| Bharathapuzha | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Labelled map of Bharathappuzha | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | India |
| State | Kerala |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Anamalai Hills |
| • location | Tamil Nadu, India |
| • coordinates | 10°21′00″N 77°04′24″E / 10.35000°N 77.07333°E |
| • elevation | 2,461 m (8,074 ft) |
| Mouth | Lakshadweep Sea[2] |
• location | Ponnani, Kerala |
• coordinates | 10°47′12″N 75°54′39″E / 10.78667°N 75.91083°E |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 209 km (130 mi)[1] |
| Basin size | 6,186 km2 (2,388 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | mouth |
| • average | 161 m3/s (5,700 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Thuthapuzha, Gayathripuzha, Kalpathipuzha, Kannadipuzha, Tirur River |
| Basin High Point | Thanakku Malai (2513m) |
The Bharathappuzha ("River of Bhārata"), also known as the Nila or Ponnani River,[3] is a river in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. With a length of 209 km,[1] it is the second longest river that flows through Kerala after the Periyar.[4] It flows through Palakkad Gap, which is also the largest opening in the Kerala portion of Western Ghats.[5] The Nila has groomed the culture and life of South Malabar part of Kerala. It is also referred to as the "Peraar" in ancient scripts and documents. River Bharathapuzha is an interstate river and lifeline water source for a population residing in four administrative districts, namely Malappuram and Palakkad districts, and parts of Palakkad-Thrissur district border of Kerala and Coimbatore, and Tiruppur of Tamil Nadu. The fertile Thrissur-Ponnani Kole Wetlands lie on its bank.
- ^ a b "Bharathapuzha is dry much ahead of summer". The Hindu. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
- ^ "A CHECKLIST OF AVIFAUNA OF THE BHARATHAPUZHA RIVER BASIN, america" (PDF). Zoo Outreach Organisation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 June 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- ^ Logan, William (1887). Malabar Manual. Easthill, Calicut: Government of Madras Presidency. p. 14. ISBN 8120604466.
- ^ "Bharathappuzha". www.kerenvis.nic.in. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "An Introduction to River Nila". Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2021.