Pulicat Lake
Pulicat Lake, 1908
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
A shallow salt-water lagoon, about 37 miles in length and from 3 to 11 in breadth, lying along the shore of the Bay of Bengal in Nellore District, Madras, between 13degree 24' and 13degree 47' N. and 80degree 2' and 80degree 16' E. It is separated from the sea by the long, narrow, sandy island of SRIHARIKOTA, and by the spit of sand on which stands the town of PULICAT, after which it is named. Like the Chilka Lake, it was probably formed by the antagonism between the sand- bearing currents of the Bay and the silt-laden streams which flow into it. There is shoal-water for some distance to seaward, and this shoal probably grew gradually into a long sand-bar which checked the flow of the land streams. The lake contains several islands (on which much lime is made from the shells found upon them), and is connected with the sea by openings north of Pulicat and elsewhere, and so is influenced by the tide. It is seldom more than 6 feet deep in the dry season. About thirty years ago a dam was built across the middle of it from Snharikota through the island of Venad to the mainland, in order to reduce its extent and thus check the smuggling of the natural salt which forms along its shores. This has turned the northern half into a sandy waste. The BUCKINGHAM CANAL enters the lake south of Pulicat and utilizes it for about 6 miles.
