The Singing Fish and the Kallady Bridge

The Kallady Bridge or the Lady Manning Bridge which crosses the Batticaloa Lagoon and is part of the Colombo- Batticaloa Highway (A4). This bridge was first built by the British and was named after the wife of the British Governor of Sri Lanka; William Manning. This bridge is the oldest and longest bridge built with iron in Sri Lanka. A new bridge was built resembling this bridge in the recent past. When talking about the Kallady Bridge, the Singing Fish in Sri Lanka springs to mind since the Kallady Bridge is the ideal spot to listen to these singing fish. As claimed by legends, this musical sound rising from the water can be heard on full moon nights. These sounds are similar to that of a plucked guitar string. The best way to listen to this music is by dipping an end of an oar into the water while holding out the other end to one’s ear. Some state that a species of marine life is responsible for this noise while others state that it arises from the water flowing between the boulders on the lagoon. This music can be heard best during the time period between April and September.