Mathew George



Kuttanadan Ducks

After Atal Behari Vajpayee, the then Prime Minister, had opted Kumarakom for his annual December vacationing in the year 2000 to escape from a winter of discontent in Delhi, the backwater tourism of Kerala got a sudden fillip. He had taken a week-long rejuvenating holiday in Kumarakom, the picturesque resort on the edge of the Vembanad lake in Kerala's magical backwaters. Kumarakom is also famous for his "Kumarakom musings", his new year thoughts in the year 2000. Kumarakom was made internationally famous by Arundhati Roy's "The God of small things".Now there are hundreds of Kettuvalloms (houseboats) carrying tourists across the Punnamada, Vembanad, Kayamkulam and Ashtamudi lakes all of which are interconnected by intricate narrow water ways.

A lovely house on the riverside

We started our trip from Kollam on the deck of a canopied Tourism Corporation’s boat at 10 in the morning. After the wide expanse of the Ashtamudi lake and the Kayamkulam back water, we entered a long stretch of narrow canals with small houses on both sides. These serene waterways are fringed by palm groves and paddy fields and offer a striking spectacle of the rustic life. Here the life revolves around water.  Children learn to swim before they walk.  They learn to row boats before they bicycle. The cruise takes you along canals past scenic islands, offering sublime views of coconut and paddy fields, chinese fishing nets and toddy tappers at work. 

A rich farmer by the side of his farm

There was a short stop over at Vallikavu, the Ashram of Mata Amritanandamayi popularly known as Amma, where most of the foreign tourists got down to rejoin the next days’ trip. The lunch was at Thrikunnapuzha close to the NTPC’s Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle mega power plant at Cheppad. The lunch was served in plantain leaves and one had the choice of a variety of fish. By about 4 in the evening we reached the Punnamada lake in Alleppey District, famous for its boat races, houseboats, coir products and fish.  Alleppey or Alappuzha remains prominent on the tourist trail of Kerala as one of the major centers for backwater boat trips. Alappuzha is also known as the "Venice of the East" and it was here that traders from across the seven seas came in the past in search of black gold and souvenirs. 

Lush green paddy fields

We stayed overnight at Alleppey and made a visit to the beach early morning. Alleppey was once the busiest coast south of Mumbai, and its canals and backwaters helped in the passage of cargo - be it tea, spices, timber or other produces from the hills - to the sea. The lighthouse and the pier helped the boats ferry across, facilitating trade in their own way.  Today, the 1000 ft long pier at Alleppey beach, built in 1862 by Captain Hugh Crawford is a mere skeleton of its past. 

A lone Farm house

After a quick breakfast we continued our voyage through the serene waters up to the Northern Kuttanad which is not much exposed to the tourists.  This place is the rice bowl of Kerala, one of the very few places in the world where farming is done below sea level. Kuttanad is a land of lush paddy fields and stretches for 75 Km sandwiched between the sea and the hills. These paddy fields remind the visitor of the famous dikes of Holland. A striking example of the indigenous agricultural engineering know-how, here cultivation and habitation are made possible at four to ten feet below the sea level.  For this purpose extensive land has been reclaimed from the backwaters and is protected by dikes built around it.  The beauty of this part of Kerala is not merely in the backwaters, but the man-made islands that you will find amidst the waters.  These islands are hedged by mud walls, a haven for migratory birds, with paddy fields inundated with water throughout the year. Alleppey's allure is the backwaters and a leisurely cruise in these serene waters is a memorable experience. 

Water lilies
How to Reach: Kochi is the nearest Airport and Alleppey is just 90 minutes drive. One can either hire a house boat exclusively for oneself or join the conducted trips of District Tourism Prmotion Committee (DTPC). Alternatively From Trivandrum Airport one can go to Kollam which is about one hour by road and then take the boat trip to Alleppey and beyond.

Farmers discussing their crop