| Vynthala Lake | |
| Other Name: | Oxbow Lake (Thadakam) of Kanichan Thura |
| Pushpin Map: | Kerala#India |
| Pushpin Map Alt: | Location of Vynthala lake within Kerala |
| Location: | Vynthala, Thrissur District, Kerala |
| Type: | oxbow lake |
| Basin Countries: | India |
| Area: | 7ha |
| Elevation: | 18000NaN0 |
| Cities: | Mala |
Vynthala Lake (Malayalam: വൈന്തല തടാകം) is a natural oxbow lake found in Vynthala, near Mala, Thrissur District of Kerala.[1]
Lake is also called Oxbow Lake (Thadakam), as it was formed from a "cutoff" of the Chalakudy River which flows nearby.[2] [3] The lake is considered to be the only one naturally formed Oxbow lake in whole of South India.[4]
The oxbow lake at Vynthala was identified in 1998 by a team of scientists led by Sunny George. Earlier the lake had a length of 2 kilometres, but now only about 200 meters remain as the rest of the area has been reclaimed. The total area of the lake is around 7 hectares. National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) are preparing a report to declare the lake as a Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS).[5]