Overview | |
---|---|
Location | Varkala, Trivandrum, Kerala |
Coordinates | 8°44′11″N76°43′48″E / 8.7365°N 76.730°E |
Status | Closed 2007 |
Route | Trivandrum-Kollam |
Start | 8°44′11″N76°43′48″E / 8.7365°N 76.730°E |
End | 8°43′00″N76°43′16″E / 8.7167°N 76.721°E |
Operation | |
Work begun | 1867 |
Constructed | Kingdom of Travancore |
Opened | 1877 |
Owner | Government of Kerala |
Operator | Kerala Inland Waterways and Infrastructure limited |
Traffic | National Waterway 3 |
Toll | No |
Technical | |
Length | 1,069.848 m (0.664773 mi) |
No. of lanes | 2 |
Operating speed | 25 km/h (16 mph) |
Tunnel clearance | 10 metres (33 ft) |
Width | 10 |
The Varkala Tunnel System, also known as the Varkala Canal or Varkala Thurapp in local dialect, is a system of tunnels situated in the municipality of Varkala of Trivandrum, Kerala, India. It is one of the region's most important historic sites and architectural marvels. This site was constructed by the Travancore Kingdom to establish a continuous inland waterway across Thiruvithamkoor as TS Canal, which was meant to serve as a trade route. The construction of the two long tunnels was started in 1867 and work on the first was finished in 1877, while the second was completed in 1880. [1]
With a length of 1,069.848 metres (0.664773 mi ), the two tunnels played a vital role in transferring ferry goods and people from the capital city of Trivandrum to Kollam during the pre-independence era. The tunnel is located under the main cliff of the region and represents the architectural excellence of the workers and engineers of that era. [2]
Built under the supervision of then chief engineer Walthew Clarence Barton during reign of T. Madhava Rao, the Dewan of the Travancore Kingdom, the tunnel also makes up for the major man made reach i.e. Varkala stretch of Thiruvananthapuram–Shoranur canal, which passes through a delicate geological structure. [1] [3] In 1934 -1942 period the walls of the tunnel got a concrete lining.
The tunnel is built in an area famous for its Cenozoic sedimentary formation cliffs, a unique geological feature on the otherwise flat Kerala coast, which are known among geologists as Varkala Formation. The tunnels are carved through Laterite rocks.
There are two tunnels in the system, namely:
The tunnel system connects the Anchuthengu Kayal with the Edava-Nadayara Kayal.
Despite the potential for tourism, the passages remain unused. It is silted and maintenance works are in limbo. Around 2006, there was renewed interest in reviving the tunnels by then-Chief minister of Kerala, Shri. V. S. Achuthanandan, who undertook a boat ride in the canal to make a first-hand assessment. Thereafter it remained in limbo until 2014 -16 period, when discussions restarted, though these soon broke down. In 2016, the state government sought the help of civil engineer E. Sreedharan to revive the tunnel. [4]
In 2017, discussions were held regarding the construction of a new waterway bypass, skipping existing tunnels due to lack of width and draft as per National Waterways standards. [5]
As of 2020, in Chilakkoor passage, dredging work and sledge removal are progressing. Work on Sivagiri passage is also expected to start soon. The passages are planned to be used for tourist activities.
The Government of India has turned down Kerala's demand to extend the existing National Waterway 3 route to Kovalam from Kollam through Varkala.
Kovalam is a beach and seaside resort in the city of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, India. Kovalam is located 12.6 km (7.8 mi) southeast of the city center. The beaches around Kovalam are popular vacation destinations for both domestic and international travellers.
Varkala is a major coastal municipality and a northern suburb of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. In legends and myths related to Kerala, texts like the Kerala Mahatmyam describe the Varkala region as one of the sacred places of Kerala.
Kollam district, is one of 14 districts of the state of Kerala, India. The district has a cross-section of Kerala's natural attributes; it is endowed with a long coastline, a major Laccadive Sea seaport and an inland lake. The district has many water bodies. Kallada River is one among them, and land on the east bank of the river is East Kallada and that on the west bank is West Kallada.
Thiruvananthapuram District is the southernmost district in the Indian state of Kerala. The district was created in 1949, with its headquarters in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, which is also Kerala's administrative centre. The present district was created in 1956 by separating the four southernmost Taluks of the erstwhile district to form Kanyakumari district. The city of Thiruvananthapuram is also known as the Information technology capital of the State, since it is home to the first and largest IT park in India, Technopark, established in 1990. The district is home to more than 9% of total population of the state.
Parippally is a village in kalluvathukkal panchayat Kollam, Kerala, India. Parippally is 22 kilometres (14 mi) South of Kollam City along NH66 and 44 kilometres (27 mi) North of Thiruvananthapuram along NH66. Kollam Govt. Medical College is situated in Parippally. Varkala sivagiri is nearest major Railway station 12 km(7.5 mi).
The Thiruvananthapuram - Shoranur canal is a historic canal in India, from Trivandrum to Shoranur. It was one of the most arterial transportation mode in erstwhile Travancore princely state. Most of the trade, commerce and freight traffic in Travancore used to happen through this canal. The canal used to pass through rice bowl of the state, Kuttanad, centre of Coir trade i.e. Alappuzha, centre of Cashew business, Kollam, Changanassery market, strategic Thevally, Kayamkulam, Varkala etc. and used to connect Thiruvithamkoor with Cochin State and Malabar.
Edava is a panchayat in Varkala Taluk, which is the northernmost tip of Thiruvananthapuram district in the state of Kerala, India. Edava is located 5km north of Varkala, 21km south of port city Kollam and 44km north of capital city Thiruvananthapuram. Kappil beach is a famous surf location.Surfsupkerala life saving club operates here.
Chirayinkeezhu is a town in Thiruvananthapuram district in the Indian state of Kerala. It was also hometown of famous Malayalam Film actor Prem Nazir. It is the seat of Chirayinkeezhu taluk.
Kappil is a seashore tourist spot located in paravur kollam district, Kerala, India. Varkala railway station is the major railway station near Kappil.
The West Coast Canal or National Waterway No 3 is a 205 km (127 mi) long inland navigational route located in Kerala, India, which runs from Kollam to Kottapuram. It was declared a National Waterway in 1993. In addition to the main stretch, Champakara and Udyogmandal canals are navigable and connect the industrial centers of Kochi to Kochi port Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) under the Ministry of Shipping is coordinating the task for developing, monitoring and administering national waterways. It is the first National Waterway in the country with 24-hour navigation facilities along the entire stretch. It has been extended to Kozhikode by the National Waterways Act, 2016. The National Waterway 3 mainly passes through the previous Thiruvananthapuram–Shoranur canal.
Anchuthengu, formerly known as Anjengo, Angengo or Anjenga, is a coastal panchayath and town in the Thiruvananthapuram District of Kerala. It is situated 9km south-west of Varkala Town along Trivandrum - Varkala - Kollam coastal highway.
Varkala Beach, also known as Papanasham Beach, is situated in the town of Varkala in Varkala Municipality, Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala, India. The beach skirts the Arabian Sea, part of the Indian Ocean.
Varkala Sivagiri railway station is an NSG–3 category Indian railway station in Thiruvananthapuram railway division of Southern Railway zone. is a major railway station in Kerala serving the town of Varkala in Thiruvananthapuram. It is the second-busiest railway station in the state capital district Trivandrum in terms of passenger movement and 14th busiest in Kerala State. Around 54 trains halts in this station which handled more than 17,730 passengers daily with 3 platforms. It is on Kollam–Thiruvananthapuram trunk line. Station is well connected to major metropolitan & tier 2 cities like Trivandrum, Hyderabad, Kochi, Delhi, Bangalore, Mangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Vijayawada, Kolkata, Goa etc.
Marthandanthurai is a coastal village on the shore of the Arabian Sea in Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India, near the border with Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The village is part of the Kollemcode panchayat. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Trivandrum from 1967. Prior to joining with the Trivandrum Latin Archdiocese, this village was a part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cochin. The village is known for its beauty and versatility. It is a pilgrimage centre of Our Lady of Lourdu and is dedicated to the patronage of Our Lady of Dolours. The historical AVM Canal flows through this village. Its golden sand beach is the attraction of this tourist village. Being the part of Kollemcode Town Panchayat, this is the prime centre of trade and transportation for the neighboring villages. The 30% of people live in Marthandanthurai speak Malayalam as their major spoken language and the remainder speak a mixture of Tamil and Malayalam. In short, it can be said that people have their own colloquial way of talking and language. This language slang has big difference among neighbor regions and villages. Marthandanthurai the name sometimes referred as "Land of Marthanda Varma" because the king who did a lot of favors to this village. The villages of Vallavilai and Neerody are located near the village Marthandanthurai. This Village is located nearly 70 km from Kanyakumari and 30 km from Trivandrum.
Munroturuttu railway station or Mundrothuruthu railway station(Code:MQO) is an 'HG 2 Category' halt railway station, situated between Perinad and Sasthamkotta railway stations of Kollam district in Kerala state, India. The station is coming under the Southern Railway zone of Indian Railways. The nearest major rail head of Munrothuruthu railway station is Kollam Junction railway station.
Transport in Kollam includes various modes of road, rail and water transportation in the city and its suburbs. State-owned Kerala State Road Transport Corporation buses, private buses, Indian Railways, state-owned Kerala State Water Transport Department boats & ferry, taxis and auto rickshaws are serving the city of Kollam. The city had a strong commercial reputation since the days of the Phoenicians and Romans. Ibn Battuta mentioned Kollam Port as one of the five Indian ports he had seen during the course of his twenty-four year travels.
Kollam Canal or Quilon Canal or Kollam Thodu is a 7.7 km long canal system passing through the city of Kollam, India. It is a part of National Waterway-3 and 78 km long Kollam-Trivandrum (Kovalam) State waterway project.
The Anantha-Victoria-Marthandam Canal a.k.a. A.V.M. Canal was conceived as a 'water link' between Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari in July 1860 during the reign of Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma Maharaja of Travancore state. Today it is the National Waterway 13 of India.
Cricket and Football are the most popular sports in Thiruvananthapuram. The Sports Hub, Trivandrum, commonly known as Greenfield Stadium is one of the largest cricket and football stadiums in India. Athletics, shooting, volleyball, Aquatics and squash are the other popular sports.
Waterways have always been an important mode of transport in Kerala. The total length of navigable route in Kerala was 1,900 kilometres and the navigable rivers constitute about 54 per cent of the waterways. The 41 West-flowing rivers together with the backwaters are an integrated part of the inland navigation system in Kerala. In Kerala water transportation through these channels are mainly small distant passenger services, informal country boats, freight transportation to PSU's such as Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore, Kochi etc.
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