How Bhadrachalam’s Godavari bridge in Telangana linked ‘Southern Ayodhya’ to millions

Bhadrachalam lies within Dandakaranya, the forest where Lord Rama stayed during his exile, along with Sita and Lakshman. The temple was built in 1674 by Kancherla Gopanna, popularly known as Bhadrachala Ramadasu, a 17th-century devotee of Rama, a saint-poet and a Vaggeyakara (composer) of Carnatic music. At the time, the region was under the rule of Abul Hasan Qutb Shah, also known as Tana Shah, the Sultan of Golconda and the eighth and final ruler (1672 to 1686) of the Qutb Shahi dynasty.

Ramadasu defied the Sultan’s orders to construct the temple. A revenue official in the government of Tana Shah, Ramadasu diverted the funds to construct the temple. Later, he was imprisoned in Golconda Jail for the embezzlement of royal funds. According to legend, Lord Ram appeared in the dream of Tana Shah to repay the money Ramadasu used to construct the temple. When he awoke, the Sultan, to his surprise, saw scores of gold coins in his bed room with the mudra of Rama. Subsequently, Ramadasu was released from the jail. 

For centuries, pilgrims from other states had to cross the deep, surging Godavari waters by boat to reach the temple. Until July 13, 1965, when the Bhadrachalam bridge across the river was inaugurated by former President of India Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan; 2025 marks the 60th anniversary of the bridge’s inauguration. The foundation stone was laid on December 16, 1959, by then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Neelam Sanjiva Reddy.

The bridge has survived 40 major floods without any significant damage to its structure. Strongly built, it still stands firm, but the decision to build it was made in haste. It was a devastating boat accident that had made it imperative to construct a bridge to replace the ferry service 60 years ago.

Until the construction of a new bridge in recent years, this 60-year-old structure was the only way to cross the Godavari. About 80 feet tall, 1.20 km long and 12 meters wide, when it was built, the bridge improved connections between three states — Andhra Pradesh, present-day Chhattisgarh, and Odisha — boosting movement, trade, and tourism. After the formation of Telangana in 2014, it became a vital link among five states. In particular, it proved to be a boon for remote agency areas. 

Thanks to this bridge, lakhs of pilgrims could more easily visit Lord Rama at Bhadrachalam, while it also became a crucial route for travel from Telangana into three neighbouring states. Furthermore, the bridge brought the Sammakka-Sarakka tribal fair closer to people from other states.

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Held in Medaram village of Tadvai mandal, Mulugu district, the Sammakka-Sarakka Jatara or Medaram Jatara is hailed as Telangana’s Maha Kumbh Mela and is the largest tribal congregation in Asia. Tribals from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha gather here in lakhs; at least 10 million people attend the fair. For many from these states, the Bhadrachalam bridge is their only route to Telangana; after its construction, attendance at the fair grew manifold.

“This bridge played a huge role in the development of Bhadrachalam and is of immense importance,” says local senior citizen Badam Jagadish. “After the major boat accident of 1957, the government undertook its construction. It was built by Patel Engineering Company and has stood strong for 60 years without the need for repairs. Not only did it benefit Bhadrachalam, but it greatly increased the number of pilgrims attending other major gatherings, especially the Sammakka-Sarakka Jatara. This bridge made the name of the Rama temple one of pride.” 

Avadhanula Srinivasa Sastry, an ITC employee who has used the bridge to commute to his office for the last 25 years, adds: “This old bridge is of great importance and should be regarded as an exemplary model. Now that it has completed 60 years, its greatness should be showcased to the world. But the bridge appears to be weakening in some places, and the government is not paying due attention. It needs maintenance and strengthening.”

The Godavari boat accident at Bhadrachalam in 1957, remembered as the ‘Bhadrachalam Boat Tragedy’, was a national talking point. During the Ramanavami festival, an unusually large crowd had gathered in Bhadrachalam. The next day, while hundreds of pilgrims were returning, two boats were tied together to ferry them across to Gommuru village on the opposite bank.

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Officially, the government’s committee put the death toll at 150, but locals maintain that over 300 devotees perished. The tragedy occurred between 8 and 9 a.m. on April 10, 1957. The previous day, on April 9, which marked the celestial wedding of Lord Rama, had drawn over 50,000 devotees — more than ever before.

Then Chief Minister Neelam Sanjiva Reddy appointed a five-member committee to investigate. It included MLA Balarama Krishnam Raju, MP Sarvottama Reddy, IAS officer and then Revenue Board member Gulam Haidar, Bhadrachalam IG Kunviram Nambiar, and Irrigation Department Chief Engineer Venkata Krishna Iyer. They visited Bhadrachalam several times, questioned 77 witnesses and local officials, and studied the conditions of the temple and the only available river crossing.

Their conclusion: the permanent solution was to build a bridge across the Godavari. The committee’s report stated that in that particular year, the Godavari’s water level was unusually high for April — normally it would be just four feet deep, allowing pilgrims to wade across from Burgampahad-Gummugudem on the opposite bank. That year, however, the water depth rose to six feet, making boat travel necessary for everyone. 

 The report condemned the ferry contractors’ greed: instead of ensuring safety, they lashed two boats together, loading nearly 300 passengers into vessels meant for fewer than 100. They even stopped mid-river to collect fares. Water began entering the larger boat, prompting panic, with passengers attempting to jump into the other boat. This caused chaos, and because the boats were tied together, the smaller vessel capsized onto the larger one like a lid, trapping everyone inside. The committee also probed whether floodgates at the upstream Dummugudem project had been lifted intentionally, but no conspiracy was proven.

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Following the committee’s recommendations, the foundation stone for the old Bhadrachalam bridge was laid just two years after the tragedy. For decades, it served as the main route for residents and travellers to three states, transforming regional connectivity. Today, a second bridge stands beside it, both serving the lakhs of devotees who come to the sacred shrine. “Even though there’s a new bridge now, the old one’s greatness will never be forgotten — nor the boat tragedy that reminded us why it was needed,” says local elder Narasimha Rao.

From the time Ramadasu defied the Nizam rulers to build the temple, Bhadrachalam has held an important place in history. However, despite its sacred status, the town and its temple have seen little real development over the centuries. Once on the border of the Hyderabad and Andhra states, Bhadrachalam faced persistent administrative challenges. Even after the bifurcation of united Andhra Pradesh, while the town itself remained in Telangana, its surrounding areas went to Andhra Pradesh, limiting its growth. Locals complain that the Telangana government’s preoccupation with the border dispute has left Bhadrachalam neglected.

Sixty years ago, when the idea of building a bridge over the Godavari arose, planners considered the impact of the proposed Ramapada Sagar Project, initially conceived in 1941, and now known as the Polavaram Irrigation Project, envisioned as a multi-purpose project on the Godavari River. The project, which was redesigned as the Polavaram Project in the 1970s, has raised concerns about its potential impact on Bhadrachalam. Though the project aims to provide irrigation, hydroelectric power, and drinking water, and control flood, its backwaters could submerge land in some villages near Bhadrachalam. There has been a lot of unease over what Polavaram might mean for Bhadrachalam’s future.