Twelve rivers, and the longest of them rising in Coorg: the district at Kerala's northern tip

Background

Kasaragod lies at the northern tip of Kerala, bounded by the Western ghats in the east and Arabian sea in the west, with twelve rivers flowing across its terrain. The district administration records 12 rivers in the district. The longest is Chandragiri (105 kms), which originates from Pattimala in Coorg and embraces the sea at Thalangara, near Kasargod. The river takes its name from Chandragupta Vasti, the place of its source, where the Maurya emperor Chandragupta is believed to have spent his last days as a sage. There are different views on where the name Kasaragod comes from: one is that it combines the Sanskrit words kaasaara, meaning lake or pond, and kroda, meaning a place where treasure is kept; another is that it is the place where Kaasaraka trees (Strychnos nux vomica, or Kaanjiram or Kaaraskara) grow in abundance. The administration treats both views as relevant, because the coastal belt has a large number of rivers, lakes and ponds besides thick flora with innumerable varieties of trees, shrubs etc., and particularly a plentitude of Kaasaraka trees The landscape is dotted with tiled-roof buildings topped with the famous Kasaragod tiles, made with the local hard red clay, and typically walled with laterite blocks.