Uses

When used for fishing, each boat has a crew of two: one to paddle and one to fish by throwing a weighted net into the river in a circle. The boat is paddled downstream from the village of Hogenakal, helped by the river flow, to a point above the falls. The boat is carried from there overland to a large pool, below the falls, where fishing takes place. Fish taken include katla, rohu, kendai, keluthi, valai, mirgal, aranjan and jilaby – the scientific names of these are unknown to us. When returning upstream the crew walk where necessary, carrying boat and fish.