Vaigai River

There are two etymologies for the name 'Vaigai'. The first is derived from a combination of two Tamil language words, 'vai' meaning Earth and 'yai' meaning sky, a reference to the mythology associated with the origin of the river. As per Koodal Purana, which details the origin of the Vaigai river flowing through Madurai, Vishnu took the form of Trivikrama, with one of his feet rising to the Brahmaloka, the abode of Brahma, in the skies. Brahma washed the raised foot and the water flowed into a rivulet. As the river came from the sky and fell onto Earth, it was called as 'Vaiyai', which later became 'Vaigai'. The river is mentioned as such in various Sangam literary works (circa 300 BCE to 300 CE), such as the Paripatal. == Course ==

The Vaigai is a long semi-perennial river. The river originates in the eastern slopes of the Varusanadu Hills in the Western Ghats. It flows northwards for some distance, before it turns eastwards, and then flows roughly southeast till it reaches the Bay of Bengal at Palk Bay near Alagankulam. Tributaries The tributaries of the Vaigai include Suriliyar, Theniar, Varattar, Nagalar, Varahanadhi, Manjalar, Marudhanadhi, Sirumaliar, Sathaiyar, and Uppar. Suriliyar and Theniar join the river initially before it turns eastwards. Most of the tributaries including Varattar, Nagalar, Varahanadhi, Manjalar, Marudhanadhi, Sirumaliar, and Sathaiyar originate in the Palani and Sirumalai Hills and join the river along its course. Uppar originates in the Alagar hills and joins the Vaigai near Manamadurai. == Riparian zone ==

The river has a drainage basin spread across the districts of Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Sivagangai, and Ramanathapuram The basin stretches from the Western Ghats in the west to the Bay of Bengal in the east, and is bound by the Periyar basin in the west, Kaveri and Pambar-Kottakaraiyar basins to the north, and Gundar basin in the south. It is about long east-to-west and wide north-to-south. Soil and land use The soils in the Vaigai basin consists of red soil in the Cumbum valley and nearby the Vaigai dam. Mixed red and sandy soil is found in select rocky areas. Black soil occurs areas around Andipatti, and lateritic soil is found in the slopes of the Palani Hills and north west of Manamadurai. The lower section of the basin predominantly consists of alluvial soil. It provides water for irrigation for the six basin districts and the Virudhunagar district through irrigation canals. It is also the source of drinking water for Madurai. The dam is located on the Periyar River, and the water from the dam is diverted through Viravanar and Suriliyar to the Vaigai river during the monsoons. ==References==