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| Grand Anaicut (Kallanai) -world's oldest dam. credit: jgslider.com |
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| Kallanai-world's oldest dam.India. www.youtube.com |
In
the second century BC the great king of South India -
Karikala Chola of the Chola dynasty built the first ever water
diversionary and water regulating structure / dam in the world called
''The Grand Anaicut'' (Kalanai in local parlance - Tamil) across the river
Cauvery mainly for irrigation and flood control purpose. It is about
15 Km from Triruchirapalli, a major city in Tamil Nadu and still
going strong. Karikala Chola thus brought a vast area in the delta
under cultivation. He was the first king or head that time to have
done this great feat- a great engineering marvel, considering the time
as far back as 2,000 years ago. The dam was 329 meters (1079 feet)
long, 20 meters (66 feet ) wide and 5.4 meters (18 feet) high, built
from uneven granite stones.The main purpose of the dam was to retain the water supply in the Cauvery and divert the surplus into the Coleroon river through the Ullar river.
The
Cauvery river splits into two rivers up stream 20 miles (32 km)
west of Kallanai forming the island of Srirangam
before rejoining at Kallanai. The northern river is the Kollidam
(Coleroon); the other being the Cauvery whose confluence with the
Bay of Bengal is near Poompuhar.
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| Kallanai_Dam.Tamil Nadu,India.en.wikipedia.org |
The
ancient irrigation net work of channels in the delta irrigated
roughly 69,000 acres; now it covers more than a million acres,
covering a vast
area in the delta districts of Thanjavur, Thiruvarur
and Nagapatnam. In the 19 th century British engineers, on seeing this massive ancient dam, were very much impressed by its design and the strategic location chosen by the great Chola King and his ingenuity and foresight. Captain Caldwell (1804), British military engineer of repute raised the crest of the dam by 0.69 meter and also the river embankments so that flood waters won't breach the left bank and and rush down north into the Kollidam, thus allowing surplus water into the Cauvery that cuts through the delta. Subsequently Major Sim (1829) to avoid excess formation of silts, had under sluices built across the river with outlets connecting Kollidam through the Ullar river. Sir Arthur Cotton’s 19th century dam - lower Anaicut across the Coleroon (Kollidam) river , a major tributary of Cauvery, is stated to be a similar design.
area in the delta districts of Thanjavur, Thiruvarur
and Nagapatnam. In the 19 th century British engineers, on seeing this massive ancient dam, were very much impressed by its design and the strategic location chosen by the great Chola King and his ingenuity and foresight. Captain Caldwell (1804), British military engineer of repute raised the crest of the dam by 0.69 meter and also the river embankments so that flood waters won't breach the left bank and and rush down north into the Kollidam, thus allowing surplus water into the Cauvery that cuts through the delta. Subsequently Major Sim (1829) to avoid excess formation of silts, had under sluices built across the river with outlets connecting Kollidam through the Ullar river. Sir Arthur Cotton’s 19th century dam - lower Anaicut across the Coleroon (Kollidam) river , a major tributary of Cauvery, is stated to be a similar design.
People
of Tamil Nadu are urging the central
government at Delhi to have this great dam included in the list of ''World
Heritage Sites'' by virtue of its being a 2000 year-plus old dam - a great maiden engineering wonder. No doubt,
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| Kallanai,India - oldest dam in the world. credit:tiruchirapalliinfo.in |
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| Kallanai-world's oldest dam.India. credit:savemulliperiyar.com |
Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kallanai_Dam
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, Tamil Nadu, India: - world's oldest dam ){kind=link}