Gundlakamma River
Encyclopedia
The Gundlakamma is a seasonal river that flows through the east central part of the state of Andhra Pradesh
, India
. It arises in the Nallamalla Hills, an offshoot of the Eastern Ghats
. Its main headwaters lie some 6 kilometers from the village of Ardhaveedu
, Prakasam District
at an altitude of 425 m. above MSL. Numerous mountain streams join it as it descends down the thickly forested hills through a series of curves and tight bends. It follows a north-easterly direction and enters the plains near Cumbum
, after flowing through a town named after it. Gundlakamma is the largest of all the rivers that originate from the Nallamalla Hills.
A 15th century dam built by the Gajapati kings straddles the river on its entry into the plains. It is an earthen dam that plugs the narrow outlet of a wide gorge that the river flows through. Called the Cumbum Dam, it is 57 feet (17 m) high, has a drainage area of 430 square miles (1,113.7 km²) and a capacity of 3696000000 cubic feet (104,659,066.5 m³). The river then flows past the town of Markapur
and towards the Coromandel Coast
. It finally enters the Bay of Bengal
, some 19 km east of Ongole after having covered a distance of 225 km.
mentioned above, a modern dam too has been constructed across the river at Chinna Mallapuram, Prakasam District. Some 80 feet (24 m) high, this dam has a capacity of 3800000000 cubic feet (107,604,018.6 m³) and can irrigate 80600 acres (326.2 km²) of land. It will also provide drinking water for the 250,000 people living in Ongole and its surrounding hamlets.
-Guntakal
railway track of the South Central Railway
crosses the river over the embankment at Cumbum
as well as at two other places before it. The Vijayawada
-Chennai
mainline of the same railway crosses the river a few kilometres before its mouth. Near the same place, National Highway 5 also spans the river.
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, 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...
. It arises in the Nallamalla Hills, an offshoot of the Eastern Ghats
Eastern Ghats
The Eastern Ghats or Eastern Ghauts are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats run from West Bengal state in the north, through Orissa and Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka. They are eroded and cut through by the...
. Its main headwaters lie some 6 kilometers from the village of Ardhaveedu
Ardhaveedu
Ardhaveedu is one of the Mandal and Village in Prakasam Dist of Andhra Pradesh State.Donakonda or Cherlo Donakonda is a village and a combined Panchayat for both VeeraBhadrapuram and Donakonda villages under Ardhaveedu Mandal in Prakasam district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India.Jampaleru is...
, Prakasam District
Prakasam district
Prakasam District is an administrative district in the state of Andhra Pradesh, in India. The district headquarters is located at Ongole City...
at an altitude of 425 m. above MSL. Numerous mountain streams join it as it descends down the thickly forested hills through a series of curves and tight bends. It follows a north-easterly direction and enters the plains near Cumbum
Cumbum
Cumbum may refer to:*Cumbum, Tamil Nadu - A town in Tamil Nadu in India.*Cumbum, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh - A town in Andhra Pradesh in India....
, after flowing through a town named after it. Gundlakamma is the largest of all the rivers that originate from the Nallamalla Hills.
A 15th century dam built by the Gajapati kings straddles the river on its entry into the plains. It is an earthen dam that plugs the narrow outlet of a wide gorge that the river flows through. Called the Cumbum Dam, it is 57 feet (17 m) high, has a drainage area of 430 square miles (1,113.7 km²) and a capacity of 3696000000 cubic feet (104,659,066.5 m³). The river then flows past the town of Markapur
Markapur
Markapur is a town and a municipality in Prakasam district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the Third largest Town in Prakasam district.-Geography:Markapur is located at . It has an average elevation of 145 metres ....
and towards the Coromandel Coast
Coromandel Coast
The Coromandel Coast is the name given to the southeastern coast of the Indian Subcontinent between Cape Comorin and False Divi Point...
. It finally enters the Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
, some 19 km east of Ongole after having covered a distance of 225 km.
Dams
Apart from the ancient dam at CumbumCumbum
Cumbum may refer to:*Cumbum, Tamil Nadu - A town in Tamil Nadu in India.*Cumbum, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh - A town in Andhra Pradesh in India....
mentioned above, a modern dam too has been constructed across the river at Chinna Mallapuram, Prakasam District. Some 80 feet (24 m) high, this dam has a capacity of 3800000000 cubic feet (107,604,018.6 m³) and can irrigate 80600 acres (326.2 km²) of land. It will also provide drinking water for the 250,000 people living in Ongole and its surrounding hamlets.
Bridges
The GunturGuntur
Guntur , is a city and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located to the north and west of the Bay of Bengal. It is approximately to the south of the national capital, New Delhi and south east of state capital, Hyderabad. Guntur is the fourth largest city in Andhra...
-Guntakal
Guntakal
Guntakal is a town in Anantapur district in the southwestern part of the state of Andhra Pradesh and 50 km away from Bellary of Karnataka, India. It has a population of 2,26,658...
railway track of the South Central Railway
Guntur division
Guntur Railway Division is one of the six divisions of South Central Railway , a zone of the Indian Railways. SCR has its head quarters at Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh and serves almost the whole of the state of Andhra Pradesh, a large part of Maharashtra along with small portions of Madhya...
crosses the river over the embankment at Cumbum
Cumbum
Cumbum may refer to:*Cumbum, Tamil Nadu - A town in Tamil Nadu in India.*Cumbum, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh - A town in Andhra Pradesh in India....
as well as at two other places before it. The Vijayawada
Vijayawada
Vijayawada is the third largest city in Andhra Pradesh, India, located on the banks of the Krishna River and bounded by the Indrakiladri Hills on the West and the Budameru River on the North. The city is located in the Krishna District, about from the state capital Hyderabad.Vijayawada literally...
-Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
mainline of the same railway crosses the river a few kilometres before its mouth. Near the same place, National Highway 5 also spans the river.