Khandwa (MP), Jun 24 (PTI) A suspension bridge that connects the famous Omkareshwar temple with the Mamleshwar temple located across the Narmada river in Madhya Pradesh’s Khandwa district has been shut for public after a clasp of one of its loading cables was found to be loose, officials said on Wednesday.
The bridge was shut during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, they said.
This suspension bridge is meant to be used by pedestrians only and vehicles are not allowed on it.
Omkareshwar temple is one of the 12 revered Jyotirlinga shrines of Lord Shiva in the country that draws lakhs of devotees every year. A pilgrimage to the Omkareshwar temple is spiritually considered incomplete without visiting the Mamleshwar temple. According to tradition, both temples together comprise the full sacred entity, with Omkareshwar located on the island and Mamleshwar situated on the southern bank of the Narmada river.
Khandwa Collector Rishav Gupta said a clasp of one of the loading cables was found to be loose, and a team arrived to repair it.
But the bridge has not suffered any damage, he clarified.
The bridge has been shut for the safety of devotees. However, another pedestrian bridge nearby is open for people to use, he said.
Repair work is currently underway, which may take a couple of days to complete following which it will be opened for public use, Gupta added.
Officials said that the temple administration learned late last night that a crucial clasp on the bridge’s loading cable was loose, following which it was shut.
On Wednesday morning, the local administration deployed security guards on both sides of the bridge, locked the gates, and posted signs stating that construction and repair work was in progress.
Omkareshwar’s Deputy Tehsildar, Uday Mandloi, said this suspension bridge was built by the Narmada Hydroelectric Development Corporation (NHDC) in 2004. PTI COR MAS NP
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