Vadakkechira (

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 ...

: വടക്കെചിറ) is one of the four oldest ponds in

Thrissur Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...

city 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 ...

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 ...

. It was built by Shakthan Thampuran (1751-1805) and is one of

's famous landmarks. It is owned by

Cochin Devaswom Board Cochin Devaswom Board is a socio-religious trust appointed by the Kerala Government to look after Hindu temples in central Kerala consisting of Ernakulam District, Thrissur District and Palakkad District. It is headquartered in Round north, Thr ...

History

Sakthan Thampuran Rama Varma Kunji pillai Thampuran (1751–1805), or Rama Varma IX, popularly known as Sakthan Thampuran (''Sakthan'' meaning powerful), was the ruler of the Kingdom of Cochin. The current southern Indian city of Kochi was part of the erstwhile ...

Maharaja of Cochin The Kingdom of Cochin, named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin), was a kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state. It commenced at the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until 1949, when monarchy wa ...

, built four ponds in

city for water management and irrigation purpose in his regime. They are ''Vadakkechira'', '' Padinjarechira'', ''Thekkechira'' and ''Kizakechira''. Members of the

Cochin Royal Family The Kingdom of Cochin, named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin), was a kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state. It commenced at the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until 1949, when monarchy wa ...

and priests of the Ashokeswaram Temple used to have bath at the ghats on the northern side of the pond, and the public at those on other sides.

Elephants Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...

used to be bathed at ghats on the eastern side. The ''Kulapparas'' and ghats for elephants are reminiscent of 18th and 19th century architecture. A walkway is on the southern side of the pond. The re-designed pond has sculptural seats, gateways ''Padippuras'', pools, fountains, a gallery and a rock garden. M.M. Vinod Kumar has re-designed the pond and its surroundings..

Fauna

The pond is a four hectare ecosystem complete with plants, birds, sacred groves and butterfly gardens. Vadakkechira is home to many avian species, including small green barbet ( Megalaima viridis), white-breasted water hen (

Amaurornis phoenicurus The white-breasted waterhen (''Amaurornis phoenicurus'') is a waterbird of the rail and crake family, Rallidae, that is widely distributed across South and Southeast Asia. They are dark slaty birds with a clean white face, breast and belly. They ...

), blue rock pigeon (

Columba livia The rock dove, rock pigeon, or common pigeon ( also ; ''Columba livia'') is a member of the bird family Columbidae (doves and pigeons). In common usage, it is often simply referred to as the "pigeon". The domestic pigeon (''Columba livia dom ...

), bronze-winged jacana ( Metopidius indicus), pond heron ( Ardeola grayii), white-browed wagtail(

Motacilla maderaspatensis The white-browed wagtail or large pied wagtail (''Motacilla maderaspatensis'') is a medium-sized bird and is the largest member of the wagtail family. They are conspicuously patterned with black above and white below, a prominent white brow, sh ...

), common kingfisher ( Alcedo atthis), house sparrow (

Passer domesticus The house sparrow (''Passer domesticus'') is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. It is a small bird that has a typical length of and a mass of . Females and young birds are coloured pale brown and grey, an ...

), common myna ( Acridotheres tristis), little cormorant ( Microcarbo niger), lesser whistling teal (

Dendrocygna javanica The lesser whistling duck (''Dendrocygna javanica''), also known as Indian whistling duck or lesser whistling teal, is a species of whistling duck that breeds in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They are nocturnal feeders that during ...

) and little grebe ( Podiceps ruficollis).

Water supply

In 1983, when drought struck

city, then Minister M.P.Gangadharan with help of

Water Resources Department cleaned the pond over a time of one month. In 1985, a water supply system was constructed by spending Rs 23 lakhs form Vadakkechira pond to supply water to

Thekkinkadu Maidan Thekkinkadu Maidanam is situated in the middle of Thrissur city of Kerala state in India. This hillock which seats the Vadakkumnathan Temple, is an open ground in the centre of the Thrissur city which is under the custody of the Cochin Devas ...

and

Swaraj Round, Thrissur Swaraj Round or Thrissur Round is the local name for a circular road which is about 2 km long in the centre of the city of Thrissur in Kerala, India, surrounding the hillock called the Thekkinkadu Maidan which seats the Vadakkumnathan Temple. Sw ...

Water Resources Department. At the same time, a park was also set up near the pond. Later, the project was handed over to Thrissur Municipal Corporation.

References

{{Tourism in Kerala Ponds in Thrissur Parks in Thrissur Tourist attractions in Thrissur