BANASURASAGAR DAM | LARGEST EARTH DAM IN INDIA AND SECOND LARGEST OF ITS KIND IN ASIA | KERALA

Banasurasagar Dam is a very famous tourist place in Wayanad .,Banasurasagar Dam is located 21 km from Kalpetta in wayanad dist .,kerala state , South India . Nearest railway station : Kozhikode railway station.,near about 90 km Wayanad district is not connected by rail. Kozhikode is connected with major towns and cities by train.Calicut International Airport is the nearest airport to Wayanad., near about 106 km Taxis are available at airport to Kalpetta.On the way you can see many tea plantions ., Coffee plantations ., and Black pepper plantations., Wayanadan pepper is one of the world famous ., Banasura Sagar dam is the largest earth dam in India and the second largest of its kind in Asia. The dam is made up of massive stacks of stones and boulders.The construction of this dam was started in 1979.,it is built across the Karamanathodu tributary of the Kabani River.After It is named Banasura,Banasura is a Asura king son of Mahabali,Mahabali is a powerful demon king in hindu mythology.,Onam the state festival of keralites is celebrated in his memory..,The word Mahabali means one who made a great sacrifice.,This dam is made entirely of soil with a length of about one kilometer.Banasura Dam is built between Banasura hills using 33 lakh qubic meters of soil.,Big rocks , stones and soil are used for the construction of this dam..,The construction cost of this dam is around 190 crore rupees.There is a garden , fish spa and ornamental Plants sales counter here for tourists.,We can buy ornamental Plants from here.,and there are many water sports here for tourists.,( speed boats ,Kayaking boats and water balloons.. ).There are many rides for kids and one adventurous zip line ride here for adults. .Many small islands can be seen inside the dam.,As part of tourism , facilities for trekking have also been provided in Banasura hills.,There was a village and a market place at the bottom of these mountains.,After the construction of this dam it all went under water..,There are many resorts on these small islands.This dam has another special feature..,There is a floating solarplant and a Damtop solarplant here.The main objectives of the Banasurasagar Irrigation project are to provide water for agriculture and drinking purposes.This water is also used to generate electricity in the Kakkayam dam in Kozhikkode ,Kerala.