Neyyar dam is a gravity dam on the

Neyyar River The Neyyar River is 56 km long river which flows through the Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala in India. It flows from the Agastya Mala (''Agastyarkoodam'') in the Western Ghats. The town Neyyattinkara in Thiruvananthapuram district, is s ...

Thiruvananthapuram district Thiruvananthapuram District (), is the southernmost district in the Indian state of Kerala. The district was created in 1949, with its headquarters in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, which is also Kerala's administrative centre. The present d ...

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 ...

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 territ ...

, located on the foot of the Western Ghats about 30 km from

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

.South India Handbook By Roma Bradnock It was established in 1958 and is a popular picnic spot.

History

Neyyar 2nd State (relates to both Madras and Kerala States) Government of Kerala started work on the project in their area in October 1956.

Design

The Neyyar Dam is a rubble masonry gravity-type dam with a height of and length of . Its structural volume is . The dam creates a reservoir of of which is active (useful) capacity. The reservoir's surface area is and the dam's spillway has an maximum discharge capacity. One of the contractors who built the Neyyar Dam was Mr Jagathy Chellappan Contractor of Jagathy, Trivandrum.

Wildlife

Wild life includes

Gaur The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 m ...

Sloth bear The sloth bear (''Melursus ursinus'') is a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent. It feeds on fruits, ants and termites. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, mainly because of habitat loss and degradation. ...

Nilgiri Tahr The Nilgiri tahr (''Nilgiritragus hylocrius'') is an ungulate that is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western and Eastern Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India. It is the state animal of Tami ...

Jungle cat The jungle cat (''Felis chaus''), also called reed cat, swamp cat and jungle lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to the Middle East, the Caucasus, South and Southeast Asia and southern China. It inhabits foremost wetlands like swamps, littoral ...

, Nilgiri

langur The Colobinae or leaf-eating monkeys are a subfamily of the Old World monkey family that includes 61 species in 11 genera, including the black-and-white colobus, the large-nosed proboscis monkey, and the gray langurs. Some classifications sp ...

, Wild

elephant 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 ...

s and Sambar deer.

Activities

;Yoga Neyyar Dam is home to the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwanthari Ashram where people can take courses in yoga and practice meditation. The trees that are growing inside the ashram are large due to care by the people. ;Boating Tourists can hire a speed boat for Rs 250 per head to view the surrounding forests. ;Crocodile Rehabilitation and Research Centre A crocodile farm was set up in 1977. It also includes a habitat for otters near the administrative complex. The Crocodile Rehabilitation and Research Centre in Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary was named initially by the Kerala government after the late naturalist

Steve Irwin Stephen Robert Irwin (22 February 19624 September 2006), known as "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian zookeeper, conservationist, television personality, wildlife educator, and environmentalist. Irwin grew up around crocodiles and ot ...

as Steve Irwin National Park.

Attractions

* Lion safari park (Not open anymore due to the lions not breeding) * Boating * Deer park * Crocodile Rehabilitation and Research Centre * Miniature wild life sanctuary * Lake garden * Swimming pool * Watch tower * Elephant riding

Transport

The nearest airport is

Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Thiruvananthapuram International Airport , is an international airport which serves Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. Established in 1932, it is the first airport in the state of Kerala and fifth international airport of ...

, 38 km away, and the nearest railway station is at

, 30 km away.

References

{{Dams in Kerala Dams in Kerala Reservoirs in Kerala Tourist attractions in Thiruvananthapuram district Dams completed in 1958 1958 establishments in Kerala