A chakara (also Chaakara and in

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 wa ...

ചാകര) is a peculiar marine phenomenon in which many fish and prawns throng together during a particular season as part of mud bank formations. The etymology relates to the local Dravidian wording "chaavu+Kara" meaning to die+land/shore, symbolising the huge stock of caught fish that piles up during this season. The word meaning have nothing to do with any Sanskrit origin as some believe. This rare phenomenon is observed only along the coastal waters of the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

n state 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 Ca ...

, especially around the coast of Purakkad,

Kodungallur Kodungallur (; also Cranganore, Portuguese: Cranganor; formerly known as Mahodayapuram, Shingly, Vanchi, Muchiri, Muyirikkode, and Muziris) is a historically significant town situated on the banks of river Periyar on the Malabar Coast in ...

and in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...

, where it has proved to be a boon for the local fisherfolk. A correct scientific explanation about the formation of a chakara is debatable. However, a strongly supported theory is that during the

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

s, the water level of the

backwater Backwater or Backwaters may refer to: Music * ''Backwaters'' (album), a 1982 album by American guitarist Tony Rice * Backwater (band), a jazz fusion band from Mobile, Alabama, or this band's 1976 debut album * "Backwater", a song by Brian Eno fr ...

s rises which facilitates the movement of fine clay particles into the sea through the subterranean channels. The accumulation of organic material by this process in relatively calm regions of the sea during the monsoons attracts fish. This phenomenon is demonstrated in the

film Chemmeen. It is greeted, celebrated, and described in the song "Puththan Valakkare."

Palke

The same phenomenon in

Tulu Tulu may refer to: People *Derartu Tulu (born 1972), Ethiopian long-distance runner *Walid Yacoubou (born 1997), Togolese footballer nicknamed "Tulu" India *Tulu calendar, traditional solar calendar generally used in the regions of southwest Kar ...

regions is known as ''Palke''

References

External links

Malayalam's Own Monsoon

{{Malayalam Literature , state=collapsed Malayalam terms Fishing in India