Thiruvananthapuram - Shoranur Canal
Historical waterway in Kerala
Boat service at Kollam, a popular means of the backwater district.
Boat service at Kollam , a popular means of the backwater district.
T
he Thiruvananthapuram - Shoranur canal is a historic canal in India, from Trivandrum to Shoranur (Palakkad district).It was one of the most arterial transportation mode in erstwhile Travancore princely state. Most of the trade, commerce and freight traffic in Travancore used to happen through this canal. The canal used to pass through rice bowl of the state ( Kuttanad ), centre of Coir trade ( Alappuzha ) centre of Cashew business (Kollam ), Changanassery market, strategic Thevally, Kayamkulam, Varkala etc. and used to connect Travancore with Cochin State and Malabar.
Imagine the atrial trade route connected north with south of Kerala, long before the road and rail networks were established.
Today, most of this waterway is not in a usable condition, especially the narrow canals stretch.
At Varkala, the waterway passes through a tunnel, called Varkala Tunnel. You can see the entry and exit points of this in Varkala (near Sivagiri Hill).
Some part of this old waterway is still popular local transport and tourism. The 200km long National Waterway-3 from Kollam to Kottapuram is a modern version of this historical trade route in Kerala.