300 guards jump together to stress-test new Mahakaleshwar footbridge before Nag Panchami
Around 300 security personnel performed a coordinated jump on a 91-foot footbridge at the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain to simulate crowd load ahead of Nag Panchami.
In Ujjain, a load-testing exercise was carried out on a 91-foot-long, 10-foot-wide footbridge at the Mahakaleshwar temple complex. Over 300 security guards were first asked to walk across the bridge and then to jump together for ten minutes, creating a simulated crowd pressure. Engineers from the Bridge Corporation and the public works department inspected the bridge’s bolts, joints and signs of corrosion during the test.
The bridge, built in 2022 with donor assistance via the Ujjain Development Authority, connects the Vitthal Pandharinath temple area to the rooftop leading to the Nagchandreshwar shrine, which opens only on Nag Panchami. SDO Raghunath Suryavanshi reported that the structure showed no defects and recommended limiting simultaneous users to 300 devotees for the upcoming festival.
Why it matters
Ensuring the bridge’s safety protects thousands of pilgrims expected at the temple during a major religious festival.
In this story
