Chakara is a Malayalam

Malayalam language

Malayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people...

 word used to describe a peculiar marine phenomenon in which a large number of fish and prawns throng together during a particular season as a result of mud bank formations. This rare phenomenon is observed only along the coastal waters of the India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n state of Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

, especially around the coast of Purakkad

Purakkad

-History:The literal meaning of Purakkad is "out of forest". The village of Purakkad was the scene of battle between Travancore and Kochin forces in 1754 AD ad between Travancore and the forces of Zamorin in 1756 AD. There was an ancient port at Purakkad. The Dutch East India Company had a factory...

 and in South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

, where it has proved to be a boon for the local fisherfolk.

A correct scientific explanation about the formation of a chakara is debatable. However, a strongly supported theory is that during the monsoon

Monsoon

Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...

s, the water level of the backwater

Backwater

Backwater or Backwaters may refer to:* Backwater , water in a main river which is backed up by an obstruction such as the tide or a dam, or a branch of a main river which runs alongside it before rejoining it...

s rises which facilitates the movement of fine clay particles into the sea through the subterranean channels. The accumulation of organic material by this process in relatively calm regions of the sea during the monsoons attracts fish.

This phenomenon is demonstrated in Chemmeen

Chemmeen

Chemmeen is a 1965 Malayalam romantic drama film based on the highly acclaimed novel of the same name by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai and directed by Ramu Kariat from a screenplay by S. L...

. It is greeted, celebrated, and described in the song "Puththan Valakkare."

Palke

The same phenomenon in Tulu

Tulu Nadu

Tulu Nadu is a Tulu-speaking region spread over to parts of present Karnataka and Kerala States of India. It consists of the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka and the northern parts of the Kasaragod district of Kerala up to the Payaswini River...

regions is known as Palke