The Mullaperiyar Dam is a masonry gravity dam on the Periyar River in the Indian state of Kerala It is located 881 m (2,890 ft) above mean sea level, on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats in Thekkady, Idukki District of Kerala, South India. It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 by the British Government to divert water eastwards to the Madras Presidency area (present-day Tamil Nadu). It has a height of 53.6 m (176 ft) from the foundation, and a length of 365.7 m (1,200 ft). The Periyar National Park in Thekkady is located around the dam's reservoir. The dam is located in Kerala on the river Periyar, but is owned, operated and maintained by Tamil Nadu state.Although the Periyar river has a total catchment area of 5398 km² with 114 km² in Tamil Nadu the catchment area of the Mullaperiyar dam itself lies entirely in Kerala.