Alapuzha - Gods Own Country - Explore with Keralatraveller.org

Alapuzha

Alappuzha is a hub of Kerala tourism for its backwaters and house boats. The favourite water channel here is the Vembanad Lake. The Kayamkulam Lake and the interconnected canals are the other water bodies used for backwater cruises. 'Kettuvallams' or house boats are available on hire on a daily basis as well as for longer durations to take visitors along the old waterways. The leisurely cruises mirror glimpses of life on the water side with breath taking views of the rivers, lakes, paddy fields, and small hamlets.

The snake boat races are an event held in the highest esteem here. The Nehru Trophy snake boat race takes place every year on the second weekend of August.

A meal at a toddy shop can be a unique and adventurous experience. The souvenir shops here mainly sell ayurvedic oils, coir and coconut mesh products.Food is very regional here in the Kuttanad style, with sad imitations of Chinese and Continental cuisine coming up of late.

Kayamkulam Lake

Kayamkulam Lake it is spread over an area of 60 sq km and is one of the most scenic backwaters in Kerala. The lake is a shallow lake which merges with the sea at the Kayamkulam barrage. Stretching between Panmana and Karthikappally, its 30 km long at an average breadth of 2.4 Km. It connects to the Ashtamudi Lake by the Chavara-Panmana canal.

The Lake is used for inland water transport of passengers, as well as cargo. Houseboat are available at the Kayamkulam Lake. The wide opening of the lake into the Arabian Sea offers spectacular view of the sunset through the web of Chinese fishing nets to the tourists cruising in the houseboats.

If you’re in the mood for some bit of exploration and are interested in looking into things around the lake, you could go the Kayamkulam Sri Vittala Temple and the Kayamkulam Thermal Power Plant which are easily accessible.

Vembanad Lake

One of the largest lakes in India, the Vembanad Lake is Indias longest lake and also the largest lake in all of Kerala. The districts of Allepey, Kottayam and Ernakulam border the lake.The lake is famous for its scenic beauty and has, as a consequence, become a major tourist attraction.

A distinctive feature of the lake is that it has been divided into two parts by the Thannermukkom salt water barrier, which leaves one part of the lake with brackish water perennially and the second part with fresh water from the rivers draining into the lake.

The Vembanad Lake is at the centre of Kerala Backwaters tourism with a myriad of ketuvallams (houseboats) crowding it. There are several other reasons which attract tourists to the beautiful lake, in and off season. The town of Allepey, bordering the lake, is considered to be the Venice of the East because of the large network of canals that amble through the town. Also, the Vallam Kali (the Snake Boat Race) held annually in August is a major attraction. The Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is located on the east coast of the lake and never fails to draw a huge and enthusiastic crowd of tourists.

Blue sky and acres of greenery serenity and tranquility at its best' thats Parthimanal Island for you. Pathiramanal is a beautiful small island in the vembanad lake which has been developed as an eco friendly tourist centre. A trip to pathiramanal would be your chance to see several exotic and migratory birds that fly in from far and wide. Accessable only by boat it is just a few kilometers from Alapuzha. To reach Pathiramanal one has to first get to Kayippuram jetty. Kayippuram jetty is from where you can get a boat to Pathiramanal. This jetty is just about 2km east of the Kayippuram junction on the Alappuzha - Thannirmukkam road.

The Sri Krishna Temple at Ambalapuzha, 14 kms from Alleppey is among Kerala's more famous ones in typical temple architectural style of the state. It is equally famed for its palpayasam (Ambalapuzha palpayasam) - a sweet milk porridge offered to the diety. The temple's main festival occurs in March/April. It was in this temple that Kunjan Nambiar staged his first Ottan Thullal, a solo dance performance with high social content.

Alappuzha beach is very close to the Alappuzha town and is only about 5 kilometers from the Alapuzha railway station. Alappuzha has always enjoyed an important place in the maritime history of Kerala and now Alappuzha beach is a popular picnic spot. The pier, which extends into the sea here, is over a century old. Entertainment facilities at the Vijaya Beach Park add to the attraction of the beach. There is also an old lighthouse nearby.

The 18th century Krishnapuram Palace built during the reign of Marthanda Varma, is a double storied structure which displays typical characteristics of Kerala architecture-gabled roofs, dormar windows and narrow corridors. It houses one of the largest mural paintings in Kerala called the Gajendra Moksham. It measures14 feet by 11 feet and is at the western end of the ground floor. Inside is also a museum of antique sculptures, paintings and bronzes. situated