Atharanala

Atharanala - a historic laterite stone bridge over the Madhupur or Musa stream at the entrance of Puri town, Odisha on Puri - Bhubaneswar road, locally known as Hulhuliya bridge; a Monument of National Importance N-OR-64 officially recognized by Archaeological Survey of India. Due to safety reasons the bridge is excluded from heavy vehicle traffic.HistoryAccording to the report of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts the structure was assigned to the second half of the 18th century AD (Maratha rule) based on architectural ground and building materials. The present bridge has been placed directly on top of the structure which had been started as early as 13th century AD by Bhanu Deva I (1266–1278) of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty and continued by Narasimha Deva II (1279–1306). He reconstructed the Atharanala bridge for proper discharge of surplus water of that time Saradhar rivulet with an additional culvert thus increasing its total number to nineteen (290 ft long).LegendsThe bridge is to be built by Maharaja Indradyumna. The construction process was unsuccessful until, by the order of the Lord Jagannath, he offered the heads of his eighteen sons into the water of the river. If a non-Hindu is caught trespassing inside the Jagannath Temple in Puri the entire Prasad must be thrown away from Atharanala bridge.