Neyyar Dam
Encyclopedia
Neyyar dam is a gravity dam on the Neyyar River
in Thiruvananthapuram district
of Kerala
, South India
, located on the foot of the Western Ghats about 30 km from Thiruvananthapuram
. It was established in 1958 and is a popular picnic spot. Lying against the southern low hills of the Western Ghats
, Neyyar Dam has a scenic lake.
is very near to Neyyar dam. The dam was built for irrigation
purposes. One canal of Neyyar flows to western districts of Tamil Nadu
. The main river Neyyar flows through Kallikkadu, Ottasekharamangalam, Aryancode, Kezaroor, Marayamuttom, Neyyattinkara
and Poovar
and ends at the Arabian Sea. Kallikkadu panchayath has more cultural and historic heritages. The Travancore King Marthanda Varma's footprints are here. he fought against Ettuveettil Pillais and he had to flee from his palace. He walked through the mountains of Kallikkadu such as Agasthakoodam with the Aborigins, Kanikkar. They saved the king and they were rewarded with 36000 acres (145.7 km²) of land. this is known as Kanipatt. after the democratic reign Kanis lost the land and it came under the controle of local land lords. there was a famous strike, Kanipattu Samaram led by Karshaka Sangham. Kallikkad Ramachandran the famous writer and filim maker, K R Ajayan the Journalist and Short story writer are the products Of Kallikkad.
A yoga centre, Sivanantha Ashram, is near to this place, which provides classes about meditation, yoga etc. for foreigners as well as for natives. Several temples are near Neyyardam, including the Veeranakavu Sreedharma Shastha temple and the Mangara Muttom Siva temple.
, sloth bear
, Nilgiri Tahr
, jungle cat
and Nilgiri langur, wild elephant
s and sambar deer.
Neyyar Dam is home to the beautiful and peaceful Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwanthari Ashram where you can take courses in Yogga and practice meditation. The trees that are growing inside the Ashram are astonishing by their height and vigor, which is due to both care by the people and influx of good energy arising from the participants.Try drinking the juice from a local coconut and eating the white milky lining. On the journey from Trivandrum you will see rubber plantations and the local harvest of the white latex that comes from the trees.
Boating
Tourists can hire a speed boat for Rs 100 to 150 per head to view the surrounding forests.
Crocodile Rehabilitation and Research Centre
A crocodile farm was set up in 1977. It also includes a habitat for otters near the administrative complex.
The Crocodile Rehabilitation and Research Centre in Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary was named initially by the Kerala government after the late naturalist Steve Irwin
as Steve Irwin National Park.
(38 km) and the nearest railway station is at Thiruvananthapuram
(30 km).
How to Reach Neyyar Dam:
There is a regular Bus Service from the city of Thiruvananthapuram and the nearest Railway Station is also Thiruvananthapuram, 32 km from the Neyyar Dam. One can also come via the International Thiruvananthapuram Airport to Neyyar Dam, which is just 38 km away.
Neyyar River
The Neyyar River is a river of south-western India in the Western Ghats. It flows from the Agastya Mala hills in of Thiruvananthapuram District of Kerala state....
in Thiruvananthapuram district
Thiruvananthapuram district
Thiruvananthapuram District is the southernmost district of the Indian state of Kerala. It came into existence in the year 1957. The headquarters is the city of Thiruvananthapuram which is also the capital city of Kerala....
of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
, located on the foot of the Western Ghats about 30 km from Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
. It was established in 1958 and is a popular picnic spot. Lying against the southern low hills of the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
, Neyyar Dam has a scenic lake.
Geography
Neyyar dam is situated at Kallikkad Panchayath of Neyyattinkara Taluk. The peak Agasthya kooodamAgastya Mala
Agastya Mala is a peak within Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala in the Western Ghats of South India. The mountain lies on the border between the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu...
is very near to Neyyar dam. The dam was built for irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
purposes. One canal of Neyyar flows to western districts of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. The main river Neyyar flows through Kallikkadu, Ottasekharamangalam, Aryancode, Kezaroor, Marayamuttom, Neyyattinkara
Neyyattinkara
Neyyattinkara is municipality in Thiruvananthapuram district in the Indian state of Kerala. The name Neyyattinkara in Malayalam literally means the shore of Neyyar River. Neyyar River flows from Agasthyarkoodam , the highest peak in southern end of the Western Ghats. The taluk has a total...
and Poovar
Poovar
Poovar is a small coastal village in the Trivandrum district of Kerala state, south India. This village is almost at the southern tip of Trivandrum and there is only one last village Pozhiyoor which mark the end of kerala. This village has a beautiful beach which attracts tourists. There are also...
and ends at the Arabian Sea. Kallikkadu panchayath has more cultural and historic heritages. The Travancore King Marthanda Varma's footprints are here. he fought against Ettuveettil Pillais and he had to flee from his palace. He walked through the mountains of Kallikkadu such as Agasthakoodam with the Aborigins, Kanikkar. They saved the king and they were rewarded with 36000 acres (145.7 km²) of land. this is known as Kanipatt. after the democratic reign Kanis lost the land and it came under the controle of local land lords. there was a famous strike, Kanipattu Samaram led by Karshaka Sangham. Kallikkad Ramachandran the famous writer and filim maker, K R Ajayan the Journalist and Short story writer are the products Of Kallikkad.
A yoga centre, Sivanantha Ashram, is near to this place, which provides classes about meditation, yoga etc. for foreigners as well as for natives. Several temples are near Neyyardam, including the Veeranakavu Sreedharma Shastha temple and the Mangara Muttom Siva temple.
Design
The Neyyar Dam is a concrete gravity-type with a height of 56 m (184 ft) and length of 294 m (965 ft). Its structural volume is 105000 cubic metre. The dam creates a reservoir of 1060000000 cubic metre of which 1010000000 cubic metre is active (useful) capacity. The reservoir's surface area is 91 km² (35 sq mi) and the dam's spillway has a 809 m3/s maximum discharge capacity.Wildlife
Wild life includes gaurGaur
The gaur , also called Indian bison, is a large bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986 as the population decline in parts of the species' range is likely to be well over 70% over the last three generations...
, sloth bear
Sloth Bear
The sloth bear , also known as the labiated bear, is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bear found wild within the Indian subcontinent. The sloth bear evolved from ancestral brown bears during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution...
, Nilgiri Tahr
Nilgiri Tahr
The Nilgiri Tahr, Nilgiritragus hylocrius, known locally as the Nilgiri Ibex or simply Ibex, is an ungulate that is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India. It is the state animal of Tamil Nadu...
, jungle cat
Jungle Cat
The jungle cat is a medium-sized cat and considered the largest remaining species of the wild cat genus Felis. The species is also called the swamp lynx but is not closely related to the lynxes....
and Nilgiri langur, wild elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s and sambar deer.
Activities
YogaNeyyar Dam is home to the beautiful and peaceful Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwanthari Ashram where you can take courses in Yogga and practice meditation. The trees that are growing inside the Ashram are astonishing by their height and vigor, which is due to both care by the people and influx of good energy arising from the participants.Try drinking the juice from a local coconut and eating the white milky lining. On the journey from Trivandrum you will see rubber plantations and the local harvest of the white latex that comes from the trees.
Boating
Tourists can hire a speed boat for Rs 100 to 150 per head to view the surrounding forests.
Crocodile Rehabilitation and Research Centre
A crocodile farm was set up in 1977. It also includes a habitat for otters near the administrative complex.
The Crocodile Rehabilitation and Research Centre in Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary was named initially by the Kerala government after the late naturalist Steve Irwin
Steve Irwin
Stephen Robert "Steve" Irwin , nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian television personality, wildlife expert, and conservationist. Irwin achieved worldwide fame from the television series The Crocodile Hunter, an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series which he co-hosted...
as Steve Irwin National Park.
Attractions
- LionLionThe lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
safariSafariA safari is an overland journey, usually a trip by tourists to Africa. Traditionally, the term is used for a big-game hunt, but today the term often refers to a trip taken not for the purposes of hunting, but to observe and photograph animals and other wildlife.-Etymology:Entering the English...
park - Boating on the water
- DeerDeerDeer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
park - Crocodile Rehabilitation and Research CentreCrocodile Rehabilitation and Research CentreThe Crocodile Rehabilitation and Research Centre is a crocodile breeding and rearing park situated at Neyyar, a popular tourist destination near the city of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, India.- Crocodile farm :...
- Miniature wild life sanctuarySanctuaryA sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
- Lake garden
- Swimming poolSwimming poolA swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
- Watch tower
Transport
You can travel there by air, the nearest airport is Thiruvananthapuram International AirportThiruvananthapuram International Airport
-Cargo:-Facilities:The newly built Terminal 3 has three additional jetways and parking bays to accommodate 8 aircraft. The terminal is built opposite to the current terminal across the runway and is closer to the city side.The terminal, constructed by the AAI and designed by the UK firm,...
(38 km) and the nearest railway station is at Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
(30 km).
How to Reach Neyyar Dam:
There is a regular Bus Service from the city of Thiruvananthapuram and the nearest Railway Station is also Thiruvananthapuram, 32 km from the Neyyar Dam. One can also come via the International Thiruvananthapuram Airport to Neyyar Dam, which is just 38 km away.