Kallanai aka The Grand Anicut - the engineering marvel of the Cholas

By -
Site Name: Kallanai aka The Grand Anicut
Site Type: Dam
Location:  Near Trichy city, Tamil Nadu state, India
Highlights: An engineering marvel by the early Cholas; the dam was constructed in the 2nd century CE; 
Nearest Railway Station: Trichy
Nearest Airport: Trichy
How to reach: Well connected by road from Trichy
Hotel: A lot of options across the Trichy city; this is one of the important cities in South India 
Restaurants: All varieties of restaurants across the Trichy city




The engineering marvel of the Cholas, the great emperors of Tamil Nadu, can be felt not only through their extraordinary temples but even through Kallanai dam. Kallanai dam aka the Grand Anicut was constructed by the Great Chola king Karikala most probably in the 2nd century CE. It is built across the river Cauvery and located near Trichy city in South India. The 329 meters long and 20 meters wide ancient dam was constructed to divert the river water through canals across the fertile delta region for irrigation. 

Kallanai is considered as one of the oldest water diversion or water regulator structure in the world which is still functioning. This 2000 year old structure stands firm even today and hence it can be called as an engineering marvel. 

A road bridge has been built on top of the stone structure where visitors can drive through or walk along. Another dam called the Upper Anicut was constructed across the river Kollidam in the 19th century CE. It is also found near Kallanai dam. In 1804 CE, Captain Coldwell repaired and reinforced the Kallanai dam.

When you get a chance to visit Trichy region, ensure that you go and visit this wonderful dam.

Happy travelling.





View Larger Map
Location: Kallanai, Tamil Nadu

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tallest Murugan of Chennai

By -
Image
Consecrated in March 2021, the 40 feet high Bala Murugan icon at Saveetha Medical College campus is the tallest image of Murugan in Chennai. Malaysia has 140 feet tall Murugan. In April 2022, the 146 feet tall image of Murugan was consecrated near Salem in Tamil Nadu. However, they are all stucco images. But, the one that we find on the college campus is a monolithic granite icon. Thus, it is the tallest stone icon of Murugan in the entire world. A stone weighing 320 tonnes was brought from Siruvambur near Wallajah, and it was carved to 140 tonnes to get this beautiful and gigantic sculpture. The entire temple complex is designed in the shape of the Devanagiri letter "Om", which can be appreciated in the aerial view.  The west-facing gigantic sculpture is located atop the star-shaped pedestal. It dominates the entire landscape. A large meditation hall is situated below the pedestal. On the open corridor in front of the presiding deity, smaller shrines are found. They enshrine
Read more

Putlur Angala Parameswari Temple - Chennai

By -
Image
Angala Parameswari Temple in Putlur, near  Chennai  city of South India, is a unique temple. The Goddess is in the form of a pregnant woman in this temple. The icon of Angala Parameswari is believed to be self-manifested, called swayambhu.  As per the legend, a village head tortured a poor for borrowed money. The poor was forced to plough an infertile land. While ploughing the ground full of rocks, the villager noticed that blood was oozing out from a particular place. There, he discovered the image of the Goddess. It is a snake hole (putru in Tamil - where snakes live) in the form of a woman in a sleeping posture with her mouth kept open, and her bulged stomach like a pregnant woman. The villagers built a temple with this putru and named the Goddess Angala Parameswari. Hence, they started calling the village Putlur the town with the divine Putru.  Putlur Angala Parameswari temple is basically a village temple. It is visited by thousands of people. Primarily it will be tough to en
Read more

A 17th century Dargah with healing power - Mount Road Dargah, Chennai, India

By -
Image
Mount Road or Anna Salai is one of the most happening places in  Chennai . There are two famous Islamic shrines on Mount Road – one is  Thousands Light mosque . The other one is Dargah-e-Hazrath Syed Moosa Shah Qadri Baghdadi (Rahmatullah Alaihi), also known as Mount Road Dargah. It is the most popular Dargah across the city. It draws devotees of all faiths and all walks of life. Especially every Thursday, a large number of devotees gather to the Dargah. A lot of city-based celebrities regularly visit the site. This Dargah is the shrine of a Muslim Saint named Hazrath Syed Moosa Shah Qadri Baghdadi. He was also known as Rahmatullah Alaihi. Hazrath Syed Moosa Shah Qadri Baghdadi arrived from Baghdad in the middle of the 17th Century CE. He made Chennai his home and lived here. It is believed that he had healing powers. During his time, he had so many devotees regularly visiting him. After his demise, his family buried him next to his house, which is the current Dargah. You can easily lo
Read more