Veedur Dam, near Villupuram

I have crossed the Veedur Dam several times when going beyond Villupuram on the GST road or NH 45 (or NH 138 according to Google maps), and I could only see a piece of the bank of the 4.5km long dam. I mostly took this national highway for long trips, as it is a prime road led to the southern districts of Tamil Nadu, and thus I never had time to stop to look at the dam as we need to cover long distances in travel.

The entrance arch to the dam

I always have an interest in visiting dams and the Veedur dam was also on my list of visits, and I found that the extended monsoon season (post) was apt. to visit. Because the dam receives water only when there is a good monsoon rain, and following last year the dam had reached its full level again, and surplus water was released into the Gingee river.

The Veedur Dam is about 150 km from Chennai on the GST road, and it is located right on the highway between Tindivanam and Villupuram and welcomes by an arch that marks the road leading to the dam and the park. Though the day was sunny, it wasn’t hot (thanks to the winter season and one of the reasons I chose to visit the dam), and the cool breeze was enough to create small waves in the water to crash like the sea.

Since it was Sunday, some people had arrived on bikes and cars, but it was not crowded enough to scare us. There is a road to climb on the dam, though the vehicles are allowed only near the shutter area, it was more than enough for me to get the view of the dam. The water level at the dam was up to the rim, and we could see water spill out of the shutters (when we cross the downstream area) when the wind blows strong.

The Veedur Dam was built-in 1959 during the regime of K. Kamaraj, the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and President of the Indian National Congress, at the initiative of Kakkan, who was the Minister of Public Works Department. Kamaraj, also known as Kingmaker, constructed many dams in the state during his regime, and each one of them was a marvel in engineering. And the Veedur dam was the smallest and last dam he constructed before the end of his regime.

The 3 Tainter gates

The dam is built on the merging point of two different rivers, called Sankaraparani and Thondi, at the village of Veedur from where the dam got its name, Veedur Dam. The dam serves as a source of drinking water and agriculture for more than 100 villages, including Vikravandi, Mailam, Vanur, and Pondicherry. During the monsoon, the dam opens for irrigation of about 2,200 acres in Tamil Nadu and 1,000 acres in Pondicherry.

The view of the dam park and car parking 

The total height of the concrete dam is 32 feet, and the earth dam is 37 feet; and among the 4.8 km long earth dam, only 430 feet is a concrete dam. Besides the 9 spillway shutters, there are 3 Tainter gates - a type of radial arm floodgates used in dams and canal locks to control water flow - which is something I find new. The dam has two little parks, one at the entrance of the road, beside the archway, and another close to the dam provides some nice shadows to the visitors and play area for kids.

Driving down to downstream area through the shadowy park area

I got to see the entire dam area and was pleased by the amazing sights of the countryside while continue to travel on the dam road. We will see further in the next post as this turned to be a long post. 

RGB Monday

A colorful lane on the white town in Puducherry and aka Pondicheery.

Yesterday I traveled to Puducherry, a 150+ km ride after a year, and my last travel to Amrithi Zoo near Vellore in Feb 2020. Visiting Puducherry is an extension ride following the intention of visiting Veedur Dam, near Tindivanam. More detail about the trip will follow in the next post.

Golden Shower

 

The Indian rain tree opposite our house.

The ripe leaves fall off the tree

In the air, the destination undefined

Yet the infinite wind blow

To keep it ground and far.

 

The falling leaves seems a blessing

On anyone under its tree

Perhaps, because these are mature leaves

Equivalent to be greeted by adults.

 

The leaves depart on a journey undecided,

Gives way to emerging shoots. 

Perhaps, because it is called Indian rain tree

It showers in golden yellow.

RGB Monday

Let’s begin the month (February) colorfully!

My aunt’s another colorful butterfly kolam from the Pongal festival.

Kolam considered an auspicious and morning exercise for women in general, as they bend down and connect the dots, they do some math’s blending the body and mind. Due to knee problems and space for drawing, keep mom away from following the custom, so my aunt takes care of drawing kolam daily in front of the house as we share the same gateway. Lately, there was a talk of keeping a maid to do the task daily on our behalf. Not every day we drew color Kolam; so, it won't be difficult in general, and many of our neighbors have such maids, who used to draw simple and same design as Kolam.

An Island Temple on Palar river, in ECR

Following Kadalur check-Dam (click for the previous post), we visited a little island temple on the other bank of the Palar river. If the left before crossing the Palar river on ECR led to the dam, the right after crossing the river directs you to the temple that rested on a rocky mound at about 150 feet inside the river. The temple is connected by a small bridge that covers the distance between the bank and temple.

The temple called by the name Shri Kailasanathar Kovil has Lord Shiva is a prime deity and is worshipped in the name of Kailasanathar. The inscription at the temple says it was built during Pallava King, Nirupathungan, in the 8th century, and the temple was completely a renovated structure of its original. And the temple is located at a place called Vasavasamudram, about 80km from Chennai on ECR.

The time we visited the temple was closed. Actually, we had no idea about its timing or intended to visit the temple until I checked the dam, and I thought of only taking a look at the place, as we went close to the same. I came to know about the island temple through a vlog by My Sutrula, and I really liked the environment and flow of water around it trigger me to visit.

It was a quiet afternoon, and we drove there after having lunch under the shadows of trees, surrounded by paddy fields and coconut trees. I could easily smell the fragrance of fresh paddy grains every time the wind blows on, sending a nostalgic feel to my senses. The temple beautifully stays in the water on almost four sides, and the road to the temple is narrow through paddy fields and village streets.

While I stayed with the car, others went down to check the temple complex; though the temple’s main gate and the sanctum are closed, people are allowed through a side gate to circumambulate the temple. The images on the temple and river were shot by mom, as I didn’t take my wheelchair, I couldn’t get close, or drove on the little bridge across the water. I really enjoy the view and sound of birds and running water off the paddy fields; it’s a wonderful place to enjoy peace.