Kaveri, the very names remind of the bitter battle for water between two southern states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Considered as the longest river in south India, this river is lifeline for the majority of people in both the states. It also slightly touches the union territory of Puducherry. Kaveri (also known as Cauvery) passes though major cities and towns of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Starting with Srirangapatnam, it flows through Mysore, Tiruchirapalli, Thanjavur, Mettur, Salem, Nagapatinam, and finally enters the Bay of Bengal at Cuddalore. With its passage along the major habitats, it is bound to be polluted and it needs your attention.
Religion World will look at the rivers that call for immediate attention, because they have been polluted beyond repair. But the effort is to look at the river, its history, its use and how it was been brought to the state it is now. Our effort to write about these rivers is to enlighten the readers that they need attention and they can once again turn into lifeline for human race in their part. Today we bring, river flowing through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Kaveri River.
Must Read #KnowYourRivers : Thamirabarani River
Kaveri River:
Geographically, religiously and even politically Kaveri is a significant river in South India. Kaveri river forms the lifeline for the people of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu! She is a goddess, and she is everything for the farmers of her delta on both the states. Kaveri, as one of the holiest rivers in South India, is also known as the ‘Ganges of the South’.
The river covers a distance of about 765 km and flows through the state of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. On its journey to the Bay of Bengal, the river is joined by its tributaries, which include Shimsa, Hemavathi, Honnuhole, Arkavathi, Kapila, Lakshmana Theertha, Kabini, Lokapavani, Bhavani, Noyil and Amaravathy.
Origins & Flow
Kaveri River originates in the form of spring at Brahmagiri Hill at Talakaveri in Kodagu district of Karnataka. In fact, here she is worshipped as Goddess Kaveri and a large temple is built here. Talakaveri is also one of the must visit places in Coorg. A small tank is constructed indicating to the source of the river and it is one of the most sacred sites.
TalaKaveri (also Talakaveri) located about 5000 ft above sea level is considered the source of the Kaveri. TalaKaveri is located in Coorg district of Karnataka and is 47 km from Maidekri.
TalaKaveri is considered a famous pilgrimage site in Karnataka. At the source of the Kaveri there is a temple where every year on Tula sankramana thousands of pilgrims gather to pay their respects to the Kaveri.
The river then flows through Mysore district where two islands Srirangapatnam and Shivanasamudram are formed. At Sivasamudram the river drops 98 meters forming famous falls known as Gagan Chukki and Bara Chukki. After meandering through Karnataka, the river then enters Tamil Nadu and forms the boundary between the Erode and Salem districts. The Kaveri is joined by the Bhavani River at Bhavani. Hogenakkal is a major landmark on the course of the Kaveri in Tamil Nadu. Trichy and Thanjavur are other important towns on the banks of the Kaveri.
Kaveri River splits into two places and forms two islands in Karnataka. One is at Shivanasamudra, where she plunges as Gagana Chukki and Bara Chukki Falls and creates the island of Srirangapatna near Mysore. The third island is Srirangam in Tamil Nadu.
Mythology
Many legends are associated with Cauvery River, however, these two legends among them are really popular.
One story says Lord Brahma had a daughter called Vishnumaya and she really wished to serve the world. At the same time, Lord Vishnu had to transfigure himself as Mohini to kill a reckless demon. So, Lord Brahma decides to send Vishnumaya as Lopamudra to assist Mohini. After some days, a rishi named Kavera comes to Lord Brahma. His wish was to get an offspring and hence prays to Lord Brahma. Impressed by the rishi’s devotion, Brahma decides to give Lopamudra for adoption. Thus, Lopamudra becomes the daughter of Rishi Kavera and assumes the name ‘KAVERI’.
Another story: Once Sage Agastya sees Kaveri meditating on Brahmagiri Hill. Infatuated by her beauty, he asks her hand in marriage. Kaveri agrees to marry on one condition! If at any point in time Sage Agastya leaves her for a long time, she would escape from him. So happens that once the sage gets caught in a philosophical discussion and forgets about Kaveri. As per the agreement, Kaveri transfigures into a river and flows to fulfill her wishes to serve the people.
Tributaries & Dams
Kaveri River widens as many rivers join her in the course of her journey. Shimsha, Hemavati, Kabini, Arkavathy, Honnuhole, Bhavani, Lokapavani, Amaravati and Noyil are the tributaries of river Cauvery.
There are several dams built on the Kaveri River. The most popular ones being the Krishna Raja Sagar Dam (KRS) in Mandya, Upper Anicut in Tamil Nadu, Amaravthi Dam, Mettur Dam and Kallani Dam in Tamil Nadu.
Must read #KnowYourRivers : Vaigai River
Mysore & Kaveri
There are many large cities of south India developed on the shores of this river. In some sense Kaveri to the Deccan plain is what Ganges to the Indo-Gangetic plain of the north India.
Kaveri flows through the two Indian states, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, before merging with the Bay of Bengal. Both the farming lands located alone of both the states depends heavily on the river for irrigation. The sharing of water between the two states is a touchy issue, especially when there is scarcity during a drought year. Though Mysore city is not on the banks of Kaveri, this river has quite a strong relation with Mysore. The river makes a broad arc around the northeastern region of Mysore.
If you are traveling by road or rail from Bangalore to Mysore, you’ll cross Kaveri to enter Mysore district.
Dispute
The very name Kaveri rings bell of water dispute. We will try and present a fact-sheet of the dispute over the years:
- Through the late 20th century, Tamil Nadu opposed the construction of dams on the river by Karnataka, and the state in turn wanted to discontinue the water supply to Tamil Nadu.
- They argued that the 1924 agreement had lapsed when its 50 years were up in 1974 and considering that the river originated in Karnataka, they had better claim over the river.
- Tamil Nadu too had become heavily dependent on the river after they developed millions of agricultural land around the river.
- In 1972, the Centre agreed to appoint a committee who would collect statistics from each of the states that had the river basin — Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
- In 1976, the states arrived at an understanding that each state would continue using the water according to their previous usage, only now an additional 125 tmcft water would also be saved and shared.
- In 1986, a farmer’s association from Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu moved the Supreme Court (SC) and demanded that a tribunal be formed for the adjudication for the Cauvery water dispute.
- In 1990, the SC heard the petitions by the two states and asked them to complete negotiations. However the two failed to do so, following which the SC directed the Centre to constitute a tribunal and distribute the water between states.
- In 1991, the tribunal gave its award after calculating the average inflows into Tamil Nadu over 10 years — between 1980 and 1990.
- They directed Karnataka to ensure that 205 tmcft reach Tamil Nadu every year. Karnataka refused to oblige.
- In 1993, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa went on a sudden fast. She demanded Tamil Nadu’s share of water as stipulated by the interim order.
- In 1995, Karnataka received very little rainfall and hence could not obey the interim order. Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, approached the SC demanding release of 30 tmcft of water.
- In 1998, the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) was formed with the prime minister presiding as the chairperson and the chief ministers of the four states as members.
- In 2007, after 16 years, the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) gave out their final award. The award was as follows: Tamil Nadu: 419 TMC (which had demanded 512 TMC); Karnataka: 270 TMC (which had demanded 465 TMC); Kerala: 30 TMC; and Pondicherry: 7 TMC.
Saga of battle between the two states continue and the dispute looks to never ending.
Must read #KnowYourRiver : Noyyal River
Must Read #KnowYourRivers : Karamana River
