It is an engineering wonder of Kerala. It is the oldest motorable bridge in Kerala. I am talking about the 143 year old Punalur suspension bridge that stands tall amidst Punalur’s modern day traffic and continues to straddle the Kallada river as it did in its hey days. Only difference being, then it was a working bridge, while today it is a historical attraction and a protected monument under the Archaeological department of Kerala. Constructed in 1877 during the reign of the erstwhile Travancore king Ayilyam Thirunal Rama Varma and under the supervision of the British engineer Albert Henry, the Punalur Suspension bridge is a 400 feet long bridge that connected the town of Punalur with the forest area of old Kattupathanapuram. The idea behind having a suspension bridge was to promote trade with outsiders while preventing the animals of the jungle from entering the village at night. The shaky nature of the bridge used to scare off the animals. Built using iron, Kambakom wood and stone m