Bhavani River, which runs for a length of 217 km, covers the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is the second biggest river in Tamil Nadu and a major distributary of the reputed Cauvery River. This is a permanent river and the drainage basin of the same is spread over a whopping 6200sq.km. Of this, the majority of it (87%) is in Tamil Nadu, a small portion (9%) is in Kerala and a smaller portion (4%) is in Karnataka. In Tamil Nadu, the river covers two important districts – Coimbatore and Erode. Other towns that are located in the path of the banks of the Bhavani River are Bhavanisagar, Sathyamangalam, Gobichettipalayam, Mettupalayam, Athikadavu, Mukkali, Aavudaipparai, Koodapatti, Bhavani and Aapakudal.

Description

The Bhavani River that runs for an impressive 217km of length is a permanent one and gets its waters mainly from the southwest monsoon and partly from the northeast monsoon. Its water shed or drainage basin area is around 0.62 million hectares and Tamil Nadu is the main beneficiary as the basin covers around 87% of the state. Next is Kerala where the basin covers 9% of the area and the last is Karnataka, where the basin covers 7% of the area.  In Tamil Nadu, the districts of Coimbatore and Erode are the major beneficiaries. Around 90% of the water from this river is used for irrigation purposes.

Today, the quality of water has come down to a great extent due to pollution from nearby industries, manual wastes getting mixed into the water and other reasons, causing hazardous effects for the plants and animals that rely on this river.

Origin

It is on top of the Nilgris Hills of Western Ghats that Bhavani River is born. It flows down the Nilgiris slopes in the form of 12 rivulets. At the Mukkali point, the Bhavani River changes its course towards north eastern direction and again runs for around 25km of length to meet the plateau of Attapady then flows 7km into the interstate border. At the western point of Adhikadavu, Bhavani River is joined by the Kunda River that flows from the north. At the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu states, the Bhavani River meets with Surani River from Coimbatore and Kodungarapallam River at Kondapatti. As it goes to meet the base of the Nilgiris, the river flows into the eastern direction. Just at Mettupalayam, adjacent to the Bathrakaliamman temple, the Bhavani River meets Coonoor River flowing in from Coonoor.

From here, it runs for a further 160km in length towards the east of the Erode district and touches upon places like Gobichettipalayam and Bhavani before finally meeting with the Cauvery River. At this meeting point is a reputed Hindu place of worship, the Bhavani Sangameshwarar Temple. The dam that is constructed here, the Bhavanisagar Dam, is a huge tourist attraction. Mettupalayam, through which the river passes, is an important wildlife destination.

Nearby Attractions

Dam

The Bhavanisagar Dam, a dam that is constructed on the Bhavani River, is located in Erode district of Tamil Nadu. Also known as Lower Bhavani Dam, this is located at a distance of 16km, 35km and 36km from Sathyamangalam, Gobichettipalayam and Mettupalayam respectively. It is the second biggest dam in Tamil Nadu and is part of the Lower Bhavani Project Canal. This dam holds the distinction of being the first and foremost big irrigation dam constructed in the country after its independence in 1947. By 1956, the dam was put into full use. Two canals are benefitted from the waters of this river –

• Arrakkankotai and Thadampalli
• Lower Bhavani Project

Sangameswarar Temple

Sangameswarar Temple or Sangameswarar Aalayam, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is located in the town of Bhavani in Erode district in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Locals address this temple as “kooduthurai”. It is a known legend that this temple was constructed at the point where the Cauvery River and Bhavani River intersected each other. It is also believed that “Aagaya Gangai”, an invisible water source under the ground, also meets these rivers here.

This temple is being praised in many ancient Tamil literatures like Thiruppugazh and Pillaithamizh (by Thirugnanasambandhar and Arunagiri Nathar).

Apart from being a pilgrimage spot, this place is also a tourist spot – there is a huge social hall here where lots of cultural events are conducted, river area for boating and enjoying water activities and many others. Kids will be excited to spot an elephant in the temple premises. This is the meeting place of Bhavani, Cauvery and Amudha Rivers. Amudha River flows here as Antharvahini and is equivalent to Saraswati River that is found at the Triveni Sangamam at Allahabad. Due to the three rivers meeting each other, this place is known as Dakshina Triveni Sangamam. Known as Paduma Giri, this place is surrounded by hills like Naga, Veda, Sanga and Mangala.