Kemmannu Bridge near Udupi

Kemmannu Bridge of Tonse is one of the many places lying in Udupi’s proximity waiting to be discovered by the outer world. If you stay in Karnataka there are good chances that you must have seen it with your own eyes or seen it in many regional movies or at least heard about it. The Suvarna river has given birth to a number of small islands; almost a dozen of them.

This is called the Tonse region and is covered with lush green landscapes which have creeks and coconut palms here and there. What adds to the beauty of the place, is the sparkling clear blue waters which surrounds the region. Kemmannu Bridge is a good evening spot for the people of Tonse and nearby, looking for a relaxing time.

Tonse in a small village, about 8 kms from Udupi. Take a bus from Udupi to Kemmannu and then you can walk over to the bridge. It is a dusty path and is easily accessible when its not raining, if not in the condition to walk, you can opt for a taxi, it will drop you straight to the bridge. The Kemmannu hanging Bridge can accommodate 8 people at a time, although there is no one who really bothers about the safety measures, prominently because it not a major tourist spot yet and for many, its just a daily mode of commuting.

Walking on it can give you some thrills you might feel bridge might break or might get thrown in deep waters. Flanked by Arabian Sea on its western side and touched by river Suvarna on the eastern side it is a small, calm and beautiful place. River Suvarna creates a number of islands in its delta at Tonse before it finally merges with the sea at Kodibengre. But before it does that it adds lush greenery on its bank and creates a bunch of islands.

Both sides of the Kemmannu Bridge offer great treat to eyes. Apart from the bridge there are various other attractions around the village too which you can visit. This hanging bridge connects the mainland to one of the island known as Thimman Kudru. Before the bridge was built the island was accessible only by boats. Kemmannu Bridge is a suspension bridge 280 feet long built by 2 and 4 Karnataka Engineering Company Cadets during their annual training camp from 16 January 1991 to 27 January 1991.

Though the life of bridge was 5 years it is standing or rather hanging for last 20 years and is known as "Deepak" as per the stone slab at the foot of the bridge. It definitely requires regular maintenance checks to avoid wear and tear of the bridge and accidents. It is a good to know how a training exercise by young cadet minds has developed today into a tourist spot and is a necessity for families living in Thimmana Kudru and Padukudru.

The swinging Kemmannu Bridge is ideal for a fun evening out and it attracts many tourists from far away places. Nonetheless it is a very famous point for south Indian movie shoots. You might run into ocean and spot St. Mary’s Islands to the left before you find the hanging bridge of Udupi.