Hyderabad: The Musallam Jung Pul, now popular with its corrupted moniker ‘Muslim Jung Pool or Bridge’, is turning into a ‘must stop’ Sunday destination for families and newly married couples.
With thousands of pigeons flocking to the Musallam Jung or Muslim Jung Pul bridge, it has also been turned into a pigeon feeding point. Families on their way to the newer parts of the city from Old City or Shamshabad, Aramgarh and beyond stop over for a few minutes to refresh themselves.
The Musallam bridge also provides a favourite pastime to children who enjoy feeding the pigeons on the bridge and their parents taking pictures with mobile phones. “Children force us to stop for some time while passing through the bridge. They enjoy running around and feeding pigeons,” said Junaid, who was seen on the bridge with his wife and a three year-old daughter.
Two vendors sit at the two ends of the bridge also sell grains. A small pack cost Rs. 20. “I earn around 500 on any regular day except when it rains. On public holidays when there is a crowd I earn Rs. 1000,” said a woman who sells wheat, dal and jowar.
The Musallam bridge was built by the sixth Nizam Mir Mahboob Ali Khan in 1893 to connect the city with the then peripheral areas. The construction of the bridge was completed in four years and it was thrown open to the public. The structure was damaged in the 1908 floods but rebuilt later.
Historians say that the bridge was necessitated after the Puranapul Bridge and Afzalgunj Bridge to cater to the connectivity needs of the people of the south with the new settlements that were coming up in the north.
But a parallel bridge costing Rs 11 crore was constructed and opened to the public a decade ago. The bridge was constructed because the Musallam Jung Bridge was narrow and there were traffic problems.
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