| Kaveri Cauvery | |
|---|---|
      Clockwise from top left:Talakaveri; Kaveri atSrirangapatna;Hogenakkal Falls;Kallanai Dam; Confluence withBhavani; andShivanasamudra Falls | |
 Kaveri River basin | |
| Location | |
| Country | India |
| Region | South India |
| States | Karnataka,Tamil Nadu,Kerala,Puducherry |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Western Ghats |
| • location | Talakaveri,Kodagu district, (Coorg) Karnataka |
| • coordinates | 12°23′N75°29′E / 12.383°N 75.483°E /12.383; 75.483 |
| • elevation | 1,341 m (4,400 ft) |
| Mouth | Bay of Bengal |
• location | Poompuhar,Mayiladuthurai district, Tamil Nadu |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 800 km (500 mi)[1] |
| Basin size | 81,155 km2 (31,334 sq mi)[2] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Lower Anaicut (58.5 km upstream of mouth) |
| • average | 919 m3/s (32,500 cu ft/s) (1998-2024)[3] |
| • minimum | 144 m3/s (5,100 cu ft/s)[3] |
| • maximum | 4,075 m3/s (143,900 cu ft/s)[3] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Grand Anicut (140 km upstream of mouth) |
| • average | 400.716 m3/s (14,151.2 cu ft/s) (1976-1979)[5] 1,131 m3/s (39,900 cu ft/s) (1998-2024)[4] |
| • minimum | 78 m3/s (2,800 cu ft/s)[4] |
| • maximum | 4,916 m3/s (173,600 cu ft/s)[4] |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Harangi,Hemavati,Shimsha,Arkavati,Sarabanga,Thirumanimutharu |
| • right | Lakshmana Tirtha,Kabini,Bhavani,Noyyal,Amaravati,Moyar |
TheKaveri (also known asCauvery) is amajor river flowing acrossSouthern India. It is the third largest river in the region afterGodavari andKrishna. The catchment area of the Kaveri basin is estimated to be 81,155 km2 (31,334 sq mi) and encompasses the states ofTamil Nadu,Karnataka,Kerala, and the union territory ofPuducherry.
The river rises atTalakaveri in theBrahmagiri range in theWestern Ghats. The source is located at an elevation of 1,341 m (4,400 ft) in theKodagu district of Karnataka. The river flows for about 320 km (200 mi) through theDeccan plateau in Karnataka before entering Tamil Nadu. It flows further eastward in Tamil Nadu for 416 km (258 mi) before flowing into theBay of Bengal nearPoompuhar inMayiladuthurai district of Tamil Nadu. The river flows for a total length of about 800 km (500 mi). The major tributaries includeAmaravati,Arkavati,Bhavani,Hemavati,Kabini,Lakshmana Tirtha, andNoyyal.
There are a number of dams on the river which form part of an extensiveirrigation system and are used for the generation ofhydroelectric power. The river has supported agriculture for centuries and has served as the lifeline of several kingdoms in the past. Access to the river's waters has been acause of dispute among the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for decades. The Kaveri basin is a densely populated region, with several towns and cities located on its banks.
The river is considered as sacred by the people of Southern India and is considered to be among the seven holy rivers of India. The river is often personified and worshiped as the goddess Kaveri. The river is mentioned in various Hindu religious texts including theMahabharata and thePuranas. In ancientTamil literature, the river is referenced to asPonni meaning "the golden one".
Kaveri is mentioned inSanskrit as a holy river in various Hindu religious texts including theMahabharata and thePuranas.[6] The name itself might have had different etymologies. As perSkanda Purana, the river arose afterGanesha took a form of a crow and toppled sageAgastya'skamandala. The river then took its name from theTamil language wordskā meaning "crow" andviri meaning "spread" literally translating to "spread by a crow". It might also mean a river with wide spread banks asviri can also be translated as wide spread.[6][7][8] The etymology of the river might have also been derived fromkāviri, theSankethi word for "river" from the language spoken by theSankethi people, who live along its waters.[9] Cauvery is theanglicized version of the original name.[8]
The river is also known by other names. In ancientTamil literature, the river was calledPonni meaning "the golden one" in reference to the fine silt it deposits.[10][11][12] It is known asDaksina gaṅgā meaning the "Ganges of the South" indicating its geographical location and its significance.[13] It is also mentioned asArdha gaṅgā meaningHalf Ganga in Mahabharata and other literature, due to its purported mythology of having arisen from the Ganges.[6] Marudvṛdhā is another hypothesised name for this river, meaning "the beloved of theMaruts" in Sanskrit.[14]
The river arises atTalakaveri inKodagu district ofKarnataka.[15] The source of the river is located at an altitude of 1,341 m (4,400 ft) in theBrahmagiri Hills of theWestern Ghats.[1] Its follows a rough upper course consisting of rocky beds and high banks. Once it leaves the Kodagu hills, it flows eastwards and forms a series of rapids and falls. It flows through a narrow gorge onto theDeccan plateau and drops about 18–24 m (59–79 ft) atChunchanakatte Falls.[13] The river forms the island ofSrirangapatna and widens to 900–1,200 ft (270–370 m) before flowing south-east.[13][15] AtShivanasamudra, the river drops 91 m (299 ft) and forms theShivanasamudra Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in the country.[1][15] After forming the island of Shivanasamudra, the river converges and passes through theMekedatu gorge.[1][16] After flowing for 320 km (200 mi) in Karnataka, the river flows for about 64 km (40 mi) along the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border.[1]
The river enters Tamil Nadu and forms theHogenakkal Falls.[15] After the falls, the river flows southwards towardsMettur Dam and joins its main right bank tributaryBhavani atKooduthurai.[1][16] The river flows eastwards throughErode andKarur, and widens further before entering theTiruchirappalli district. It splits into two branches with the northern part called asKollidam River and the southern part of the river retaining the name Kaveri.[1] After flowing for 16 km (9.9 mi), the two branches converge around theSrirangam island.[1][16] The river further branches off into 36 different channels before emptying into theBay of Bengal nearPuhar inMayiladuthurai district.[17] The river traverses for about 416 km (258 mi) in Tamil Nadu for a total length of about 800 km (500 mi).[1]
The Kaveri River has 21 major tributaries.[1] The largest tributaryHemavati, andLakshmana Tirtha join the river atKrishna Raja Sagara.[1][13]Kabini is another major contributor to the flow of Kaveri and joins the river in Karnataka. It meets with its second largest tributaryBhavani atKooduthurai inBhavani and two other tributariesNoyyal, andAmaravati join further down the stream in Tamil Nadu.[1] Other tributaries of Kaveri includeShimsha,Arkavati,Sarabanga, andThirumanimutharu.[1][16]
| Year | Grand Anicut | Lower Anicut | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (m3/s) | (m3/s) | |||||||
| Min | Mean | Max | Min | Mean | Max | |||
| 1998 | 170 | 1,099 | 3,454 | 161 | 885 | 2,540 | ||
| 1999 | 289 | 1,131 | 3,778 | 285 | 864 | 2,845 | ||
| 2000 | 343 | 1,287 | 4,903 | 233 | 1,011 | 3,335 | ||
| 2001 | 258 | 1,080 | 3,348 | 309 | 948 | 3,115 | ||
| 2002 | 139 | 772 | 2,392 | 144 | 867 | 2,423 | ||
| 2003 | 78 | 667 | 2,297 | 216 | 646 | 2,100 | ||
| 2004 | 103 | 895 | 3,303 | 217 | 839 | 3,160 | ||
| 2005 | 179 | 1,012 | 3,354 | 240 | 991 | 3,873 | ||
| 2006 | 268 | 1,072 | 2,495 | 473 | 1,091 | 3,187 | ||
| 2007 | 118 | 993 | 3,308 | 324 | 1,126 | 4,075 | ||
| 2008 | 132 | 1,094 | 3,677 | 398 | 1,103 | 3,167 | ||
| 2009 | 227 | 1,040 | 3,238 | 290 | 965 | 3,301 | ||
| 2010 | 373 | 1,080 | 3,141 | 411 | 1,022 | 3,626 | ||
| 2011 | 171 | 1,163 | 3,815 | 296 | 928 | 3,014 | ||
| 2012 | 190 | 874 | 3,342 | 177 | 711 | 2,149 | ||
| 2013 | 82 | 1,043 | 3,281 | 229 | 856 | 3,127 | ||
| 2014 | 279 | 1,148 | 3,663 | 409 | 980 | 2,533 | ||
| 2015 | 559 | 1,422 | 3,816 | 407 | 913 | 2,177 | ||
| 2016 | 490 | 1,129 | 2,890 | 276 | 728 | 1,733 | ||
| 2017 | 216 | 931 | 3,586 | 154 | 671 | 1,832 | ||
| 2018 | 341 | 1,571 | 4,439 | 266 | 934 | 3,427 | ||
| 2019 | 331 | 1,473 | 4,559 | 173 | 966 | 3,070 | ||
| 2020 | 591 | 1,590 | 4,373 | 209 | 983 | 2,944 | ||
| 2021 | 478 | 1,502 | 3,935 | 257 | 988 | 3,136 | ||
| 2022 | 548 | 1,713 | 4,916 | 407 | 1,172 | 3,385 | ||
| Overall | 78 | 1,151 | 4,916 | 144 | 928 | 4,075 | ||
The Kaveri basin was formed in theLate Jurassic toEarly Cretaceous period duringGondwana breakup and opening of theIndian Ocean.[18] Most of the basin is made up ofPrecambrian rocks and the two major rock types that are found aremetamorphic andigneous rocks.[16] Closepet granite is found in the upper parts of the Kaveri basin andCharnockite rocks are only found in the central part.[15] A 2017 paper proposed that animpact structure was present in the vicinity of the Kaveri river.[19] The run-off from the river does not drain off quickly because of the shape of the river basin, which limits the occurrence of floods. It is aperennial river fed mostly bymonsoons. Four distinct seasons occur in the basin with hot and cold seasons sandwiching the monsoon seasons. The river basin is fed by South-West monsoon in Karnataka, and North-East monsoon in Tamil Nadu.[1]
The Kaveri basin is made up of two sub-zones, forest and agro-ecosystem.[20] The forest vegetation consists of a mix ofdry deciduous,evergreen forests, andgrasslands.[21] As per a study, about 12,850 km2 (4,960 sq mi) of natural vegetation was lost in the river basin between 1965 and 2016.[22] The basin has a variety of flora with major species includingTerminalia arjuna,Tamarindus indica,Pongamia pinnata,Salix tetrasperma,Ficus benghalensis,Ficus religiosa,Eucalyptus torticornis, andDiospyros montana.[20]
There are manyprotected areas spread across the river basin including significanttiger andelephant habitats. The basin provides habitat to a range of animal species such asgaur,leopard,sloth bear,Bengal tiger,Indian elephant,Nilgiri tahr,grizzled giant squirrel, and various species of deer, wild boar and reptiles.[21] The river also hosts a variety of avifauna including thepainted stork (Mycteria leucocephala),spot-billed pelican (Pelecanus philippensis), andblack-headed ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus). It is also home to themugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris),smooth-coated otter(Lutrogale perspicillata), andhump-backed mahseer(Tor remadevii).[23]
The total watershed of the basin is 81,155 km2 (31,334 sq mi) and theriparian zone of the river consists of 43,856 km2 (16,933 sq mi) in Tamil Nadu, 34,273 km2 (13,233 sq mi) in Karnataka, 2,866 km2 (1,107 sq mi) inKerala, and 160 km2 (62 sq mi) in the union territory ofPuducherry.[2][1] Over half of the Kaveri basin is arable and the most cultivated crops arerice andsugarcane.[20] An estimate at the time of the firstFive Year Plan put the total flow of the river at 15 cubic kilometres (12,000,000 acre⋅ft), of which 60% was used for irrigation.[24] The river is also used fordrinking water andhydroelectric power generation.[13][25]
TheGrand Anicut was constructed by aChola King in 2nd century CE.[1] The hydroelectric plant built on the Sivanasamudra Falls in 1902 was the first hydroelectric plant in Asia.[26] TheMettur Dam in Tamil Nadu was constructed in 1934 and theStanley Reservoir formed by the dam has a capacity of 93.4tmc ft.[13][27]Krishna Raja Sagara in Karnataka is the second largest dam on the river and has a capacity of 49.5tmc ft.[27][28]Bhavanisagar Dam (32.8 tmc ft) on theBhavani River in Tamil Nadu, Hemavathy Dam (37.1 tmc ft) on theHemavathi River,Kabini Dam (18.5 tmc ft) on theKabini River, andHarangi Dam (9.5 tmc ft) on the Harangi River in Karnataka are major dams on the tributaries of Kaveri.[2][27]
The dispute over the sharing of Kaveri waters began in 1807 when theMadras Presidency objected to the plans of theMysore kingdom to develop irrigation projects. After initial discussions failed, theBritish Raj intervened and a six rule agreement called theGeneral Agreement of 1892 was signed.[29] AfterIndian Independence, article 262 of theConstitution of India provided powers to theGovernment of India to adjudicate on inter-state disputes on water sharing.[30] The Government of India constituted the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on 2 June 1990 to adjudicate the water dispute between the riparian states and territories in the river basin. In an order passed in June 1991, the CWDT directed Karnataka to release 205 tmc ft of water per year to Tamil Nadu based on a specific schedule. The water was to be released in four equal installments in a particular month and any shortfall would need to be covered in the subsequent week. Tamil Nadu was directed to provide 6 tmc ft of water to Puducherry.[2]
In July 1991, thePresident of India asked theSupreme Court of India to rule on the validity and legality of the tribunal under the Constitution. In November 1991, the Supreme Court opined that the order needs to be published by the central government in the Official Gazette, which was done on 1 December 1991.[2] In May 1992, theGovernment of Tamil Nadu filed a case in the Supreme Court to direct the Indian Government to pass necessary orders to ensure the implementation of the provisions of the tribunal order. In April 1997, theAttorney General of India reverted that the central government has prepared a scheme under the Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956 for the implementation of the tribunal award and the Cauvery Water Authority (CRA) and Cauvery Monitoring Committee (CMC) were formed subsequently as a part of the Cauvery Water (Implementation of Interim Orders of 1991 and all subsequent Tribunal Orders) Scheme, 1998. The CRA is headed by thePrime Minister of India and consists of the Chief Ministers of the riparian states as its constituent members.[2]
On 16 February 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that Karnataka will get 284.75 tmc ft, Tamil Nadu will get 404.25 tmc ft, Kerala will get 30 tmc ft and Puducherry will get 7 tmc ft of water from the river. An additional 10 tmc ft was reserved for environmental protection and 4 tmc ft was reserved for wastage into the sea.[31] The court directed the government to form a Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) within six weeks and acting on the Supreme Court's direction, the central government constituted the CMWA in June 2018.[32][33][34]
InHinduism, the river is considered one of seven holy rivers in India. The river is personified and worshiped as the river goddessKaveri Amma.
[6][35] Kaveri is mentioned as both a river and a goddess in various Hindu texts such as theMahabharata and thePuranas. The river is mentioned as one of the seven holyGangas and bathing in the river is said to grant one's desired as per theSivapurana. TheVaraha Purana states that the river flows from the five great mountains and gives longevity to those who drink the waters of the river. TheSkanda Purana narrates the various origins of the river.Shiva filledAgastya'sbowl with Kaveri, who flowed as a river with the help ofGanesha.[6]
In another legend,Lopamudra becomes Agastya's wife and takes on a form of water during a severe drought in South India. Agastya carries her in his small brass water pot and Ganesha, in the form of crow, knocks the water pot down. The spilled water runs down the hill and onto the drought-stricken land.[36] Another story narrates that during theSamudra Manthana, or churning of theOcean of Milk,Mohini and Lopamudra retrieved the nectar of immortality for the gods. Afterwards,Brahma took care of Lopamudra as his daughter and later offered her to king Kavera, who renamed her as Kaveri. When Kaveri grew up she prayed to Brahma to transform her into a purifying river.[35]
As per theTamil literatureManimekalai, Agastya drank the Ganges River in anger, when the floods destroyed histapas and later released it in South India.Silapathikaram mentions Kaveri as the daughter of Kavera. InTheravada Buddhism, Kaveri is mentioned as a water channel. It is part of the twenty canal-systems associated with the reservoir Parakkamasamudda that existed in thePolonnaruwa region during the reign of kingParakramabahu I.[6]
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