The Kabini River is one of the major tributaries of the river Cauvery in southern

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, It originates in Wayanad district of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...

state by the confluence of the Panamaram River and the Mananthavady River. It flows eastward through Wayanad district, entering Mysore district of

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

, to join the Kaveri River in Mysore district of

. Close to the town of Sargur it forms the huge Kabini Reservoir. The backwaters of the Kabini reservoir are very rich in wildlife especially in summer when the water level recedes to form rich grassy meadows. The Kabini dam is in length with an original gross storage of 19.52 tmcft. The Kabini Dam is situated between villages Bichanahalli and Bidarahalli having distance of 6 km away from Sargur town in Heggadadevana kote taluk, Mysore district, Karnataka.

Wildlife

The Kabini Forest Reserve is one of the most popular wildlife destinations of Karnataka, due to its accessibility, green landscape surrounding a large lake, and sightings of herds of elephants and tigers. It is away from Mysuru and from

Bengaluru Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

, and comprises the south-eastern part of Nagarahole National Park. The reserve is spread over of forestland, steep valleys, and water bodies. Once a private hunting lodge of the

Maharaja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...

of Mysore, Kabini was a popular shikar hotspot for British Viceroys and Indian royalty. There are around 120 tigers, more than 100 leopards, four types of deer, Sloth bear, Indian Gaurs and elephants in the Nagarahole National Park.

Course

Kabini Reservoir Central Sky SE View Pano Karnataka Dec21 D72 21841-842

The river originates in the Pakramthalam hills at Kuttiady- Mananthavady road. Makkiyad river and Periya river join it near Korome and Valad respectively. After flowing through Mananthavady town, Panamaram river joins Kabini near Payyampally. One branch of the Panamaram river starts from the Banasura Sagar reservoir near Padinjarethara and the other branch of the river start from Lakkidi hills. After traversing from the confluence of Panamaram river kabini forms an island called Kuruva Island, spreading over with diverse flora and fauna. Within it reaches the kabini reservoir bordering

and

for some distance. Between kabini reservoir and Kuruva island Kalindi river joins kabini. Kalindi river originates from Brahmagiri hills which on reaching near Thirunelli Temple the rivulet Papanasini joins it. Taraka and Nugu are the two small rivers in Heggadadevana kote taluk that join the Kapila (Kabini river).

Kabini dam

The Kabini dam is built on the River Kapila in the district of Mysore. The dam is 696 meters in length and was built in 1974. The exact location of the dam is near village Beechanahally, in Taluk Heggadadevanakote. The catchment area of the dam is 2,141.90 km². It caters to the needs of around 22 villages and 14 hamlets and also a prominent source of drinking water to Mysuru and

. Further significant amount of water is discharged to the Mettur reservoir in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

to fulfill the state's needs. The dam is spread over an area of 55 hectares covering forests, rivers, lakes and

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

s. This dam also provides water to the combined system of Sagaredoddakere and Upper Nugu Dams. There is an arrangement of lifting and transfer of 28.00 TMC of water during the monsoons months from the kabini dam to the other two smaller dams.

Kabini Bridge

The Kabini Bridge on this river is a Heritage monument.

Image gallery

File:Indian coracle.jpg, Indian coracles are used on the Kabini river File:Kabini reservoir.jpg, Kabini reservoir File:Elephant family.jpg, Elephant family on the Kabini river bank File:The Kapila river in Nanjangud.jpg, The river Kabini in Nanjangud

References

{{Authority control Rivers of Karnataka Dams in Karnataka Rivers of Palakkad district Tributaries of the Kaveri River Rivers of Wayanad district