Forty-four rivers in Kerala, forty-one flowing west and only three flowing east

Background

Pilgrims cross the Pampa River on the way to the Sabarimala hill shrine in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district; that river is one of 44 in Kerala.
The Kerala Legislature's profile of the State records that Kerala has 44 rivers, 41 west flowing and three east flowing.
The longest river is the Bharathapuzha, 251 kms long.
The Periyar river is 228.5 Kms long and the Pamba river 177 Kms long.
There are 34 big and not so big backwaters in the state, and the biggest backwater is the Vembanad lake, some 200 Sq.km in area.
The deltas of the rivers interlink the backwater and provide water transport facility in the low lands of Kerala.