1341 Kerala floods

The 1341 Kerala Floods (also referred to as the 1341 Periyar River Floods) refer to a possible extreme weather event — most likely a deluge — that occurred in the year 1341 CE in present-day Kerala, on the Malabar Coast of southern India, along the Periyar River.[1][2] No direct historical accounts of this flood survive today. Present-day knowledge about the event is based primarily on references to a calendar known as the "Puthuvype Era" or "Era of the New Deposit", which begins in 1341 CE.[3] Understanding of the flood is further supported by findings from the Pattanam archaeological excavation in the Kodungallur-North Paravur region near Cochin, as well as geological studies of Vypin Island and the Fort Kochi area.[1]

It is widely believed that excessive siltation, caused by runoff from the Western Ghats through the Periyar River during the floods, led to a change in the Periyar's course and the destruction of the early historic natural port of Muziris (Muchiri).[4] The accretion following the deluge perhaps brought about significant changes to the coastline between Alappuzha and Kodungallur, resulting in the formation of new land masses such as Vypin Island and extensive soil deposits in the Panangad-Kumbalam region. Historians also believe the floods played a major role in the formation of Cochin Port and the estuary on the Vembanad.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Anandan, S.; Rajagopal, Shyama (29 September 2018). "Kerala Floods Replay the Catastrophe that Hit the Ancient Sea Port Muziris in 1341". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X.
  2. ^ a b Paul, Jiji (10 December 2020). "How Periyar's Dance of Death Changed Kerala's Landscape". OnManorama.
  3. ^ Veluthat, Kesavan (2009). "A Capital City as a Sacred Centre". The Early Medieval in South India. Delhi: Oxford University Press. pp. 244 and 248.
  4. ^ Tom, Disney (27 August 2018). "After Centuries, Water almost Wiped off Muziris Remains". The Times of India.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.