2012-03-29T08:11:00.001-07:00

malampuzha garden

GLIMPSES

Being nurtured by Kerala's longest river, the Bharathappuzha, Malampuzha is blessed with lush green foliage and has been acclaimed as one of the most attractive tourist spots in the district of Palakkad, Kerala, India. It offers a variety of amusements with its natural and artificial amalgamation. The charm of the natural beauty and the creativity of the human mind make the people admire its wonderful works and mould ones' mind rosy.

Malampuzha, a little township on the foothills of the Western Ghats, is located 10 km from Palakkad town and has in store a large number of amusement options - The Malampuzha Gardens - A fresh water aquarium( fish-shaped )- A snake park - A children's park - A Reservoir - A Garden House - A Japanese Garden - Hanging Bridge - Sculpture of Yakshi - Ropeway - Road Train - Telescopic Tower - Rock Garden - Fantasy Park etc.

Malampuzha is a mini hydoro-electric project built across Malampuzha river (a tributary of Bharathapuzha) in Palakkad district of Kerala, South India. It is also the biggest irrigation project in Kerala with a large network of canal systems. It is also one of Kerala's major tourist spots. Malampuzha dam, the biggest irrigation reservoir in Kerala, is celebrating its Golden Jubilee year in October, starting with Tourism Week and Onam celebrations in September.

The Malampuzha Garden and reservoir have a scenic setting with the forested hills of Western Ghats forming the backdrop, making it one of the foremost tourism centres in the State.

Malampuzha Dam has brought prosperity to the district, making Palakkad the `rice bowl of Kerala'. Paddy is cultivated in 50,000 acres (200 km²) in two seasons each using waters from the Malampuzha dam.

The Malampuzha Garden and reservoir have a scenic setting with the forested hills of Western Ghats forming the backdrop, making it one of the foremost tourism centres in the State.

The dam across Malampuzha river has a total length of 2,069 metres. Of this, masonry dam has a length of 1,849 metres while the earthen dam covers the length of 220 metres. The catchment area of the dam is 147.63 km². Its storage capacity is 236.69 cubic metres. The full reservoir level of the dam is 115.06 m (375.15 ft)and Gross Storage at FRL is 226 mm3.

The idea of constructing a dam at Malampuzha was mooted in 1914 by the then Madras Government. Palakkad was part of Madras presidency then. In March 1949, the then Public Works Minister K. Bhaktavalsalam laid the foundation stone for the construction of the dam. On October 9, 1955, the then Chief Minister, K. Kamaraj inaugurated it. Before the construction of the dam, the area was known as Punnppara, Chovankadu, Iduppady, Vadukampadam, Thanjikapallam, Karakkad, Thoopallam, Varani, Akkarakadu, Kadukkamkunnam, Aanakuzhykadu, Thampurattypotta, Aanamukkara, Pandipotta, Thekkumpadam and Koshavan Idukku. Now the entire area is known as Malampuzha. The dam was conceived as a multi-purpose project to provide water for irrigation, drinking, industries, power generation, fish farming and water transport.

CLIMATE

Topographically the district can be divided into two regions: the low land comprising the midland and the high land formed by the hilly portion. The soil is laterite in the hill and mid regions. Midland soil is thick with Coconut, Arecanut, Cashew, Pepper, Rubber and Paddy cultivation in abundance.

The district has a humid climate with a very hot season extending from March to June in the Western Part of the district; whereas it is less humid in the Eastern sector. The maximum amount of rains occur during the South West Monsoon, which sets in the 2nd week of June and extends upto September. About 75% of the annual rain is received during the south west monsoon period. During the period from December to May, practically no rain is received. The temperature of the district ranges from 20' C to 45' C .

RIVERS

The river Bharathapuzha

The most important river in the district is the Bharathapuzha which happens to be the second longest river in Kerala. The tributaries of Bharathapuzha are Malampuzha, Walayar, Mangalam, Meenkara, Ayalure, Pothundy and Kanjirapuzha. There are also two tributaries of the Cauvery in Attappady hill range.viz. Bhavani and Siruvani. The other important river that flows through the district is Korapuzha. Kunthipuzha and Nellipuzha are two tributaries from Attappady that join the Bharathapuzha at Kuttippuram.

The rivers of Kerala

There are broadly 44 rivers and streams in Kerala. Though tinier in dimension, compared to the major rivers of the country, they drain a surprisingly large quantity of water and sediments into the Arabian Sea. This is due to the heavy rainfall and the terrain of Kerala, which slants from the Western Ghats to the plains to finally merge with the Arabian Sea. A distinct characteristic of the rivers in Kerala is that they flow in an almost straight course, further facilitating drainage.

41 of the 44 rivers in Kerala are west flowing, and originate mainly from the Western Ghats. They fuse with the Arabian Sea either directly, or through the medium of the backwaters. Some smaller rivers, like the Kumbala, and Bekal, have separate watersheds, and drain into the sea through the channel of the backwaters.
One of the important rivers in Kerala is the Periyar – the longest and the largest river in the state. The river is 244km long, and covers a drainage area of 5,398sq. km. Formed at a height of 1,853m, where a number of rivulets merge together in the Sivagiri Hills, the Periyar flows towards the north and later turns to the northwest, to finally lose itself in the backwaters at Munambam in Ernakulam District.

GARDEN

Japanese gardens are very important to the Japanese. All of the gardens are representations of nature. The purpose of these gardens is to capture nature in the utmost natural way, and add to it a touch of artistic feeling. The Japanese gardens, for the Japanese people, have an ancient history influenced by Shinto, Buddhist and Taoist philosophies. These philosphies are used in the creation of the Japanese Gardens so as to bring a spiritual sense to the gardens. The Buddhist influence makes the garden a quiet place, allowing people to look back and reflect upon themselves, or meditate.

The essential elements to a Japanese garden--water, garden plants, stones, waterfalls, trees, and bridges--creates this symbolism.

There are two common misconceptions concerning Japanese gardens.

The first is that the Japanese gardens always follow certain ground rules with regard to both arrangement and content. This is not true. The architect does follow some rules, but he/she is free to express his/her creativity through the Japanese garden.

The second is that Japanese gardens are miniature gardens. This is also not true. Everything that is designed is accessible for full size adults, but sometimes the small trees give the illusion of the Japanese garden being small.

There are five different styles of Japanese gardens.

Strolling Garden
Natural Garden
Sand&Stone Garden
Tea Garden
The Flat Garden

Strolling Garden

The Strolling Pond Garden, while also being the largest, is considered the best garden due to its many pleasing views from various locations in the garden. This garden has many different things to make up. It has a water fall with a moonbridge spanning a pond. It may seem that it is just filled with water and rocks. But if you stop and listen you can hear the soothing sound of the moving water. This garden contains much symbolism. In this garden there are two rocks; one is a tortoise and the other is a crane representing long life and good health respectively.

Natural Garden

The Natural Garden is given in its name itself because rodents and the birds live there, and they are constantly reconstucting it by tearing apart the moss. It has a cascading waterfall and pond. In this garden is a sheltered building called the "Azumaya," which is like a gazebo. This garden can not get anymore natural than it already is. The garden is set up in a artistic way but once nature hits it, the garden just becomes part of nature on its own.

Sand&Stone Garden

Sand and Stone Garden was developed in the Muromachi Era and represents Zen spiritualism. It is primarily used as a place for monks to meditate. The garden is surrounded by a beautiful wall. Sand and stone make up this type of garden, hence the name. It is rectangular with carefully raked white sand that is enclosed by a beautiful tile-roofed plaster wall. There are five groupings of fifteen stones arranged in clusters of two, three, and five. At the base of each grouping is growing moss. White sand is used with rocks arranged in a simple, but artistic, manner. When a person looks at this garden it looks "void." The sand gives off the sense of space and emptiness. The key here is that the sand clears the visitors' minds of the outside world, allowing them to make their own interpretations of the garden. Some say that the white sand represents a body of water, and the rocks in the middle of the sand are the islands of Japan. The rocks are set up in an artistic arrangement. If the artist was to add another rock, it would make a difference with relation to the garden. If you were to add a rock, or move one, it would destroy the composition of the garden--and possibly the meaning as well. This shows that the Sand and Stone Garden is a delicate artistic representation built with great artistic talent and a high level of spiritual involvement.

Tea Garden

The Tea Garden has two sections: an outer garden and an inner garden. There is also a ceremonial Tea house. Everything that is included in this garden is placed with the utmost authentic care for arrangement. The stones, stone lanterns, and the traditional stone water basin all have a symbolic relationship.

The inner garden is a private garden and is to be viewed only from the Tea House. This garden surrounds the Tea house. The outer garden (soto roji) is the waiting area for guests. The guests wait here, on a wooden bench with straw cushions, for their host to come and greet them. When the weather is cold, a teaburi, a kind of heater is used to keep guests warm. There is also a wooden pail of hot water set out for guests to wash their hands and rinse their mouths as a sign of ritual purification before entering to Tea House.

The Flat Garden

The Natural Garden is given its name because rodents and the birds live there, and they are constantly reconstucting it by tearing apart the moss. It has a cascading waterfall and pond. In this garden is a sheltered building called the "Azumaya," which is like a gazebo. This garden can not get anymore natural than it already is. The garden is set up in an artistic way but once nature hits it, the garden just becomes part of nature on its own.

PHOTO GALLERY

2012-03-27T23:52:00.000-07:00

PALLAKKAD FORT

Palakkad Fort (Tipu's Fort) is an old fort situated in the heart of Palakkad town of Kerala state, southern India. It was built by Haider Ali in 1766 ACE and remains one of the best preserved forts in Kerala.

The Palakkad Fort is said to have existed from very ancient times, but believed to be constructed in present form in 1766 A.D, but little is known of its early history. The local ruler, Palakkad Achchan, was originally a tributary of the Zamorin, but had become independent before the beginning of the eighteenth century.^[1] In 1757 he sent a deputation to Haider Ali seeking help against an invasion threatened by the Zamorin. Haider Ali seized upon the opportunity to gain possession of a strategically important location such as Palghat, and from that time until 1790 the fort was continually in the hands of the Mysore Sultans or the British. It was first taken by the latter in 1768 when Colonel Wood captured it during his raid on Haider Alis's fortresses, but it was retaken by Haider a few months later. It was recaptured by Colonel Fullarton in 1783, after a siege that lasted eleven days but was abandoned the following year. It later fell into the hands of the Zamorin’s troops. In 1790 it was finally captured by the British under Colonel Stuart. It was renovated and was used as a base for operations that ended with the storming of Srirangapatnam. The fort continued to be garrisoned until the middle of 19th century. In the early 1900s it was converted into a taluk office

HISTORY

The fort is also known as Tipu's Fort (after Tipu Sultan, the son of Hyder Ali).

There is a large ground between the Fort and the Palakkad Town hall, known as Kota Maidanam (Fort Grounds). The ground, which had once served as a stable for the elephants and horses of Tipu's army, is now used to stage cricket matches, exhibitions and public meetings. An open air auditoriumcalled "Rappadi", currently under the preservation of the Archaeological Survey of India, is also located within the spacious grounds of the Fort. Additionally, there is a children's park on one side of the Fort.

INSIDE THE FORT

There is a small Anjaneya (Lord Hanuman) temple inside the fort that attracts a number of devotees.

The Palakkad Sub Jail is also located within the fort.It is said that Hyder Ali had plan to build the famous Palakkad Fort here, before it is built in its present location. Granites and rocks are kept here for constructing the fort. But the plan was changed and the fort was constructed at Palakkad. The resulted massive plain land was used by the people of nearby villages as a market of ancient times. Since then this area is known as 'Kottachantha' of which 'Kotta' means Fort and 'Chantha' means Market in malayalam language.

It is believed that the name of the next village Kottayi, is derived from the use 'Kottayilekkulla Vazhi/Vayi' meaning 'The way to Fort' which also strongly support Hyder Ali's plan to build the fort here. However, there are no disputes over the arguments on Kottachantha's historical importance connected to Palakkad Fort.