THRISSUR:With enchanting greenery and majestic waterfalls, Athirappilly has long been a fixture in the itinerary of every tourist visiting Kerala. Located almost 15 kilometres away from Chalakkudy, in the Athirappilly route, is situated the Thumburmuzhi dam and butterfly park, which will soon be connected to Ezhattumugam in Ernakulam via a hanging bridge. The construction of bridge has been completed and will be inaugurated on June 1.
The bridge offers a breathtaking view of the butterfly park on one side and the lush greenery of the nature village on the other. Above all, the hanging bridge would provide an easy access to the upcoming Kalady Athirappilly tourism corridor, said officials. The length of the hanging bridge is 184-metre- long and one-and-a-half metre wide.
“The bridge is between the Ernakulam and Thrissur districts. The cost of the bridge comes around `5 crore and its construction has been spearheaded by the Kerala Electrical and Allied Engineering Company,” said Thrissur DTPC executive officer Maneesh. Security measures in the bridge are given top priority. “Apart from beautification, we have installed security cameras and lighting throughout the length of the bridge,” he said.
According to officials, the location could turn out to be a hotspot for tourist traffic in the future, once the Kalady Athirappilly Malayattoor tourism corridor becomes a reality.
“Thumburmuzhi is a location with huge potential and it also offers easy access for tourists, be it from Thrissur or Ernakulam. The hanging bridge will surely bring Thumburmuzhi and Ezhattumugam locations into the tourist radar,” said Maneesh.
Another location on the official radar is Malakkapara, a jungle safari which has its base in Thumburmuzhi. According to officials, it is a much better alternative to Munnar and has an added advantage of easy access to Idukki district.