Tag Archives: Kerala

Gardens of Spice Village Hotel Thekkady

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Thekkady in Kerala State, India ‘s largest wildlife sanctuary is a dream destination for any tourist visiting India . The 120 years old ‘Surki’ dam built across Peryiar is a major tourist attraction. This sanctuary is spread over an area of 777 square kilometers, surrounded by an artificial lake and a tiger reserve. Thekkady with its bountiful treasures of tropical flora and fauna is the ultimate reservoir of many an endangered species and a rich tribal culture.

Thekkady is considered as a heaven for natural spices such as black pepper,cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, nutmace, ginger, and clove.

Gardens of Spice Village Hotel Thekkady

Gardens of Spice Village Hotel Thekkady

Designs in the Backwaters

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The gentle ripples of the boat’s wake creates interesting designs and reflections in the backwaters of Kerala.

In the various images you might notice the abundance of plants in the water. Introduced into tropical places such as the Kerala backwaters, water hyacinth is an exotic invasive second to none. Spreading by runners and seed, a population of this plant can double in size every two weeks. It is choking these internationally significant wetlands, preventing navigation and fishing, clogging irrigation systems and boat propellers, and crowding out native species.

Designs in the Backwaters

Designs in the Backwaters

A Houseboat with a Natural Look

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Etymologically, kettuvallam is a compound word in Malayalam, namely, ‘kettu’ means ‘tied with’ and vallam means ‘boat’. Thus kettuvallam literally means two or more vallams tied up together. The present Kerala houseboats are in different sizes according to the rooms and salons it has. Mostly, they are 95 feet to 107 feet in length and 13 to 19 feet width at the middle. All the raw materials needed for the construction of the houseboats are Eco-friendly. The hull is made of wooden planks tied together by ropes of coconut fiber. The common wood used in the making of it is locally called ‘Anjili’. The roof is made up of bamboo poles and thatched with palm leaves. To prevent the wood from deterioration, cashew nut oil which works as an Eco friendly protective varnish, is used to pain the exterior of the boat.

A Housebaot with a Natural Look

A Houseboat with a Natural Look

A Houseboat with Style

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A tour in the house boat is an unforgettable experience. The slow movement of the house boats, the gentle touch of the sweet breeze from the cool backwaters all but mesmerizes you to happiness. The greenery, scenes of the villages, the boat jetties and passengers, the farmers and paddy fields, the coconut palms on either sides of the banks, all together make your trip most beautiful. On the whole you feel relaxed, calm and gentle as the backwaters.

This boat has multiple bedrooms on two levels and is one of the larger houseboats among the 600 or so on Vembanad Lake around Kumarakom, Kerala

A Houseboat with Style

A Houseboat with Style

A Congregation of Houseboats

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A houseboat is a specially designed boat for human dwelling. The Houseboats of Kerala, popularly known as the ‘Kettuvallams’ are the large floating formations with high load carrying capacity. They reflect the culture and heritage of Kerala. In the initial stages, they were primarily used for the transportation of men or / and materials from the isolated and interior villages of Kerala’s bakwater areas to the then major trading centers like Allepy, kollam, Cochin, or Kottayam etc.

In those days the main mode of water transportation in Kerala had been these Kettuvallams; especially in the Kuttanad regions. In modern times however, as a result of the improved means of transportation, these Kettuvallams almost faced a slow death. Thanks to the modern tourism industry; these kettuvallams have resurfaced in a more sophisticated and luxurious form by the name HOUSEBOATS.These houseboats of the present age are huge slow moving exotic barges used for leisure trips. They have become a major source of attraction both for national as well as international tourists visiting Kerala. These Kettuvallams / houseboats have played a great role in the economic growth of Kerala. The fact that half a century ago there were more than 5000 kettuvallams / houseboats in Kerala proves the economic importance of these boats.

A Congregation of Houseboats

A Congregation of Houseboats

A Typical Kerala Backwaters Scene

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Water, palm trees, canals and lush green vegetation make Kerala backwaters so famous. Houseboats are a common sight.

Have you ever gone cruising in a houseboat on the backwaters of Kerala? If you haven’t, make sure you do. This one is really a wonderful and unforgettable experience! Present day houseboats are huge, slow-moving exotic barges used for leisure trips, and are in fact reworked version of kettuvallams of olden times. The original kettuvallams were used to carry tons of rice and spices. A standard kettuvallam can hold up to 30 tons from Kuttanad to the Kochi port.

A Typical Kerala Backwaters Scene

A Typical Kerala Backwaters Scene