Mahé River (also known as Mayyazhipuzha or the English Channel of India) is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
in
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
. It flows through the
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
and the coastal exclave of
Mahé in
Puducherry Puducherry or Pondicherry may refer to:
* Puducherry (union territory), a union territory of India
** Pondicherry, capital of the union territory of Puducherry
** Puducherry district, a district of the union territory of Puducherry
** Puducherry t ...
.
The flow of the river
The Mahé River originates in the slopes of the
Western Ghats part of the
Wayanad district
Wayanad () is a district in the north-east of Indian state Kerala with administrative headquarters at the municipality of Kalpetta. It is the only plateau in Kerala. The Wayanad Plateau forms a continuation of the Mysore Plateau, the southern ...
. Initially the river flows through the hilly eastern towns of the
Kozhikode district
Kozhikode (), or Calicut district, is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala, along its Southwestern Malabar Coast. The city of Kozhikode, also known as Calicut, is the district headquarters. The district is 67.15% urbanised.
...
like
Vilangad
Vilangad is a village in Kozhikode district in the state of Kerala, India. Vilangad is a small town located northeast of Kozhikode city bordering Wayanad and Kannur districts. It is situated 32 km away from sub-district headquarter Vatakara an ...
,
Vanimel,
Jathiyeri,
Perod and
Nadapuram
Nadapuram is a census town and a special grade Panchayath located in Kozhikode District of Kerala, coming under Nadapuram assembly constituency. It is in North Malabar region of Kerala, India; spread over an area of 20.44 km2
Awards
Nadapuram ...
. Then the river enters into the
Malabar plains where it flows through several towns namely,
Parakkadavu
Parakkadavu (English: The ferry of rock) is a village situated along the banks of the Chalakkudi river in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala. Local paddy fields are fed by the Chalakkudi river. Parakkadavu is a Grama panchayath an ...
,
Kadavathur,
Peringathur
Peringathur is a census town in Thalassery taluk of Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is a part of Panoor municipality.
Demographics
As of 2011 Census, Peringathur had a population of 40,292. Males constitute 46% of the populat ...
,
Eramala,
Kunnumkara,
Kariyad
Kariyad is a small village in Talassery taluk of Kannur district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Kerala. It is part of Greater Mahé Region.
It is 57.31 km.2 The total population according to the 1991 census is 123 ...
and
Peringandi. Then the river flows through the northern boundary of the Union Territory of
Mahé and empties into the
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...
.
Economy
The influence on the economy of the region traversed by the river is very little. The river has been used for inland navigation and transportation of articles from interior villages to Mahé and back, in olden days. The government of Puducherry has planned to build a fishing
harbour
A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...
at the estuary of the river. However owing to technical reasons the harbour, which is under construction, is on the beach adjacent to the estuary. To enhance tourist potential of Mahé a Riverside Walkway, originating from the Water Sports Complex at Manjakkal, Mahé, on the banks of the river stretching out to the breakwater of the
ishing Harbours also being built by the government of Puducherry.
Trivia
M. Mukundan's magnum opus novel ''
Mayyazhippuzhayude Theerangalil'' (P. 1974 ;
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
for "On the banks of the Mahé River"), celebrates this river. Mayyazhi river known as the "English channel" in India during the period of British rule, because it separated British-ruled Tellicherry from French-ruled Mahé. It is the most polluted river in God's Own Country.
See also
*
List of rivers in Kerala
There are 44 major rivers in Kerala, all but three originating in the Western Ghats. 41 of them flow westward and 3 eastward. The rivers of Kerala are small, in terms of length, breadth and water discharge. The rivers flow faster, owing to the ...
*
List of dams and reservoirs in Kerala
*
List of rivers in India
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahe River
Rivers of Kannur district
Rivers of Puducherry
Rivers of Kozhikode district
Rivers of Wayanad district
Rivers of the Western Ghats
Rivers of India