Rivers are birthplaces of human settlements and civilizations. They make me wonder about history, culture and the lifestyle built around them through the passage of time and change.
Last summer, I set out to see the river Kaveri, on whose banks the Chola capital (Uraiyur) once thrived. I followed the river from Trichy to Kallanai and then to Thiruvaiyaru.
The river splits into Kollidam and Kaveri near Trichy at Mukkombu, with the name Kaveri retained by the south branch. The in-between land mass forms the island Srirangam. Floods constantly caused Kaveri to break its northern bank and spill over to Kollidam. Kallanai was built to control the water flow into Kauveri so as to help irrigation and agriculture and use Kollidam to direct the excess flood waters.
The initial dam, Kallanai, was built by the Chola King Karikalan in 2nd century AD using huge boulders sunk and stacked in the river bed. The dam was later fortified by the British in the 19th century and called Grand Anicut. The split river arrives at Kallanai and then further splits as Kollidam, Kaveri, Vennaru and Pudhuaru. Of which Kaveri, Vennaru and Pudhuaru are used for irrigation. Kollidam is used to divert excess water during floods. Kaveri continues its journey from there, to drain in the Bay of Bengal at Poompuhar.
Pictures of the river from the drive -
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| View of river Kaveri from top of Rock Fork, Trichy |
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| Following the river - Driving towards Kallanai (Grand Anicut) |
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| Kaveri at Kallanai |
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| Kallanai (Grand Anicut) |
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| Kaveri River |
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| Kollidam River |
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Construction of Kallanai during Karikalan, the Chola king's reign in 2nd century AD.
There are paintings about the Chola King and the history of Kallanai in the 'Karikala Cholan Manimandapam' located at Kallanai |
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| Following the river - Driving to Thiruvaiyaru |
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| Kaveri at Thiruvaiyaru |
