The Paravur Estuaries are a group of estuaries in Paravur,

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 ...

, near the South-Western coast of

Kollam district Kollam district (), (formerly Quilon district) is one of 14 districts of the state of Kerala, India. The district has a cross-section of Kerala's natural attributes; it is endowed with a long coastline, a major Laccadive Sea seaport and an i ...

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 ...

. Paravur is one among the 4 municipal towns in Kollam district, Kerala state. The place is known for its natural beauties, backwater locations, white-sand beaches and concentration of temples. Boating at Paravur Lake, Thekkumbhagam

Geography

Paravur is a land of beaches, backwaters & estuaries. The Paravur landmass's three sides are surrounded by water bodies -

Paravur Lake Paravur Kayal is a lake in Paravur, Kollam district, Kerala, India. Although it is small, with an area of only 6.62 km², it is the end point of the Ithikkara River and part of the system of lakes and canals that make up the Kerala Bac ...

, Nadayara Lake and 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 Channe ...

is the main body of water in the town area, having a catchment area of 6.62 km². The peninsula of Paravur is one of the most visited areas in

. Both north and south tips of Paravur town have peninsulas and estuaries.

Pozhikara Pozhikkara or Pozhikara is the Western border town of the Paravur municipality in the Kollam district of Kerala state in India. It is located at the South-Western tip of Kollam's coastal area. It is in the Arabian Sea coast. Pozhikara is a ...

is to the north and Thekkumbhagam is to the south of Paravur. One more estuary mouth is in

, which is very close to

Devi Temple, which has breached in 2014 under the supervision of Water Resources Department (WRD), after a long gap of 14 years. The estuaries can be reached by travelling through Kollam-Paravur Coastal Road and Paravur- Kappil-

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, co ...

road. The 600 hectare Polachira Wetland is also close to Paravur.

Pozhi

''Pozhi'' is a natural phenomena of formation of a sand bar along the coast separating sea and backwaters in the peninsula areas during summer season but which erode during the monsoon season, allowing the sea to be merged with the backwaters. Paravur backwaters' on both the north (Thanni beach) and south ends ( Thekkumbhagam beach) have ''Pozhi''. Both meet the

in the district's beach faces. There is an artificial tidal-regulator in the spillway bridge at

estuarine area, constructed in 1957 to control the salt water intrusion into

. This phenomenon provides abundant water for people living in the Grama panchayats of Ithikkara, Velinalloor,

Pooyappally Pooyappally is a village in Kollam district in the state of Kerala, India. Demographics India census, Pooyappally had a population of 23924 with 11399 males and 12525 females. Transportation Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus serv ...

Adichanalloor Adichanalloor is a village and grama panchayat in Kollam district in the state of Kerala, 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 ...

, parts of Poothakkulam, Polachira, Mayyanad,

Chirakkara Chirakkara is a village in Kollam district in the state of Kerala, India. Chirakkara is 16 km away from the City of Kollam and 8 km away from Paravur Town, which is famous for festivals, estuary, backwaters and beaches. Demographi ...

Chathannoor Chathannoor is a town in the Indian state of Kerala situated at the Kollam District on the banks of Ithikkara River. It is about from Kollam(Quilon) City. Chathannoor is around north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram(Trivandrum). Thi ...

, Elakamon, Edava and the Paravur municipal area.

Paravur Lake

is a lake in Paravur,

. Although it is small, with an area of only 6.62 km²,Kollam at a Glance
/ref> it is the end point of the Ithikkara River and part of the system of lakes and

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface f ...

s that make up the

Kerala Backwaters The Kerala backwaters are a network of brackish lagoons and canals lying parallel to the Arabian Sea of the Malabar coast of Kerala state in south-western India. It also includes interconnected lakes, rivers, and inlets, a labyrinthine system ...

. It has been connected to Edava and Ashtamudi Kayal as part of the Trivandrum - Shoranur canal system since the late 19th century.

References

{{coord missing, Kerala Estuaries of India Tourist attractions in Kollam district