6.5   Plains · Part 2

in Salem district. A tributary called Bhavani joins Cauvery on the right bank about km from the Mettur Reservoir. Thereafter, it takes easterly course to enter into the plains of Tamil Nadu. Two more tributaries, Noyyal and Amaravathi, confluence the river on the right bank at Thirumukkudal km from Karur. The river is wider in this region, where it is called as ‘Agandra Cauvery’. In Tiruchirappalli district, the river branches into two parts. The northern branch is called Coleroon or Kollidam and the southern branch remains Cauvery. From here, the Cauvery delta begins. After flowing for about km, the two branches join again to form the ‘ Srirangam Island ’. The Grand Anaicut, also called as Kallanai was built across the river Cauvery. After Kallanai, the river breaks into a large number of distributaries and forms a network all over the delta. The network of distributaries within the delta of Cauvery in the coast is called as the ‘ Garden of Southern India ’. Pamban, Hare, Krusadai, Nallathanni Theevu, Pullivasal, Srirangam, Upputanni, Island Grounds, Kattupalli Island, Quibble Island and Vivekananda Rock Memorial are some major islands of Tamil Nadu Palar The Palar river rises beyond Talagavara village in the Kolar district of Karnataka. The Palar drains an area of , sq.km, out of which nearly % lies in Tamil Nadu and the rest in the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Ponnai, Goundinya Nadhi, Malattar, Cheyyar and Kiliyar are its major tributaries. Its total length is km, out of which km of its course falls in Tamil Nadu. It flows through the districts of Vellore and Kancheepuram before entering into Bay of Bengal near Kuvattur.  Physical Geography of Tamil Nadu While the east coast experiences tropical maritime climate, the western region of the state enjoys the mountainous climate. Low altitude and distance from the sea are the reasons for high temperature and dry conditions in the central part of Tamil Nadu. The migration of vertical sun’s rays leads to the formation of different