Kalingarayan Anicut is a barrage on the

Bhavani river The Bhavani is an interstate Indian river which flows through Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, India. It originates from the Western Ghats and is one among the three rivers of Kerala which flows in eastward direction. Hydrography Bhavan ...

Erode district Erode District is one of the 38 Districts of Tamil Nadu, districts in the south Indian States and union territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. It was the largest district by area in the state before the formation of Tirupur district in 2009 ...

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 ...

. It is located before

Kooduthurai Kooduthurai, or Mukkoodal is a holy place situated in Bhavani near Erode, Tamil Nadu, India. The place is situated at the confluence of three rivers: Kaveri, Bhavani and the mystic Amudha River. On the banks of Kooduthurai, Thirunana Sangames ...

where

Bhavani Bhavānī (also known as Bhāvya, Tulajā, Turajā, Tvarita, Aṃbā, Jagadambā and Aṃbē) is an epithet associated with Durga. Bhavani translates to "giver of life," meaning the power of nature or the source of creative energy. She is cons ...

meets with

Kaveri The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery) is a Rivers of India, major river flowing across Southern India. It is the third largest river in the region after Godavari River, Godavari and Krishna River, Krishna. The catchment area of the Kaveri basin i ...

in Bhavani, Erode.

History and design

The dam was constructed by Kongu chieftain Kalingarayan Gounder. It is one of the ancient River linking projects in Tamil Nadu and was undertaken to establish a link between

and Noyyal rivers. The project including construction of the dam and canal started in 1271 and was completed in 1283. This irrigation project involved the construction of a barrage to divert the water to Kalingarayan Canal. The dam and the canal irrigates approximately of

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

land. In 2016,

Government of Tamil Nadu The Government of Tamil Nadu () is the administrative body responsible for the governance of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the capital of the state and houses the state executive, legislature and head of judiciary. Under the Const ...

undertook development works to strengthen the dam's embankments by concrete plugging.

Tourism

In 2017, Government of Tamil Nadu planned to convert the dam into a

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beaut ...

. In 2017, a children's park along with a memorial hall and statue of Kalingarayan was inaugurated by then

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu The chief minister of Tamil Nadu is the head of government, chief executive of the Indian Federated state, state of Tamil Nadu. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the Governor (India), governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de ...

Palaniswami.

References

{{Hydrography of Tamil Nadu Buildings and structures in Erode district Tourist attractions around Erode Dams in Tamil Nadu Bhavani River Water Heritage Sites in India