Malampuzha Dam is the largest dam and

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

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 ...

, located near

Palakkad Palakkad (), Renaming of cities in India, also known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery, is a city and a municipality in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of P ...

, in the state of

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

, built post-independence by the then

Madras state Madras State was a state in the Indian Republic, which was in existence during the mid-20th century as a successor to the Madras Presidency of British India. The state came into existence on 26 January 1950 when the Constitution of India was ad ...

. Situated in the scenic hills of the Western Ghats in the background, it is a combination of a masonry dam with a length of 1,849 metres and an earthen dam with a length of 220 metres making it the longest dam in the state. The dam is 355 feet high and impounds the Malampuzha River, a tributary of

Bharathappuzha The Bharathappuzha ("River of Bhārata"), also known as the Nila River, is a river in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. With a length of 209 km, it is the second longest river that flows through Kerala after the Periyar. It flo ...

, Kerala's second-longest river. There is a network of two canal systems that serve the dam's

of 42,090 hectares.

Construction

The dam project was begun in 1949 and completed in 1955. foundation stone for the project was laid on 27 March 1949, by the then Public Works Minister of

Madras State Madras State was a state in the Indian Republic, which was in existence during the mid-20th century as a successor to the Madras Presidency of British India. The state came into existence on 26 January 1950 when the Constitution of India was ad ...

, Sri

M. Bhaktavatsalam Minjur Bhakthavatsalam (9 October 1897 – 13 February 1987) was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the chief minister of Madras State from 2 October 1963 to 6 March 1967. He was the last Congress chief minister of T ...

as Palakkad was a part of the

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...

during those times. The dam was constructed in record time, and on 9 October 1955, the then Chief Minister of Madras State, Thiru. K Kamaraj, inaugurated the dam. The total catchment area is 147.63 square kilometres, and the reservoir has a capacity of 226 million cubic meters of water. The canal systems serve to irrigate farmland while the reservoir provides drinking water to Paladin and surrounding villages. The dam was constructed by the Madras government but upon the Creation of linguistically reorganized states, The Malabar District encompassing the Dam became a part of the Kerala State.

Location

15 km from Palakkad city, North Kerala. Attractions: Dam, amusement park, boating facilities,

rock garden A rock garden, also known as a rockery and formerly as a rockwork, is a garden, or more often a part of a garden, with a landscaping framework of rocks, stones, and gravel, with planting appropriate to this setting. Usually these are small ...

and ropeway. Around the reservoir of the dam are gardens and amusement parks. Boating facilities are available on the lake.

Getting there

Nearest railway station: Palakkad Junction - 14 km Nearest airport: Coimbatore, 55 km from Malampuzha Dam MALAMPUZHA DAM OUTLET WATER CANAL

Main Attractions

* Entrance Garden * Yakshi Garden * Yakshi Statue * Japanese Garden * Upper Garden and viewpoint * Cable car ride * Fish shaped aquarium * Toy train for kids * Fantasy Park * Spiced fruits camp * Trekking tracks * River baths

Picture gallery

File:Malampuzha-dam-2019.jpg File:Anaikkattu 01.jpg File:Anaikkattu 02.jpg File:Anaikkattu 03.jpg File:Anaikkattu 04.jpg File:Anaikkattu 05.jpg File:Anaikkattu 06.jpg File:Anaikkattu 07.jpg File:Anaikkattu 08.jpg File:Anaikkattu 09.jpg File:Anaikkattu 10.jpg File:Malampuzha Dam Reservoir 1.jpg, Malampuzha Dam Reservoir 1 File:Malampuzha, Palakkad, India. 4.jpg, Japanese Garden File:Malampuzha Garden 4.jpg, Garden with a mountain background File:Malampuzha Garden 8.jpg, Wide view File:Malampuzha Garden Chess Board Park.JPG, Chess Board Park File:Malampuzha Garden Japaneese Garden 1.JPG, Japanese Garden File:Malampuzha Garden Maze Park.JPG, Maze Park File:Malampuzha Garden Sunken Garden.JPG, Sunken Garden File:Malampuzha Garden Swimming Pool Board.JPG, Swimming Pool File:Malampuzha Snake park.JPG, Snake Park File:Malampuzha panchayat community hall.JPG, Village Hall File:Boomerango.JPG, The Fantasy Park File:Malampuzha dam.jpg, Malampuzha Dam File:Malampuzha Garden2.jpg, Malampuzha Garden File:Malampuzha Garden 3.jpg, Garden File:Malampuzha Garden4.jpg, Garden File:Malampuzha Garden Entrance.JPG, Malampuzha Dam Entrance File:Malampuzha Dam3.jpg, Entrance File:Malampuzha Garden2.jpg, Garden File:Yakshi scuplture.jpg, Yakshi sculpture

References

External links

Malampuzha - Mountain River

Prawn harvest 2006–2007Kerala Attractions
{{Dams in Kerala Buildings and structures in Palakkad district Reservoirs in Kerala Amusement parks in Kerala Dams completed in 1949 1949 establishments in India Bharathappuzha Sculpture gardens, trails and parks in India 20th-century architecture in India Dams in Palakkad district