Bharathappuzha
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| Bharathapuzha (Nila) | |
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| Origin | Anamalai hills |
| Mouth | Arabian Sea |
| Basin countries | India |
| Length | 209 km (130 mi) |
| Source elevation | 2,461 m |
| Avg. discharge | 161 m³/s |
| Basin area | 6,186 km² (2,420 mi²) |
The Bharathappuzha, also known as Nila, is a river in India in the state of Kerala. At 209 km, it is the second-longest river in Kerala after the Periyar River. The word "Nila" indicates the culture more than just a river. Nila has groomed the culture and life of south Malabar part of Kerala. We see the name "Peraar" indicating the same river in ancient scripts and documents.
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[edit] Course
The headwaters of main tributary of Bharathappuzha originates in the Aana malai hills in the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu, and flows westward through Palakkad Gap, across Palakkad, Thrissur and Malappuram districts of Kerala, with many tributaries joining it, including the Tirur River. For the first 40 km or so, the Bharathappuzha follows an almost northerly course till Pollachi. At Parli both Kannadippuzha and Kalpathippuza merge and flow as Bharathappuzha and follows a westerly course until it empties into the Arabian Sea at Ponnani. Thootha River merges with Nila at Pallippuram. As Thootha river is rich in water after its merge Nila becomes thicker in flow.
The river is not navigable along most of its course except the small stretch where it joins the sea. With a watershed of 6,186 km², Bharathapuzha basin is the largest among all the river basins in Kerala. A little more than two-thirds of this area (4400 km²) is within Kerala and the remaining area (1786 km²) is in Tamil Nadu. Though Bharathapuzha has a large basin, the water flow is relatively less compared to other long rivers in Kerala because a large portion of the basin is located in the comparatively drier regions (Tamil Nadu and Palakkad Gap). The construction of number of dams after independence has also reduced the river flow. In fact in the summer months there is almost no flow in most part of the river.The river is the Nile of Kerala and has the name NILA also.
The Bharathappuzha is the lifeline of many cities and villages, including Palakkad, Parli, Killikkurussimangalam, Ottappalam, Shoranur, Pattambi, Thrithala, Thiruvegappura, Kudallur, Pallipuram and Kumbidi. The village of Parudur, including the town of Pallipuram, stands near the confluence of this river and the River Tootha or, simply, Thuthapuzha.
[edit] Irrigation projects
The Bharathappuzha is extensively dammed and there are six reservoirs along the course of the river, and two more are under construction. Malampuzha dam is the largest among the reservoirs built across Bharathapuzha and its tributaries. Other dams in the Bharathapuzha basin are: Walayar dam, Mangalam dam, Pothundi dam, Meenkara dam and Chuliyar dam. Most of these reservoirs serve the purpose of irrigation only. A total area of 773 km² is irrigated by these irrigation projects. Two more dams, Kanjirapuzha dam and Chittur dam are under construction. The construction of these two dams will increase the area irrigated by another 542 km². Another major project is the Regulator cum bridge at Thrithala built on the Velliyankallu bridge inaugerated by Kerala Chiefminister VS Achyudanandan. The bridge connects the two villages Pallippuram and Thrithala. The main objective of the regulator is drinking watersupply. The water supply projects towards Thrissur district has already started. The shutter height of the regulator is 5 m and it can contain a huge quantity of water. Also the new bridge reduces the distance from Thrissur to Kozhikode by 11 km. This project is the largest in Bharathappuzha in last many decades.
[edit] Cultural Significance
Bharathapuzha is the lifeline of Kerala especially Palakkad, Thrissur and Malappuram.
Kerala Kalamandalam is a major center for learning Indian Performing Arts especially those that developed in the Indian state of Kerala. It is situated in the village of Cheruthuruthy in Thrissur district on the banks of Bharathapuzha River. The birth place of famous Malayalam satire poet and founder of the Ottamthullal art form, Kunchan Nambiar is located near Cheruthuruthy. Many popular Malayalam writers were born along her banks and were inspired by her beauty, namely M. T. Vasudevan Nair, M.Govindan, V. K. N., O V Vijayan etc.
There are a number of famous Hindu temples like Thiruvillamala Sreerama Temple, Thirunavaya Navamukanda Temple, Chamravattam Ayyappa Temple, etc. are on the bank of Nila.
The local legend says that those cremated on the banks of the Bharathapuzha achieve salvation. It is also one of the important places in the state where the sons pay homage to their late fathers by conducting a Pithru Tharpanam ritual on the Karkidaka Vavu day. Some of the famous persons cremated here include literary personalities like O V Vijayan and V. K. N.
[edit] Tributaries
Road_Bridge_Over_Bharathapuzha.jpg
Sorted in order from the mouth heading upstream.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
[edit] External links
- Nila Foundation Organization
- A Frontline article about the problems faced by Bharathapuzha.
- Fish diversity in the Bharathapuzha.
- An Indiatogether article on Sand Mining in Bharathapuzha
[edit] References
- Abraham, Vinu (2004), "The way to the Maker", The Week, <http://www.the-week.com/24jul11/statescan_article4.htm>. Retrieved on February 10, 2006.
- Newindpress (2005), "Thousands offer Pithru Tharpanam", The New Indian Express, <http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IER20050805045520&Topic=0&Title=Kerala&Page=R>. Retrieved on February 10, 2006.
- Infobox facts. All Kerala River Protection Council. Retrieved on January 30, 2006.
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