Fort bridge......
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The Gazetteer and official records talk about the efforts of making the tunnel:

“In 1856, the Indian Government commenced the construction of a tunnel under the Indus at Attock, but the work has never been completed, as it has been decided eventually, upon the completion of the Punjab State Railway, to construct a bridge over the river.”

But the British themselves contradict this information.

“Ross, writing in 1883, refers to the tunnel and mentions that it was in fact completed in 1862 by the 32nd Sappers, known as the Mazbis, but was subsequently abandoned, ‘owing to the difficulty of keeping it clear of water’.”

Reference:
Ross, D, The land of the five rivers and Sindh. London, 1883.

The idea that the Attock Fort tunnel was constructed by the Mughals first, still persists, and needs fresh research.
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[[Bregs]]

See the thickness of pillars to give it support, Moghuls had some fine construction knowledge at that time too