Dowleswaram Barrage

Dowleswaram Barrage near Rajahmundry on River Godavari

The Dowleswaram Barrage (Telugu: ధవళేశ్వరం ఆనకట్ట) is an irrigation structure which is built on the lower stretch of the Godavari River before it empties into the Bay of Bengal. It was built by a British irrigation engineer, Sir Arthur Thomas Cotton. His many projects averted famines and stimulated the economy of southern India. Coordinates:  16°57′N 81°45′E

The Cotton Museum was constructed on behalf of Sir Cotton's memory. It has been a tourist attraction in Rajahmundry. The Godavari River empties its water into the Bay of Bengal after flowing a nearly fifty miles from the Dowleswaram Barrage. The village of Dowleswaram is at a distance of eight kilometers downstream of Rajamundry. Rajamundry is a city situated on the left bank of Godavari River. Upstream, where the river is divided into two streams; the Gautami to the left and the Vasistha to the right, forms the dividing line between the West Godavari and the East Godavari districts. The Dowleswaram Barrage is 15 feet high and 3.5 km long, with 175 crest gates to pass the floods. The dam alignment crosses two mid stream islands, and the barrage was constructed in four sections, which allowed flood passage during the construction period. Its construction was completed in 1850.