Ethipothala Falls

Ethipothala Falls
యతిపోఁతల
Ethipothala Water Falls
Location Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India
Coordinates 16°19′N 79°25′E / 16.32°N 79.41°E / 16.32; 79.41Coordinates: 16°19′N 79°25′E / 16.32°N 79.41°E / 16.32; 79.41
Type Cascade
Total height 70 feet (21 m)

Ethipothala Falls is a 70 feet (21 m) high river cascade, situated in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Located on the Chandravanka river, which is a tributary of River Krishna joining on its right bank. The waterfall is a combination of three streams namely Chandravanka Vagu, Nakkala Vagu and Tummala Vagu. It is situated about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from Nagarjuna Sagar Dam.[1] The river then joins the Krishna river after the dam after travelling about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the falls. A strategic view point was created by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department from the adjacent hillock. There is a crocodile breeding centre in the pond formed by the waterfall. Water from the Nagarjuna Sagar right bank canal is released in to the above streams to keep the waterfall alive and flowing throughout the year for tourism purposes.

Etymology of Ethipothala and Confusion

Ethipothala is derived from "eththi", and "potha" of the Telugu language which means to "lift and pour". Alternatively it could also have been possibly derived from "eththu" (noun form of the verb eththi - 'lifting', and also the great height from which the water falls) and "potha", meaning the downpour as in kundapotha, connoting the downpour of water from a great height.

Incidentally the word ethipothala is also terminology coined in Telugu for lift irrigation. It is a misnomer for people to assume that Ethipothala Falls are part of the Lift Irrigation Scheme. As far as Ethipothala Falls are concerned it has nothing to do with the government's "Ethipothala Padhakam".
The reasons for this confusion is because the administration and media in the state widely use the term "Ethipothala Padhakam" to refer to the Lift Irrigation Scheme (LIS). Both terms are related to water bodies such as rivers, falls, canals etc. There is also a major irrigation project named Nagarjuna Sagar located nearby Ethipothala Falls. This gives a scope for people to assume that these falls are part of that project, though that project does not concern the LIS.

Photos

References

  1. ↑ "Guntur Excursions". Retrieved 2009-08-10.
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