BHOOTHATHANKETTU DAM- KOCHI, KERALA.

Bhoothathankettu is a dam and tourist spot in Kerala ,
India. It is situated outside the village of Pindimana, about 10 km away from the town of Kothamangalam and 50 km away from the main city of Kochi . The original natural dam has been supplemented by a modern dam impounding the Bhoothathankettu Reservoir (Thattekad Reservoir).

MYTH

The reason behind the dam's name is that monsters(Malayalam: Bhootham) planned to submerge the
Trikkariyoor temple, whose presiding deity is Lord Shiva by making a dam in the Periyar river and flooding the area. Suspecting trickery the omnipotent
Lord Shiva , came up with a plan to deter them. He faked the approaching dawn by a rooster's sound. The demons fearing the arrival of light fled the place. To this day there is a visible proof of their effort where you can see the boulders which the demons were supposed to have rolled onto the riverbed, the Old Bhothathankettu. The Periyar flows on through the narrow space which the demons did not quite manage to dam up.

REALITY

It has been attributed to two great floods – one in the 4th century and the other in 1341, which threw open the port of Kochi. The massive landslides during the flood are believed to have caused gigantic rocks to roll down from the mountain and become entrenched in the Old Bhoothathankettu.

TRANSPORTATION

Railway station: Aluva (Kochi), about 43 km away.

Airport: Cochin International Airport, about 26 km from Kochi city (Cochin).