Alappuzha - The Venice Of East

Washed by the silvery waves of the Arabian Sea, Alappuzha occupies a significant spot on Kerala's tourist map. Interlocked with a large number of canals and bridges, this water locked district has immense potential for backwater tourism.

Alappuzha, a centre for coir and carpet industries is an ideal headquarters for backwater touring. The large network of canals provide Alappuzha its lifeline. It has a long sandy beach, which is spectacular. At one end are the dense palm groves that are so characteristic of Kerala's landscape.

During the period of Diwan Sir T Madhava Rao, the state achieved remarkable progress in the field of communication. The length of roads gradually increased. An important landmark in the history of Travancore was the creation of PWD, a Road Board to advise the Government. The road from Kollam to Kochi was nationalised in 1949.

The Alappuzha-Changanassery Road was opened for traffic in 1958. At present. there are six transport units in this district. The total length of National Highway passing through Cherthala, Ambalappuzha and Karthikappally taluks is about 97 km. The total length of PWD roads including State Highway, district roads and village roads is about 967.84 kms.

There are two railway lines in this district. The Ernakulam-Kollam railway line was opened on 17 October, 1958 which passes through Chengannur, Cherianad, Mavelikkara and Kayamkulam. The Ernakulam-Alappuzha railway line (51 km) was commissioned on 16 October, 1989. It is a landmark in the development of the district. An interconnecting rail link with a length of 43 km from Alappuzha to Kayamkulam was opened in 1992 and with this the district has come to the main stream of industrial development and transport with the rest of the state. The main railway stations in the Ernakulam-Alappuzha route are Cherthala, Thuravur, Mararikulam and Alappuzha and in the Alappuzha-Kayalamkulam route are Ambalappuzha, Thakazhy, Karuvatta, Haripad and Cheppad.

Canals play an important part in the transportation and communication systems of this district. There are villages in the district, which are accessible only by inland water transport, Vembanad lake is the main artery of the inland navigation system. It forms the most important part of the west coast canal system, which starts from Hosdurg in the north and ends at Thiruvananthapuram.

A network of rivers and canals connects the places of commercial importance like Kochi, Kottayam, Chengannur and Changanassery. Alappuzha town is connected with Changanassery by Alappuzha-Changanassery canal passing through Kuttanad area. The Wadai and commercial canals take off from Vembanad lake and run parallel through the heart of the town. Some of the inland canals falling in this district are Alappuzha-Ambalappuzha, Alappuzha-Changanassery, Alappuzha commercial canal, Alappuzha-Kottayam, Alappuzha-Wadai, Alappuzha -Thalavadi, Alappuzha-West junction, Kakkazhaam-Kayamkulam salt shell, Muhamma - Puchakkal canal etc. There are ferry services in almost all the water-logged areas.

Alappuzha port, one of the two intermediate ports on Kerala's western coast, was the first commercial port in the princely state of Travancore. It was established by Raja Kesavadas, the Diwan of Travancore. Shipping operations are carried out rarely since the starting of Cochin port. During the period 1981 to 1991, only five ships have come to the port, of which one was during 1982-83, three were during 1988-89 and one was during 1989-90. There is no airport in the district. The nearest airport is at Kochi - 64 km form Alappuzha.

Kuttanad stretches for 75 km, sandwiched between the sea and hills. The bewildering labyrinth of shimmering waterways composed of lakes, canals, rivers and rivulets, is lined with dense tropical greenery, and preserves rural Kerala lifestyles that are completely hidden from the road. The views change from narrow canals and dense vegetation to open vistas and dazzling green paddy fields.

The sweeping Network of canals honey-combing the town of Alappuzha has earned for the place its name, ‘the Venice of East’. Do not miss out on a ride into Kuttanad through shimmering, green paddy fields and tail-wagging, head-bobbing groups of ducks. The Coir workers too present an interesting sight. Alleppey becomes the cynosure of the eyes of the world on August-September, every year, with a water regatta unique to Kerala.

The not-to-be missed spectacle in Alappuzha is the Nehru Trophy Boat Race which began in 1952 on the occasion of the visit of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru to Alappuzha. It is now a major event held every August and features the gigantic snake-boats of Kerala, the Chundans-once the battleships of the Malayalee king of yore.Today the Boat Race has grown into Alappuzha's single most important tourist event with boats being sponsored by different villages. Competition is severe as the boats with over 100 rowers in each, race to finish to the accompaniment of rousing music.

Kettuvallom (Houseboats) is a country boat that was used in the early days for the transport of goods from the isolated interior villages to the towns. With the advent of roads, bridges and ferry services, gradually the Kettuvalloms went off the scene. Now these Kettuvalloms are back again as a major tourist attraction. A ride on a Kettuvallom is a fabulous way to explore the fascinating beauty of the backwaters.

A houseboat is about 67 feet in length and has a width of around 13 feet in the middle. The materials that go into the making are all local and eco friendly: bamboo poles, coconut fibre, ropes, bamboo mats, carpets etc. The main wood used is "Anjili". There are houseboats with fully furnished single, double and triple rooms. All of them have sundeck, private balcony with comfortable chairs, kitchen and toilet. In addition there is a separate rest room for the crew. Traditional lanterns are used as lights. The crew include a chef, and 2 oarsmen. The cuisine is of traditional Kerala flavour along with the local specialities; delicious fish and prawns. There are single bedroom houseboats for two people and two bedroom houseboats for four people.

Palace on water (Static Houseboats) is a static luxury houseboat that has two bedrooms, which can accommodate 4 persons. There is a balcony on top, quite convenient to get a feel of the panoramic nature around. A similar balcony is also there below. Canoes are always connected to the static houseboat which takes the visitors for backwater cruises.

The interesting places of attraction for the tourists are Punnamada Kayal where Nehru Trophy Boat takes place every year and Pathiramanal which is a beautiful Island in Vembanad lake. The boat journey in Kuttanad taluk is a fascination for the foreign tourists.

Krishnapuram Palace is an 18th century Krishnapuram Palace built during the reign of the Travancore monarch, Marthanda Varma, is a double storied structure which displays typical characteristics of Kerala architecture-gabled roofs, dormar windows, 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, a walking distance from the Palace Pool. Inside is also a museum of antique sculptures, paintings and bronzes. Situated 47 kms from Alappuzha on the way to Kollam, Krishnapuram is easily accessible by bus from either town. Pathiramanal An Island is a small beautiful island in the Vembanad Lake and is accessible only by boat from Kumarakom and Muhamma.

Ambalappuzha ( Pilgrim Centre) boasts the Sri Krishna Temple, 14 kms from Alleppey and is among Kerala's more famous ones boasting of the typical temple architectural style of the state. It is equally famed for its palpayasam - a sweet milk porridge offered to the diety. The temple's main festival occurs in March/April. It was in this temple that the 16th century poet Kunjan Nambiar staged his first Ottan Thullal, a solo dance performance with high social content.Karumadi : Close to the Ambalappuzha. the village of Karumadi is famous for its Karumadi Kuttan, a black granite figure of Buddha said to belong to the 9th or 10th century.

Arthunkal (Pilgrim Centre), known for the St Andrews Church established by Portuguese missionaries is near Sherthallai, 22 km north of Alappuzha. The feast of St. Sebastian is held here in every January.