Malviya Bridge, Double-decker road-rail bridge in Varanasi, India

Malviya Bridge spans the Ganges with two stacked levels: the upper deck carries vehicular traffic while trains operate on the lower level. This two-tier design allows both transportation types to function simultaneously without interfering with each other.

Completed in 1887 as the Dufferin Bridge, it was built by the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway under engineer Frederick Thomas Granville Walton, the first bridge of its type in the Indian subcontinent. Its opening ceremony was delayed by floods. Renamed Malviya Bridge in 1948 after Madan Mohan Malaviya, it carries the Grand Trunk Road over the Ganges.

The bridge connects Varanasi's religious center with neighboring districts, helping people cross the sacred river during festivals and daily life. It has become part of the city's visual identity and supports movement across this holy waterway.

The best way to experience the bridge is to walk or drive across it to see both levels in action. Visitors should be aware of traffic and activity, especially during peak hours when movement is most intense.

Rudyard Kipling set his story "The Bridge Builders" here, calling it Kashi Bridge; like the real Dufferin Bridge, whose opening was delayed by floods, the fictional bridge faces flooding just before opening. The engineer in charge was Frederick Thomas Granville Walton, later Engineer in Chief of the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway.