Malampuzha Dam is the second largest dam and

reservoirs A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...

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 ...

, located near

Palakkad Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated munici ...

, in the state of

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 terr ...

, built post independence by the then

Madras state Madras State was a state of India during the mid-20th century. At the time of its formation in 1950, it included the whole of present-day Tamil Nadu (except Kanyakumari district), Coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema, the Malabar region of North and ...

. Situated in the scenic hills of the Western Ghats in the background it is a combination of a

masonry dam Masonry dams are dams made out of masonrymainly stone and brick, sometimes joined with mortar. They are either the gravity or the arch-gravity type. The largest masonry dam in the World is Nagarjunasagar Dam , Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, in Indi ...

with a length of 1,849 metres and an earthen dam with a length of 220 metres making it the longest dam in the state. The dam is 355 feet high and crosses the Malampuzha River, a tributary of

Bharathappuzha Bharathappuzha ("River of Bhārata"), also known as the Nila or Ponnani River, is a river in India in the state of Kerala. With a length of 209 km, it is the second longest river that flows through Kerala after the Periyar. It flows throu ...

, Kerala's second longest river. There is a network of two canal systems that serve the dam's

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contr ...

of 42,090 hectares.

Construction

The dam project was begun in 1949 and completed in 1955. foundation stone for the project was laid on 27 March 1949, by the then Public Works Minister of

Madras State Madras State was a state of India during the mid-20th century. At the time of its formation in 1950, it included the whole of present-day Tamil Nadu (except Kanyakumari district), Coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema, the Malabar region of North and ...

, Sri

M. Bhaktavatsalam Minjur Bhakthavatsalam (9 October 1897 – 13 February 1987) was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the chief minister of Madras State from 2 October 1963 to 6 March 1967. He was the last Congress chief minister of Ta ...

as Palakkad was a part of the

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...

during those times. The dam was constructed in record time, and on 9 October 1955, the then Chief Minister of Madras State, Thiru.

K Kamaraj Kumaraswami Kamaraj (15 July 1903 – 2 October 1975, hinduonnet.com. 15–28 September 2001), popularly known as Kamarajar was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the Chief Minister of Madras State (Tamil Nadu) ...

, inaugurated the dam. The total catchment area is 145 square kilometres, while the reservoir has a capacity of 8000 cubic meters of water. The canal systems serve to irrigate farmland while the reservoir provides drinking water to Paladin and surrounding villages. The dam was constructed by the Madras government but upon the Creation of linguistically reorganized states ,The Malabar District encompassing the Dam became a part of the Kerala State.

Location

15 km from Palakkad city, North Kerala. Attractions: Dam, amusement park, boating facilities, rock garden and ropeway. Around the reservoir of the dam are gardens and amusement parks. Boating facilities are available on the lake.

Getting there

Nearest railway station: Palakkad Junction - 14 km Nearest airport: Coimbatore, 55 km from Malampuzha Dam MALAMPUZHA DAM OUTLET WATER CANAL

Main Attractions

* Entrance Garden * Yakshi Garden * Yakshi Statue * Japanese Garden * Upper Garden and viewpoint * Cable car ride * Fish shaped aquarium * Toy train for kids * Fantasy Park * Spiced fruits camp * Trekking tracks * River baths

Picture gallery

File:Malampuzha-dam-2019.jpg File:Anaikkattu 01.jpg File:Anaikkattu 02.jpg File:Anaikkattu 03.jpg File:Anaikkattu 04.jpg File:Anaikkattu 05.jpg File:Anaikkattu 06.jpg File:Anaikkattu 07.jpg File:Anaikkattu 08.jpg File:Anaikkattu 09.jpg File:Anaikkattu 10.jpg File:Malampuzha Dam Reservoir 1.jpg, Malampuzha Dam Reservoir 1 File:Malampuzha, Palakkad, India. 4.jpg, Japanese Garden File:Malampuzha Garden 4.jpg, Garden with a mountain background File:Malampuzha Garden 8.jpg, Wide view File:Malampuzha Garden Chess Board Park.JPG, Chess Board Park File:Malampuzha Garden Japaneese Garden 1.JPG, Japanese Garden File:Malampuzha Garden Maze Park.JPG, Maze Park File:Malampuzha Garden Sunken Garden.JPG, Sunken Garden File:Malampuzha Garden Swimming Pool Board.JPG, Swimming Pool File:Malampuzha Snake park.JPG, Snake Park File:Malampuzha panchayat community hall.JPG, Village Hall File:Boomerango.JPG, The Fantasy Park File:Malampuzha dam.jpg, Malampuzha Dam File:Malampuzha Garden2.jpg, Malampuzha Garden File:Malampuzha Garden 3.jpg, Garden File:Malampuzha Garden4.jpg, Garden File:Malampuzha Garden Entrance.JPG, Malampuzha Dam Entrance File:Malampuzha Dam3.jpg, Entrance File:Malampuzha Garden2.jpg, Garden File:Yakshi scuplture.jpg, Yakshi sculpture

References

External links

Malampuzha - Mountain RiverPrawn harvest 2006–2007Kerala Attractions
{{Dams in Kerala Dams in Kerala Buildings and structures in Palakkad district Reservoirs in Kerala Amusement parks in Kerala Dams completed in 1949 1949 establishments in India Bharathappuzha Sculpture gardens, trails and parks in India