Priyan's Home page->My Land->Thrikkunnapuzha,Valiaparampu

My Native Place is Thrikkunnapuzha ,a beautiful village in Alappuzha (District of Kerala,India)

Backwater holidays in Kerala, Boat races, Kath kali,House Boats, The temples of Kerala

Backwater holidays in Kerala, the Backwaters of Alappuzha can be best experienced in a country boat. Alappuzha is a town of wood , roof houses and Coir industry.The large network of canals provides Alleppey its lifeline. It has a very long sandy beach. At one end are the palm groves which are the characteristic of Kerala's landscape.
Prime Attraction : Nehru Boat Race, Ambalapuzha Temple, Mannarshala Temple, Krishnapuram Palace

Kochi is Kerala's major port. and natural harbours in the world, Most of the city's commercial centres and shops are located in the town called Ernakulam. One can see Chinese fishing net here and there in the backwaters of Cochin.

Chinese Fishing Nets, Jewish Synagogue, Bolghatty Palace, Pareekshith Thampuran Museum, Hill Palace Museum, Thripunithra, Cherai Beach, Mattancherry Palace (Dutch Palace), St. Francis Church, Santa Cruz Basilica etc.

Festivals of Kerala It is a land where festivals never end. The Popular Festivals of Kerala include Thrissur Pooram, Nehru Trophy Boat Race, Attukal Pongala, Kalpathy Ratholsavam and Vishu.
The biggest and most important festival is Onam which is a harvest festival celebrated throughout Kerala for four days. According to legend, it is the first day that the King Mahabali who once ruled Kerala, comes from exile to visit his beloved people. Homes are adorned with floral decorations in preparation for his visit. Onam tourist week is a cultural feast of art and folk.

Boat races Alleppey comes alive in the rainy season and in the venue for one of Kerala's major spectacles- the Nehru Trophy Snake Boat Race - with raised sterns designed to resemble the hood of a cobra. More than enthusiastically powered by upto 150 singing and shouting men, scores of boats take part, and Alleppey is packed with thousands of spectators. Other events at Payippad and Aranmula also display the strength and rhythm of Oarsmen who set the Backwaters of Kerala on fire.

Kathakali

The most popular sacred dance-drama of Kerala, Kathakali evolved across the last 400 years. this classical dance requires lengthy and rigourous training to attain complete control of the body and a sensitivity to emotion so as to be able to render all its nuances through facial expressions and hand gestures. Themes centre around the two great Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharatha.

Mohiniyattam Literally meaning the dance of the celestial dance form contains elements of Bharathanatyam as well as the classical and folk dances of Kerala.

Backwaters of Kerala

Kettuvallam Earlier Houseboats of Kerala are known as "Kettuvallam", with portion covered with bamboo and coir serving as a rest room and kitchen for the crew. A familiar sight on the Kerala Backwaters , these vessels are built entirely without nails. Plants of jackwood are joined together and coir rope and coated with caustic black resin made from boiled cashew kenels. With careful maintenance they last for generations. Today widely and appropriately called Luxury Houseboats , they carry furnished bedrooms, modern toilets, cozy living rooms, a kitchen and even a balcony for angling.

Dedicated to various gods and goddesses from the Hindu mythology, the temples of Kerala are architectural delights. Built in the Traditional architectural style the significant temples in Kerala include the Padmanabhaswamy temple, Vadukkumnathan Temple, Vaikom Temple, Chottanikkara Temple, Mannarshala Temple, Ananthapura Lake Temple and the Ambalapuzha Temple.

Sabarimala Temple Sabarimala is a pilgrim centre at thetop of the hills of the Western Ghats. This holy temple is dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, whch is about 914 m above sea level. TATHWAMASI is the soul of this temple. Here the GOD and the PILGRIME (AYYAPPA) are called in the same name.

Guruvayoor Temple where the famous Sree Krishna Temple is situated, is one of the most sacred and important pilgrim centres of Kerala

Punnathoorkotta, which is at a distance of 2 kms from Guruvayoor is home of 50 temple elephants, offers unusual spectacles of the gentle pachyderm.