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Banasura Sagar Dam is situated in Padinjarathara in Kerala and is the largest earth dam in India and second largest in Asia. It is under the control of Padinjarathara KSEB Station. In this dam, the first operating floating solar power plant of India was established.
The dam is surrounded by Banasura Hills. It blocks the Karamanathodu, a tributary of the Kabini River, and is part of the Banasurasagar project (a dam and a canal project) that began in 1979. This project came up to support the Kakkayam Hydro electric power project and to supply irrigation and drinking water in a region with water shortages in seasonal dry times.
The dam is also known as Kuttiyadi Augmentation Main Earthen Dam and has a height of around 126 ft and length of 2,546 ft. In the reservoir, there is a set of islands that were formed when the reservoir drowned the surrounding areas. The dam is constructed with large stacks of rocks and boulders.
The total storage capacity of the Banasura Sagar reservoir is 209 million cubic metres and a live storage(usable) of 185 million cubic metres. The water stored in the reservoir is diverted to the Kuttiyadi Hydro Electric Project through an interconnecting tunnel. This dam is named after Banasura, the son of Mahabali who was a very respectful king of Kerala.
Padinjarathara bus stand is the nearest stop to the Dam at a distance of around 4 KM. You can take a local auto from the bus stand to reach the dam. There are buses that run frequently to Padinjarathara and towards the dam and you can drop off near the entrance gate.
