Bharathappuzha
Under review: this entry was added recently and its position is still being checked (approximate (line through riverside towns)).
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Overview
The Bharathappuzha, about 209 km long, is Kerala's second-longest river. It flows west through the Palakkad Gap to the Arabian Sea.
It is also called the Nila and is Kerala's second-longest river after the Periyar.
It rises in the Anaimalai hills in Tamil Nadu, passes through the Palakkad gap and reaches the sea at Ponnani.
The river is central to Kerala's literary and cultural history, and sand mining has badly harmed it.
It is about 209 km long.
The Malampuzha dam is on one of its tributaries.
Kalamandalam, the art school, is on its banks.
The river is low in summer.
Geography and key facts
- Second-longest river of Kerala
- Through the Palakkad Gap
- Called Nila
- Flows through Palakkad gap
- Mouth at Ponnani
Why it matters for UPSC
Asked on Kerala rivers.
Note for UPSC
Kerala's second-longest river, flowing through the Palakkad Gap. Course drawn approximately through towns on its banks.
Prelims asks about tributaries, the states a river flows through, its basin and the projects on it, so trace the course on the map.
Asked in PYQs
No question in our Prelims bank names Bharathappuzha yet.
Key facts
- Type
- River
- State / UT
- Kerala
- River system
- Peninsular
- Basin
- West-flowing (Western Ghats)
- Extent on map
- 10.8°–10.8°N, 75.9°–76.5°E
From the Map Explorer data; positions are for orientation.
In the lessons
- Physical Features and Drainage of India (map lesson)
- Drainage Systems of India: Himalayan and Peninsular Rivers (map lesson)