Mathur Aqueduct is an aqueduct in Thiruvattar taluk of Kanniyakumari district of

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 ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

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 was built in 1966 over the

Pahrali River Pahrali River (also called Parazhiyar) flows through the Kanyakumari District in southern India. It originates in the Mahendragiri hills. The Mathur Hanging Trough, the highest and longest aqueduct in Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest ...

and takes its name from Mathoor, a hamlet near the aqueduct, which is about 3 km from

Thiruvattar Thiruvattar is a panchayat town in Kanyakumari district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. About the town This town is situated northeast of Marthandam and northwest of Nagercoil. The two main rivers, the Pahr ...

town and about 60 km from Kanniyakumari.

Purpose

Mathoor Aqueduct was constructed in 1966 as a drought relief measure over the river Pahrali to carry water for irrigation from an elevated level of one hill to another. The irrigation water feeds the taluks of

Vilavancode Vilavancode, also spelt as Viḷavaṅgōḍu, is a town panchayat in Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu States and territories of India, state, India. It is part of territory among several taluks that were with the Thiruvananthapuram district ...

and

Kalkulam Kalkulam is a small village located in Kalkulam taluk, Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India. The taluk was among several in Thiruvananthapuram district that, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, were transferred from ...

Construction

The aqueduct is built across the Parali river, a small river that originates in the

Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu Mahendragiri is a hill in India in Tirunelveli District, South Tamil Nadu. The hill is located in Tirunelveli District and is part of the southern range of the Western Ghats, with an elevation of . The ISRO Propulsion Complex, a test facil ...

hills of the Western Ghats. Mathoor Aqueduct itself carries water of the Pattanamkal canal for irrigation over the Parali, from one hill to another, for a distance of close to 1 km. This aqueduct is needed because of the undulating land terrain of the area, which is also adjacent to the hills of the Western Ghats. Mathoor Aqueduct is a concrete structure supported by 28 huge pillars, the maximum height of the pillars reaching 115 ft. The trough structure is 7 ft in height, with a width of 7.5 ft. The trough is partly covered with concrete slabs, allowing people to walk on the bridge and to see the water going through the trough. Some of the pillars are set in rocks of the Pahrali river, though some of the pillars are set in hills on either side.The bridge has been constructed at Mathoor across the river Parazhiyar at a cost of Rs. 12.90/- lakhs There is road access to one end of the aqueduct and to the foot of the aqueduct (the level where the Pahrali flows) on the opposite side. There is a huge flight of stairs, made more recently, that allows one to climb from the level of the Pahrali river to the trough. Irrigation water flows through the trough for a large part of the year, except in the summer (from February to May).

Tourist attraction

In recent times, Mathoor Aqueduct has become a popular tourist attraction in Kanyakumari district. The tourism department and the local Panchyat office have improved facilities for visiting tourists. From the centre of the aqueduct, one can see a vast expanse of greenery, with rolling hills of the Western Ghats in the background, and the meandering Pahrali river flowing below. Mathoor Aqueduct is about 60 km from the popular tourist town of Kanyakumari and about 60 km from the city of

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the largest and ...

, the capital 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.

Technical specifications

Notes

External links

*
Hanging bridge to get facelift
{{Regions of Kanyakumari Kanyakumari Buildings and structures in Tamil Nadu Aqueducts in India