1836.] 



Irrigation of the Delta of Tanjore. 



311 



nies, of land. On the north side the land being generally high, as above 

 stated, to within thirty-five miles of the sea, there are only partial em- 

 bankments. At that point, two miles east of Kurpoor, the great channel 

 called the Vuddavar branches off; it is about eighteen yards broad at its 

 head, runs fifteen miles, when it flows into the Yeeranum tank — 

 the largest artificial piece of water in the Carnatic, and perhaps in 

 the world ; its embankment is twelve miles in length, its circum- 

 ference, when full, twenty-five miles, and it will contain about one 

 hundred million cubic yards of water before it would burst, but is 

 not allowed, ordinarily, to have in it more than about seventy millions. 

 This channel and tank water the talook of Mannargoody in south 

 Arcot; there are about forty sluices, in the whole embankment of twen- 

 ty-seven miles, including both tank and channel ; the lands dependent 

 upon them are about eighteen thousand cawnies, but, through the neg- 

 lect of these valuable works, they are at present imperfectly supplied 

 with water. These works were constructed by Veerana Shola Rajah, 

 who also built the great Pagoda of Gungaconda, where there was for- 

 merly a large city, but now almost the whole country, for many miles, is 

 covered with dense jungle. Below the head of the Vadavar the north 

 side of the Colleroon is embanked to near the sea; in which part of its 

 course it throws ofTfour considerable irrigating channels, which water 

 the talook of Chellumbrum ; the principal of these, called Cawn Saib 

 Voikal, is about thirty miles long, passing near the town of Chel- 

 lumbrum and terminating close to the south bank of the Vellaur, about 

 one and a half mile above Porto Novo. The surplus water in the freshes 

 fall into that river. 



The Cauvery and its branches should next be described. The total 

 breadth of the Agunda Cauvery, at the head of Seringam, is just a mile ;of 

 which about one thousand one hundred yards is the breadth of the Colle- 

 roon, and the remainder that of the Cauvery. Between its head and that 

 of theVennaur, the Cauvery throws off two channels for the irrigation of 

 Seringham, and two or three considerable ones on the south side, which 

 water part of the Conaud talook of Trichinopoly. The Vennaur leads 

 off from the south bank of the Cauvery about eight miles below Tri- 

 chinopoly ; it is the most important of all its branches, supplying all 

 the southern part of the Delta. It throws off several large natural 

 branches, namely, the Pamaneeyaur, the Corayaur, and the Atheeveera- 

 ramanaur, on the south side, and theVettaur on the north, and its waters 

 are entirely dispersed before it reaches the sea ; it terminates in an irri- 

 gating channel, about twenty miles south-west of Negapatam. About 

 eight miles from the head of the Vennaur, there is a very ancient work 

 across that river, to raise the surface of the water and throw a portion 

 of it into two large channels, one on the north and one on the south 

 side of the river. This is a very rude work, and has long been in a 



