The Varkala Tunnel System, also known as the Varkala Canal or ''Varkala Thurapp'' in local dialect, is a system of tunnels situated in the municipality of

Varkala Varkala, is a major coastal municipality situated in the northern suburb of Trivandrum, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the headquarters of Varkala Taluk and important government institutions such as the taluk office, court ...

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

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 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is one of the region's most important historic sites and architectural marvels. This site was constructed by the

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

Kingdom to establish a continuous inland waterway across Thiruvithamkoor as TS Canal, which was meant to serve as a trade route. The construction of the two long tunnels was started in 1867 and work on the first was finished in 1877, while the second was completed in 1880. With a length of , the two tunnels played a vital role in transferring ferry goods and people from the capital city of Trivandrum to

Kollam Kollam (), also known by its former name Quilon , is an ancient seaport and city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city i ...

during the pre-independence era. The tunnel is located under the main cliff of the region and represents the architectural excellence of the workers and engineers of that era. Built under the supervision of T. Madhava Rao, the

Dewan ''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the e ...

of the Travancore Kingdom, the tunnel also makes up the Varkala stretch of

Thiruvananthapuram–Shoranur canal The Thiruvananthapuram - Shoranur canal is a historic canal in India, from Trivandrum to Shoranur (Palakkad district). It was one of the most arterial transportation mode in erstwhile Travancore princely state. Most of the trade, commerce and ...

, which passes through the delicate structure.

Features

The tunnel is built in an area famous for its

Cenozoic The Cenozoic ( ; ) is Earth's current geological era, representing the last 66million years of Earth's history. It is characterised by the dominance of mammals, birds and flowering plants, a cooling and drying climate, and the current configura ...

sedimentary formation cliffs, a unique geological feature on the otherwise flat Kerala coast, which are known among geologists as ''Varkala Formation''. The tunnels are carved through

Laterite rocks Laterite is both a soil and a rock type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red coloration, because of high iron oxide content. They develop by ...

. There are two tunnels in the system, namely: * Sivagiri Passage 722 m long; and * Chilakkoor Passage 350 m long. The tunnel system connects the

Anchuthengu Anchuthengu ("Five Coconut Palms"), formerly known as Anjengo, Angengo or Anjenga, is a coastal panchayath and town in the Thiruvananthapuram District of Kerala. It is situated 9km south-west of Varkala Town along Trivandrum - Varkala - Kollam ...

Kayal with the

Edava Edava is a panchayat in Varkala Taluk of Trivandrum district in the state of Kerala, India. Edava is located 5km north of Varkala, 21km south of port city Kollam and 44km north of capital city Trivandrum. Kappil beach is a famous surf location ...

-Nadayara Kayal.

Present status

Despite the potential for tourism, the passages remain unused. It is silted and maintenance works are in limbo. Around 2006, there was renewed interest in reviving the tunnels by then-

Chief minister of Kerala The chief minister of Kerala is the chief executive of the Indian state of Kerala. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with the chief minister. Fol ...

, Shri.

V. S. Achuthanandan Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan (born 20 October 1923) is an Indian Communist politician who was the Chief Minister of Kerala from 2006 to 2011. At 82, he is the oldest person to have assumed the office. He served as the chairman of Admin ...

, who undertook a boat ride in the canal to make a first-hand assessment. Thereafter it remained in limbo until 2014 -16 period, when discussions restarted, though these soon broke down. In 2016, the state government sought the help of civil engineer

E. Sreedharan Elattuvalapil Sreedharan (born 12 June 1930) is an Indian engineer and politician from the Indian state of Kerala. He is credited with changing the face of public transport in India with his leadership in building the Konkan Railway and the De ...

to revive the tunnel. In 2017, discussions were held regarding the construction of a new waterway bypass, skipping existing tunnels due to lack of width and draft as per National Waterways standards. As of 2020, in Chilakkoor passage, dredging work and sledge removal are progressing. Work on Sivagiri passage is also expected to start soon. The passages are planned to be used for tourist activities. The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

has turned down Kerala's demand to extend the existing

National Waterway 3 The West Coast Canal or National Waterway No 3 is a long inland navigational route located in Kerala, India, which runs from Kollam to Kottapuram. It was declared a National Waterway in 1993. In addition to the main stretch, Champakara and ...

route to

Kovalam Kovalam is a region in the city of Trivandrum, around 13 km southwest of the city center, whose beaches are a tourist destination. Etymology Kovalam means " coconut grove," after the coconut trees which are common there. History Koval ...

from Kollam through Varkala.

References

Tunnels completed in 1877 Tunnels in India Transport in Thiruvananthapuram Tourist attractions in Thiruvananthapuram Buildings and structures in Thiruvananthapuram Water tunnels in India 1877 establishments in India {{asia-tunnel-stub

Features

Present status

See also

References