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ATTRACTIONS
Proudly
called the “Venice of the East” Alleppey is
the land of blue lagoons, a pearly beach, and has an incomparable
charm and elusive beauty. The “Venice of the East”
might today appear a far etched clichés of travelogue
writers, but this quaint little town is certainly the
Venice of the East. Nowhere else will you find, spread
out across the center of the town, a unique crisscrossing
network of canals and lagoons on which thatch covered
country boats punt along leisurely. The proximity of lakes
adds to the Venetian ambience.
The
ever changing scenario of tropical greenery, azure blue
lagoons, traditional houses, restaurants and hotels make
this land look like an ever expanding town with suburban
tentacles. A tourist visiting Alleppey has a lot of expectations.
This land with its peculiar weather, greenery that arouses
a feeling of disbelief and innumerable aspects of cultural
differences and traditions, gives the visitor many instances
of exhilarating surprises.
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The
Backwaters
Backwaters
refer to the large inland lakes of Alleppey, consisting
of the entire network of lakes, canals, and curious water
formations. The waterways of Alleppey helped it to develop
its economy. Rice boats were used for carrying coconut,
rice, coir and spices to various trading centers of Kerala.
It is an incredibly different experience to cruise in the
backwaters in country boats, closely observing the enticing
beauty of Alleppey. You can have an enthralling and intensive
experience on the backwaters if you spend time to undertake
a journey on a ferry boat from Quilon to Alleppey. A cruise
between Alleppey and Kottayam could be an unforgettable
experience. You can also travel upto Cochin via these waterways.
On a boat voyage through Kuttanad, you can find yourself
traveling along canals where the level of water is higher
that that of the green fields on either sides.
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House
Boats & Motor Boats
The
traditional houseboat of Kerala is one of the most enduring
images of the Alleppey backwaters. These house boats are
converted versions of the “Kuttanadan Kettuvallams”
comfortably furnished and offer adequate accommodation for
a whole family, with a sitting room, bedroom and kitchen.
One can create one’s own world of imagination and
enjoy the beauty of the surroundings while traveling in
a houseboat.
On board, is a luxurious, self-contained world from which
one can observe rural Indian life flowing gently by. Whether
it’s an exploratory, overnight cruise through narrow
canals; a gentle circumnavigation around the still vast
water of lake Vembanad, or a longer passage from Cochin
to Alleppey, the experience will be quite different from
any other holiday. Something that will linger on as an everlasting
memory in the mind of a tourist. Motor boat rides also
provide an interesting experience to the tourists, wherein
he can cover more areas and visit many inland waterways
and small villages on the banks of canals.
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Boat
Races
The
backwaters of Alleppey host many events during August –
September. The electrifying races by carved wooden boats
set the backwaters on fire. The not-to-be missed spectacle
is of course the Nehru trophy Boat Race which began in 1952
on the occasion of the visit of India’s first Prime
Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The “Nehru Trophy
Boat Race”, named in honour of the late Prime Minister
of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, is the most exciting
of all boat races. It is now a major event held on the second
Saturday of every August and features the gigantic snake
boats of Kerala, the chudans, once the battleships of the
Malayalee kings of yore. Toady the boat race has grown into
the single most important tourist event. Competition is
severe as the boats, with over 120 rowers in each, race
to finish to the accompaniment of rousing music. During
“Onam” festival, many boat races are conducted
in the Alleppey region. |
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Alleppey Beach
The
beautiful Alleppey beach was recently renovated to attract
the numerous tourists visiting Alleppey. The pier, which
extends into the sea, is over 137 years old. There is a
small but beautiful park and a boating pool very nearby
to the beach. The beach is hardly 5 minutes walk from the
Villa.
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Light
House
This
is one of the ancient historic monuments in Alleppey town.
In the ancient days when the Alleppey port was in the midst
of blooming activities with lots of ships sailing in and
out of Alleppey port carrying various sorts of cargo items
especially coir and spices, this light house played a vital
role as a landmark for the ships to locate the Alleppey
port even at night. Even now the brilliant light of the
light house keeps glowing throughout the night and it is
a very beautiful scene especially at nights. From top of
the light house a very beautiful and picturesque scene of
Alleppey town could be seen.
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Mount
Carmel Cathedral
It
was on the 8th of June 1809 that the foundation stone was
cast by the vicar apostolic of the Malabar vicariate Rt.
Rev. Dr. Reymond OCD for the Mount Carmel
Chapel at Alleppey. Later on, as the town of Alleppey developed,
Mount Carmel Chapel was raised to the status of a parish
church. In 1931 a tower was added to the Church. When the
Diocese of Alleppey was formed in 1952, the Mount Carmel
Church became its Cathedral.
It
was a heart-rending tragedy for the Diocese of Alleppey
and for the people in the town and vicinity of Alleppey
that on 26th June 1995 the Mount Carmel Cathedral collapsed.
The tower of the Cathedral crashed and fell on the main
body of the Church destroying it. Though the collapse of
the Cathedral was such a big tremor and fright for everybody,
that nobody was hurt, was a big relief and consolation for
all.
The
foundation stone for the new Cathedral was laid on 19th
March 1996. The new Cathedral was blessed on 2nd February
1999. The present cathedral is in every way bigger, stronger
and more beautiful than the old one. The total length of
the old Cathedral was 184 feet, breadth 51 feet and height
25 ½ feet. The new Cathedral is 231 feet in length,
59 feet in breadth and 33 feet in height. The new Cathedral
has a plinth area of 10,446 sq. ft. The architectural features
of the new Cathedral is in line with the basic character
of the collapsed church with necessary technological improvements. The
Cathedral is hardly 1 km from the Villa.
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| Revi
Karuna Karan Memorial Museum
This
museum has been built recently in memory of Late Sri Revi
Karuna Karan, who was a business magnet in the coir industry.
This museum is constructed in his memory by his wife. The
museum boosts many rare crystal collections and curios acquired
by the family through generations. The museum is supposed
to be having the largest collection of crystals in Asia.
Tourists can have a glimpse of these rare collections during
the working hours of the museum. The museum is situated
approximately 1 km from the Villa in the center of the town.
Pathiramanal
This
vast island in the Vembanadu lake was previously owned and
possessed by the Anthraper family, before it was acquired
by the Government for tourism development. The island has
a very good cultivation of coconut trees. This little island
on the backwaters is a favourite haunt of hundreds of rare
migratory birds from different parts of the world. The island
lies between Thaneermukkom and Kumarakom, and is accessible
only by boat. A visit to this island and a taste of splendid
tender coconuts is an enchanting experience for all tourists.
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R Block
These
regions are wonders of the indigenous agricultural engineering
know-how of Kerala and remind the visitor of the famous
dikes of Holland. Extensive areas of land have been reclaimed
from the backwaters and are protected by dikes built all
around. Here cultivation and habitation are made possible
four to ten feet below Sea Level. A leisurely cruise along
the canals that surround these kayals is a memorable experience.
Sri
Krishna Temple, Ambalapuzha
The
Sri Krishna Temple at Ambalapuzha, 14 Kms from Alleppey,
is among Kerala’s most famous ones, boasting through
is the typical temple architecture 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.
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Karumadikkutan
Situated
3kms east of Ambalapuzha, this village is known for its
10th century Karumadikuttan
statue, a black granite figure of the great Buddha, the
founder of Buddhism. There are many interesting legends
connected to this idol.
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Krishnapuram Palace
The
18th Century Krishnapuram
Palace (45 km from Alleppey), built during
the reign of the Travancore monarch, Marthanda Varma, is
a double-storied structure, which displays typical characteristics
of Kerala architecture, gabled roofs, dormer windows, and
narrow corridors. It houses one of the largest mural paintings
in Kerala, called the Gajendra Mokshm. It measures 14 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, painting and bronzes.
Mannarasala
Mannarasala,
32 km from Alleppey, is a very important center of serpent
worship in Kerala. Built in a cool grove of trees and shrubs,
this temple is said to contain 30,000 images of snake gods,
which line the path to the temple.
Festivals
The
most exciting and must experience festival for the tourists
visiting Alleppey is the Onam festival. Onam (August –
September) is marked with new clothes, illuminations, processions,
boat races, music, dance, games and the lavish onam sadhya
(feast).
Another
important festival is Vishu. On Vishu (April), viewing auspicious
items in the morning, giving gifts to children and domestic
help, visits to the temple, fireworks, and a grand lunch
(sadhya) wrap up the celebrations.
While
these are the most dazzling festivals, every shrine boasts
its own festive calendar, and every community has many occasions
to celebrate, making it almost part of the daily agenda.
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