look news india
India's oldest dam news : The science of dams to store water for irrigation is very ancient. Kallanai Dam was built on the Kaveri River in India 2 thousand years ago. The surprising thing is that this dam has not become an archaeological evidence but is still functional. In modern times, check dams break before their lifespan. There was a sudden gap in the new bridge. In such a situation, Kallanai Dam is an excellent example of ancient engineering. Not only this, it is also claimed to be the oldest dam in the world. Kallanai Dam is located in Tiruchirapalli district of Tamil Nadu.
This dam was built during the reign of the Chola dynasty. According to a legend, King Karikalan was the only king of the southern region whose rule extended to Ceylon (Sri Lanka). After the conquest of the Sinhalese kingdom, prisoners of war from this defeated kingdom were employed to build the historic dam. At first, there were no documents or evidence about this dam.
In the 1800s, British army engineers were amazed when they studied the Cauvery river and the ancient dam. The dam was built so that the water stored in the dam could be used for agriculture during droughts and the river water could be diverted during floods. This dam is an excellent example of ancient Indian engineering genius. Built by the Chola ruler Karikala, this dam is 1000 feet long and 60 feet wide.
The technology used to build this dam is modern technology. This means that the technology which is considered modern technology was known to Indians even 2 thousand years ago. The Kaveri river is known for its extremely fast water flow. Especially during the rainy season, the delta region was wreaking havoc. In such a situation, it was a challenge to stop the flow of water by building a dam on the river. The engineers of ancient times accepted this challenge and built such dams which are still standing today.
The specialty of this dam is that it is in zig zag shape. This zig zag design reduces the force of water. Kallanai Dam is an inspiration for demos not only in the country but all over the world. Currently 10 lakh acres of land is irrigated. This site is located 19 km from Tiruchirapalli. A second lower anicut was built downstream by English engineer Sir Arthur Cotton with the aim of increasing the irrigated area.
Tourists visit the gardens and bridges near the Lower Anicut. The 2,000-year-old original Kallanai Dam still stands strong. There is a statue of Karikalan Raja, a king of the Chola dynasty, on top of a grand elephant. A statue of Sir Arthur Cotton, who built another dam next to the Kallanai Dam, is also installed in the pool.
