The Bharathapuzha River, Ponnani, Kerala India

The Bharathapuzha River is the second longest river in Kerala with a length of 209 kilometers. It is also known as Nila, Kuttipuram Puzha and Ponnaniyar. The river originates in the Annamalai hills located in the Western Ghats region in Tamil Nadu. It flows in the west direction along with the many of its tributaries including the Tirur River through Palakkad Gap, Palakkad, Thrissur and Malappuram districts of Kerala. For the first forty kilometers, Bharathapuzha River flows in the northwards direction till Pollachi. The Kannadippuzha and Kalpathippuza, the tributaries of Bharathapuzha meet at Parli and flows in the west direction as Bharathapuzha River. The Bharathapuzha River then surrenders itself into the Arabian Sea at Ponnani. Gayathripuzha River, Kannadipuzha River, Kalpathipuzha River and Thuthapuzha River are the main tributaries of the Bharathapuzha. The Thutapuzha River merges with Nila at Pallippuram making the waters of Nila richer in mineral content.