CHENNAI: Ever heard of the Mambalam Odaipalam on Anna Salai before? Chances are that you would not have, for, a bigger, modern bridge replaced the ancient Mambalam Odaipalam near Saidapet, by 1970.
Located at the Jones Road-Anna Salai intersection, it is close to the MC Raja Hostel on the one side and the Saidapet bus terminus on the other.
The old facility is referred to as the Marmalong aka the Mamelon brook-bridge, in English. The words ‘Marmalong’ and ‘Mamelon’ are believed to have evolved from the Tamil word ‘Mambalam’.
The brook-bridge over the Mambalam canal was built in 1786 by Thomas Pelling, De Fries and P Bodkin, who were executors of the will of Adrian Fourbeck, a wealthy merchant of old Madras.
The utility was built under the direction of lieutenant colonel Patrick Ross, the chief engineer of Madras.
Today, a four-sided commemorative pedestal is the only reminder of the 18th century merchant’s generoristy, who funded the bridge at that time.
The pedestal is located in a quiet corner of the State Highways Department’s workshop premises in West CIT Nagar, Anna Salai. It stands opposite to the veterinary polyclinic and is close to the Saidapet bus terminus.
A protected monument, it takes up 26 square metres and is fenced on all sides. It has been under the care of the Tamil Nadu Department of Archaeology since 2003.
Although the pedestal and the protected monument signboard are visible from Anna Salai, it goes largely unnoticed.
The pedestal records the tale behind the bridge in English, Latin, Persian and Tamil, on its four sides.
In English, it reads: “This bridge, erected as a public benefit from a legacy bestowed by Mr Adrian Fourbeck, a merchant of Madras, is a monument useful as lasting of the good citizen’s munificent liberality. It was erected by his executors T Pelling, De Freies, P Bodkin from the plan and under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel Pat Ross, Chief Engineer, in the year of our Lord 1786. Major General Sir Arch D Campbell, the Governor of Fort St George.”
Another Marmalong
Saidapet had another Marmalong bridge — the bigger one — built by Coja Petrus Uscan.
It was replaced by the present-day Maraimalai Adigal Palam. Uscan, (1680 - 1751), was a wealthy Armenian merchant who built the bridge in 1728 by spending 30,000 pagodas. It lasted for over 225 years.
The present-day bridge over the Adyar River was built in several phases, starting from the regime of the legendary leader K Kamaraj during the late 50s, and ending during the tenure of M Bhaktavatsalam in the 60s.
Stone plaques in Persian, Latin and Armenian can still be seen around the 18th century facility on the Maraimalai Adigal bridge.