VARKALA TUNNEL

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

One or two man-made tunnels (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 24: 300) or one backwater' tunnel with a well (KARR 2002) or daylight window, has been dug in 1870 under one of the cliffs to enable the passing of boats to connect Varkala with the Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum 08°29'N: 76°55'E) - Kollam (Quilon N08°53': E076°36') line. ETYMOLOGY: So far I saw the place name (note 1) referred to as Varakkallai AMS sheet NC43-16 Trivandrum (U502 series, 1959 edition) Varkala India Road Atlas, Eicher Goodearth (2006: 118 B5) Varkkallai IMPERIAL GAZETTEER (1907-1909, 24: 300) Warkalli the geologists in: IMPERIAL GAZETTEER (1907-1909, 24: 300) Warkilli FOOTE, R B (1883a: 24, 27). SITUATION: In an unidentified spatial relation to the small town of Varkala (India Road Atlas, Eicher Goodearth 2006: 118 B5), which liesin the Chirayinkil taluk of Travancore State [Thiruvananthapuram district] (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 24: 300) and about 40 km along the road north-west from Thiruvananthpuram / Trivandrum (08°29'N: 76°55'E), the capital of Kerala state. POSITIONS (lousy, very poor or bad): N08°44': E076°43' nima.mil/geonames (accessed 16.11.2003) N08°43': E076°42 AMS sheet NC43-16 Trivandrum (U502 series, 1959 edition) N08°42': E076°53' IMPERIAL GAZETTEER (1907-1909, 24: 300). TUNNEL DESCRIPTION: Varkkallai … The high sandstone and laterite headlands (the Warkalli Beds of the geologists) that here abut on the sea have been pierced by two tunnels … and a canal has been led through them which completes the backwater communication from Trivandrum up to Tirur [N10°54': E075°55'] in Malabar [Trissur district, Karnataka state] (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 24: 300). GEOLOGY: Warkilli or Cuddalore Sandstone Series … The Cuddalore sandstone series, first distinguished on stratigraphical grounds as a separate geological group by Mr. H. F. Blanford, were by him supposed to be very probably of tertiary age. In the absence of sufficient palaeontological evidene it was impossible to assign any more approximate position to these rocks … A very careful examination of the beds near Quilon by Dr. King, who had the advantage of seeing the fresh cutting made through plateaux of these rocks in connection with the new tunnel at Warkilli has unfortunately thrown no positive light on their true geological position (FOOTE, R B 1883a: 24).e it was impossible to assign any more approximate position to these rocks … A very careful examination of the beds near Quilon by Dr. King, who had the advantage of seeing the fresh cutting made through plateaux of these rocks in connection with the new tunnel at Warkilli has unfortunately thrown no positive light on their true geological position (FOOTE, R B 1883a: 24).