Question

_______ built across the river Kaveri diverts the water to the entire delta region through canals.
A. Arrakonkottai
B. Thadepalli
C. The Grand Anicut
D. Kalingarayan

Answer 1

Hint:Several dams are built across the Kaveri River. This river rises at Talakaveri in Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats in Karnataka. It travels about 800 km and finally submerges in the Bay of Bengal.

Complete answer: One of the ancient dams built across the river Kaveri is Kallanai. It is located at a distance of 45 km from Thanjavur and 15 km from Tiruchirapalli. Constructed during the reign of Karikalan, a Chola king in, 100 BC- 100 AD, the length of this bridge is 329 m. The height of the foundation is $5.4$ meters (18 ft) and its base width is 20 m (20 ft). From a point of 20 miles (32 km) west of Kallanai, the Kaveri River splits into two. Before joining Kallanai, the two rivers form an island of Srirangam. The purpose of this dam is to divert the waters of Kaveri to the fertile delta region through the canals. The river Kaveri splits into four streams, downstream of the barrage, known as Aru, Kollidam, Kaveri, Vennaru, and Puthu Aru. By opening the barrage, the flood water can be allowed to pass through the other three delta branches to join the sea. This Kallanai dam is also known as the Grand Anicut.

Thus, option (C) is correct.

Note: The Grand Anicut is also one of the prime tourist spots in Tamil Nadu because of its spectacular architecture. This dam irrigates about 69,000 acres and by the early 20th century, its irrigation has been increased to about one million acres.