Kallady Bridge

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Batticaloa is also known as the “land of the singing fish”, Kallady bridge is the oldest and longest iron bridge in Sri Lanka built by the British in 1924, during the British colonial rule. The original bridge lays unused now, and a new bridge was built to replace it.

In 1954 two American presets from St. Michael's College, Batticaloa, Rev. Fr. Lang and Rev. Fr. Moran recorded fish singing from under the Kallady Bridge, the recording was broadcasted on Radio Ceylon in the 1960s. It was believed that singing fish can be heard during the nights under moonlights from the bridge. A popular local artist Gunadasa Kapuge sings a song of ethenic harmony which also mentions Kallady Bridge, the song is called “Kallady Palama Pamula”.

The bridge was originally named Lady Manning Bridge in honor of the wife of William Manning, the British Governor of Ceylon.

In 2006 plans were drawn to build a new bridge parallel to the old one, which was formally opened on 22nd March 2013 as a post war development project.