Kallady Bridge, also known as Lady Manning Bridge, is Sri Lanka’s oldest and longest iron bridge, spanning 288.5m across the Batticaloa Lagoon and connecting the Batticaloa City with the suburb of Kallady. Built by the British and named after the wife of Governor William Manning, the bridge was completed in 1924 and has served as a crucial link on the Colombo-Batticaloa Highway for over a century. It is famously known for its unique phenomenon of the ‘Singing Fish’, whose mysterious musical sounds, similar to plucked guitar strings, can be heard under the bridge on calm nights, especially between April and September. People often dip an oar into the water and hold the other end of the oar to their ear to listen to this enchanting sound. The bridge’s combination of engineering significance and its connection to the ‘Singing Fish’ legend makes it a symbol of Batticaloa’s cultural heritage.
