India Festival Souvenir Book-2008 (Part 2)

Kerala backwaters and spiceplantations“The beauty revealed by Kerala's nature isunmatched. Its beautiful landscapes, terrains,the flora and fauna impart the real pleasuresof experiencing unadulterated nature.”In the land of coconut, Kerala is the paradisefor the travelers. The intricate coconutgroves, thelush greeneryof thevalleys andthe splendidsightatop thehills arealluring.For its immense natural beauty, the NationalGeographic chose it among the 50 'ParadiseFound' on earth. Tucked away in the southwestcorner of India, Kerala is a narrow stripof land between Arabian Sea and the WesternGhats.The serene and tranquil backwaters ofKerala are the biggest tourist attractions ofKerala. They are a chain of interconnectedwaterways of five large lakes fed by 44 riversin Kerala. Traveling through lush green vegetationon the shimmering backwaters is anunforgettable experience. The backwaters ofKerala provide ideal settings to relax andexplore the natural beauty of Kerala.Houseboats moving slowly in the wide networkof 900 km channels, lakes, deltas andlagoons with pristine and calm waters, coolrefreshing air loaded with the fragrance ofnature, chirping birds flying in the sky andwild animals playing along the shores impartsthe feeling of paradise. The most excitingthing for the tourists visiting Kerala backwatersis Kettuvallom, the traditional gianthouseboats measuring up to 80 ft in length.The houseboats have excellent on board facilitiesincluding well-decorated bedroom withattached toilets and a separate dining area.On the deck of the houseboat one can rest atease at night and enjoy the beautiful view ofthe starry sky and explore the verdant andbeautiful countryside during the day. It isheavenly experience while traveling on ahouseboat, passing through the green lushcountryside, swaying coconut palm trees andemerald fields. Unique species of aquatic lifesuch as crabs, frogs, kingfishers, water birds,darters, otters and turtles live in and alongsideof the backwaters.Kerala is abundant in backwaters andalmost every district of Kerala is gifted withscenic backwaters stretches. The largest backwaterstretch here is the Vembanad Lake,covering an area of 200km 2 which flowsthrough districts of Alappuzha, Kottayam andKochi and drains into the Arabian Sea nearthe Kochi port. The Ashtamudi Lake (meanslakes with eight arms), which covers a largepart of Kollam district in the south, is the secondlargest backwater stretch in the state andregarded asthe gatewayto the Keralabackwaters.The mostpopularbackwatersdestinationsin Keralainclude Kumarakom backwaters, Alappuzhabackwaters, Kochi backwaters, Kollam backwaters,Kozhikode backwaters, Trivandrumbackwaters, Kottayam backwaters and manymore like them. Best time to visit Kerala’sbackwaters is from October to March.Regular ferry services connect most locationson both banks of the backwaters.ThekkadyLocated in Idukki, the drive to Thekkadyitself is enchanting as the road winds throughtranquil countryside, rich plantations & thickContinued on page 39“The true source of rights is duty” 37