The Upper Anaicut (alternatively Upper Anicut), also known as Mukkombu is a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

built on the Kaveri River in the state of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

in southern

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 ...

. The regulator dam was constructed between 1836 and 1838 by Sir Arthur Cotton, a British irrigation engineer who was inspired by the architectural beauty of Grand Anaicut canal built by Karikala Chola in Kallanai of

Thanjavur Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the Gr ...

district in the second century. Upper Anaicut or Mukkombu is about west of Trichy and 2 kilometers away from Jeeyapuram at a point where River Kollidam branches out from the main river, Cauvery. It is a lovely picnic spot skirting acres of verdant greenery. The place also has a well-manicured park. Mukkombu is about 685-meter long (2283 foot), It breaks into two channels at the Upper Anaicut to form the island of

Srirangam Srirangam, is a neighbourhood in the city of Tiruchirappalli in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. A river island, Srirangam is bounded by the Kaveri River on one side and its distributary Kollidam on the other side. Considered as the first among ...

, which is enclosed in between the delta of

(Tanjore), the garden of Tamil Nadu.

Kollidam

Kollidam is the northern arm of the Kaveri, which branches off from the main stream about 9 miles west of Thiruchirapalli. for 17 miles it runs parallel to

Kaveri The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri (hill), Karnataka, Brahmagiri range in th ...

and then turns towards and very nearly reunites with it. The island thus formed is called the island of

and lies in

Thiruchirapalli Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with bein ...

district. The waters of the Kollidam are largely utilized for irrigation. Across the head, where it branches from the

, stands the Upper Anicut, the dam constructed to prevent the Kollidam which runs in a lower bed than the Kaveri, from abstracting too much of the water, and so injuring the irrigation in

dependent on the main stream. On 22–23 August 2018, nine of the forty-five shutters had washed away due to the heavy flow of water and the weakened piers.

References

Tamil history Chola architecture Dams in Tamil Nadu Dams on the Kaveri River Tiruchirappalli district Kaveri River Dams completed in 1838 1838 establishments in British India {{India-dam-stub

Kollidam

See also

References