The 1800 year old dam supplies water to 4 lakh hectares of land

Chennai, April 1, 2021, Thursday

Kallanai Dam in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, also known as Grand Anicut, is the fourth oldest dam in the world. The dam was built in the 2nd century by Karikala Chola, a king of the Chola dynasty. The Kaveri River, which flows with heavy flows during the monsoon, was causing catastrophic floods in the delta area. The Kallanai Dam was built to control the floods. This ancient dam on the river Kaveri is located at a distance of 50 km from the city of Tiruchirappalli. Kallanai Dam, which has remained safe even after centuries, provides water for irrigation to 3 lakh hectares of land along the delta area of ​​Kaveri river. The dam is 3 meters long, 30 meters wide and 7.5 meters high. The Kallanai Dam was repaired by British General and Irrigation Engineer Arthur Cotton.

This is considered a masterpiece of closed architecture and engineering statements. Hundreds of tourists come every year to see the Kallanai Dam, a source of inspiration for the whole world. The Kaveri River is one of the fastest flowing rivers in the world today. Everyone is amazed to see how a dam was built to stop the flow of the river 5,000 years ago. The Kaveri River splits into two near Srirangam. Its northern branch is called Collidam and its southernmost branch is called the original Kaveri. Going forward these two splits merge into each other. The Kallanai Dam is built on the south bank of the Kaveri river which flows towards the Kollidam side. Due to the Kallanai Dam, the Kaveri River is divided into four parts, which are called Collidam, Kaveri, Vennaru and Puthu Aru.

The Chola king not only built dams but also canals to provide water to the farmers. With the construction of Kallanai Dam, the shortage was alleviated by increasing the irrigation facilities. At one time there was a drought but now it looks like a green area. Especially good grains are produced well. Kallanai Dam is a symbol of the foresight of the ancient Chola king. Apart from this, Moti Talao Dam in Mysore, Karnataka is the 7th oldest dam in the world which was built in the 16th century by Shri Vaishnav Saint Ramanujacharya. The dam receives water from the Yadava River and its various tributaries. The dam is 30 meters long and 4 meters high. Moti Talao Dam provides irrigation water to 3160 acres of land.