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Geographical
Details |
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Kerala at a
Glance | Average
Rain Fall | Kerala
Geography |Sea
and Ports | Rivers
and Lakes |
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Sea
and Ports |
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On the one hand, the Arabian Sea prevented some invaders,
traders, and intruders from visiting Kerala; on the other hand,
it attracted mostly traders from Europe and the Middle East.
From historical records we know of Arabs from the eighth century
and the Portuguese (1498). the Dutch. and the British from the
sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries establishing trade
centers in Kerala. Such ports as
Cranganore,Quilon,Alleppey,Cannanore, and Cochin became
prominent in later Kerala history. Most of the ancient port
cities, except Cochin, are on the decline due to the lack of
docking and berthing facilities as well as the expansion of
other ports like Bombay and Goa, Remnants of European forts can
be seen at Anjengo. |
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Thankasserri. Pallippuram, Tellicherry. and Cannanore.
Traditionally, historians think that Kerala had a flourishing
trade with Rome and Alexandria between 100 B.C. and 300 A.D. and
that ports like Muziris. Tyndis, Barace, and Nelcynda referred
to by Roman historians were located on the Kerala Coast. In my
opinion, these ports are actually located on the Coromandel
Coast where ports bearing many of the same names can be located.
There is more evidence on the east coast for the presence of
Roman traders than on the Kerala Coast which does not have good
port facilities. Hereby I do not in any way want to diminish the
importance of Cranganore. It is important to add that there is
hardly any archeological evidence of a coastal civilization in
Kerala before the seventh century excluding Trivandrum and
Vizhinjam in South Kerala. |
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Rivers
and Lakes |
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Kerala is rich in water supply. There are 41 rivers in the state
that flow west and three rivers that are tributaries of River
Kaveri and flow east. Only four rivers are more than 100 miles
long. They are the Bharathapuzha (150 miles), the Periyar (142
miles), the Pamba (110 miles), and Beypore or the Chaliyar (105
miles). The average length of the other rivers is 40 miles. Many
places of cultic importance are located on the banks of some of
these rivers. The Mamankam-Assembly used to be held at Tirunavai
on the banks of Bharathapuzha; it was here that the sacred ashes
from the funerals of MahatmaGandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru were
immersed in the waters. |
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Every year in
Kumbham (February - March) at Alwaye on the shores of the
Periyar, Sivaratri is celebrated. On the Pamba are located
Christian places of worship like Maramon and Edathuwa.
According to traditions, floods of Periyar destroyed the
city of Cranganore in 1341 and prevented Tipu Sultan in 1789
from attacking Travancore during the time of Dharma Raja and
Raja KesavaDasan. In recent years the |
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rivers of Kerala have been harnessed for purposes of irrigation
and electricity by technology with the construction of dams at
Malampuzha, Parambikolam, Peechi, Periyar Valley, Pallivasal,
Sengulam, Peringalkothu, Sabarigiri, and Idukki.
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Besides rivers, Kerala has a number of natural lakes or lagoons
and backwaters along the coast, which receive their water supply
from rivers and streams. The important lakes from the north to
the south are the following: |
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Kumbia, Kalnad, Bekal, Kavvai. Vembanad (the largest lake, which
extendsfrom Alleppey to Cochin and is 52 miles long), Kayamkulam
(19 square miles), Ashtamudi (20 square miles). The Shastamkotta
Lake (1.44 square miles)/, on whose banks is the famous Shasta
Temple believed to be founded by Sri Rama, is the only major
natural fresh-water lake in Kerala. |
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