Periyar - പെരിയാര്‍ ആര്

River Name Periyar River Length of River 300 km Course Kerala Starting Point Sivagiri Hills on Western Ghats range in the Kerala Ending Point Vembanattu Lake to the Arabian Sea. Points of Interest Thekkady, Vambanad Starting Coordinates Major Tributaries Muthirapuzha River, Mullayar River, Cheruthoni River, Perinjankutti River and the Edamala River. Wikipedia Links http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periyar_River Other Langauge Names Hindi: पेरियार Malayalam: പെരിയാര്‍ ആര്

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This originates in the Sivagiri hills along the border of Kerala-Tamilnadu. It is the first largest river in Kerala. It flows into the Vembanattu Lake and to the Arabian Sea. The birth place of Shri.Sankaracharya, Kalady, and the famous church at Malayatur is in the banks of Periyar. The famous festival Mahasivarathri is celebrated at the beds of this river at alwaye. Thattekadu Birds Sanctuary is situated in the banks of river. The famous Wildlife Sanctuary and Tourist place Thekkady is situated at the side of Mullaperiyar Dam. The largest Hydro Electric Project Idukki and the Arch Dam at Idukki is in this river. Pallivasal, Chenkulam, Panniyar, Neriyamangalam and Lower Periyar are the other Hydro Electric Projects in Periyar. Mullaperiyar, Bhuthathankettu, Kundalam, Mattupetty, Munnar, Idukki, Cheruthoni, Kulamavu, Irattayar, Lower Periyar, Edamalayar, Chenkulam, Anayirangal and Ponmudi are the important Dams in this river.

This River in central Kerala state, southwestern India. It is 140 mi (225 km) long and rises in the Western Ghats range near the border with Tamil Nadu state. It flows north to Periyar Lake, an artificial reservoir created by damming the river. A tunnel carries water from the lake eastward through the mountains to the Vaigai River, where it is used for irrigation. From the lake it flows northwest and empties into the Arabian Sea.

The river Periyar, the longest river of the state (PWD,1974; CESS,1984) is considered to be the life line of Central Kerala. It originates from the Sivagiri peaks (1800m MSL) of Sundaramala in Tamil Nadu. The total length is about 300Kms (244Kms in Kerala) with a catchment area of 5396Sq Kms (5284 Sq. Kms in Kerala). The total annual flow is estimated to be 11607cubic meters. During its journey to Arabian Sea at Cochin the river is enriched with water of minor tributaries like Muthayar, Perunthuraiar, Chinnar, Cheruthony, Kattappanayar and Edamalayar at different junctures. Periyar has been performing a pivotal role in shaping the economic prospects of Kerala, as it helps in power generation, domestic water supply, irrigation, tourism, industrial production, collection of various inorganic resources and fisheries. However, as in the case of many other inland water bodies, River Periyar is gradually undergoing eco-degradation throughout its course of flow due to various anthropogenic stresses, which include indiscriminate deforestation, domestic-agricultural- industrial water pollution, excessive exploitation of resources, large scale sand mining, various interferences in the flow of water etc.