BHARATHAPPUZHA

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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.

Contents
Course
Irrigation projects
Cultural Significance
Tributaries
See also
Notes
External links
References

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, 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.
The Old Railroad Bridge over Thutha River near its union with Bharathappuzha, built by the British in 1867 which goes into disuse with the construction of new bridges.

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 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.

Irrigation projects


A view of the railroad bridge over Bharathappuzha, near shoranur.
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 which is under finishing works is the Regulator cum bridge at Thrithala. 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 11kms. This project is the largest in Bharathappuzha in last many decades.
A view of the Velliyamkallu Regulator cum Bridge

Cultural Significance


Kerala Kalamandalam a centre of excellence in Kerala's Performing Arts is located on the banks of the Bharathappuzha. Founder of the Thullal artform Kunchan Nambiar and greatest Kutiyattam and Chakyar Koothu artist Padma Shri Mani Madhava Chakyar and many of Kerala's popular Malayalam poets and writers like Mahakavi P.Kunhiraman Nair, M. T. Vasudevan Nair, M. Govindan, V. K. N. etc. were born/lived along its banks.
Ivor madhom, on the banks of Bharathappuzha near Thiruvilwamala is a sacred funeral place for the Hindus. The local legend says that those cremated on the banks of the Bharathapuzha achieve salvation.[1] 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.[2] Some of the famous persons cremated here include literary personalities like O V Vijayan and V. K. N.

Tributaries


Bharathappuzha at Kuttipuram.

Bharathapuzha river as seen from the railway bridge at shoranur.
Road_Bridge_Over_Bharathapuzha.jpg
Sorted in order from the mouth heading upstream.

★ Thuthapuzha

★
★ Kunthippuzha

★
★ Kanjirappuzha

★
★ Ambankadavu

★
★ Thuppanadippuzha

★ Gayathripuzha

★
★ Mangalam river

★
★ Ayalurpuzha

★
★ Vandazhippuzha

★
★ Meenkarappuzha

★
★ Chulliyar

★ Kalpathipuzha

★
★ Korayar

★
★ Varattar

★
★ Walayar

★
★ Malampuzha

★ Kannadipuzha

★
★ Palar

★
★ Aliyar

★
★ Uppar

See also



★ List of rivers in Kerala

★ List of reservoirs in Kerala

Notes




1. .
2. .



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

References




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