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Attractions

Kerala, in the south-western corner the Indian peninsula, is remarkable for sheer natural beauty, high levels of human development and social and political institutions that weave functional harmony out of religious diversity. Kerala is a narrow strip of  land that slopes steeply down from the Western Ghats in the east, through fertile plains, to the Arabian Sea in the west. No place in Kerala is farther than 70 Km from the sea.  Cardamoms,  pepper, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg -- practically all the spices known to mankind grow in the different agro-climatic zones of this tiny  state. These spices have attracted traders from different parts of the world to Kerala from time immemorial. This spicy tradition articulates itself in different ways in contemporary Kerala: a Christian presence that pre-dates Christianity in Europe, Muslims whose ancestors converted a few years after the Prophet founded the religion in Arabia, an ancient Jew town, a mediaeval Dutch     palace, fish, fowl and red meat cooked with flavours in unique, subtle combinations, Chinese fishing nets on the coastline, a fiery country liquor whose local name is an import from Arabic. Kerala is a  land of greenery, rivers, backwaters, mountains, beaches, wildlife and a unique culture.  Kalarippayattu, Kerala's martial art, is reputed to be the original precursor to the Far Eastern martial arts. Kathakali is perhaps the most stylised dance form in the world, to master, which is a lifetime's work. Keralites have, for long, learned the art of taming elephants and putting them to work, particularly in the transportation of timber. Elephants figure in a major way in most temple festivals. Arrays of 30 -- in one case, 100 - elephants all decked up to carry the icon of the local deity provide a spectacle that cannot be seen elsewhere. Boat races in which long snake canoes rowed by scores of oarsmen are part of the traditional festival, Onam. Rare is the person who can resist the charm of a leisurely cruise on a rice-boat along the backwaters of southern Kerala.

             Kerala is diverse in terms of religion - Christians and Muslims account for 20 per cent each of the population and live in harmony with each other and the majority Hindu community. Whether you want to worship nature or a combination of the sun, sand and the sea, eat the finest seafood, soak in an Ayurvedic massage, or indulge in some sociological exploration, Kerala is the place for you. The climate is moderate by tropical standards, although it can be humid.  The temperature normally ranges from 80 to 90 degrees F. in the plains but drops to about 70 degrees F and even lower in the highlands.

 ALAPPUZHA 

            Alleppey, the new Alappuzha,  is very close to  Kochi. Its intricate network of canals and waterbodies and the good use the local population make of it, have earned Alappuzha the name, Venice of the East. It is an ancient trading centre - the finest cardamom in the world is known as Alappuzha green  although the high-altitude spice grows nowhere near this coastal town - where coir in all its forms and colours are available in plenty. Some of the most scenic backwaters stretch all the way from Kochi to Kollam further south of Alappuzha. The place is famous for the Annual Snake Boat race held on the second Saturday of August. The competition is called the Nehru Cup Snakeboat Race. The boats are long, low slung dugouts with highly decorated sterns take part in the competition.  This annual event celebrates the seafaring and martial traditions of ancient Kerala. The race is now   repeated in the tourist season, on the 3rd day of the Great Elephant March in Mid January and is  renamed Tourism Snakeboat Race.  

  KOTTAYAM

         Kottayam is the rubber capital of Kerala. A traditional centre of Syrian Christian who trace their  religious lineage all the way back to St Thomas, Christ's disciple himself, Kottayam is full of rubber  plantations, churches, temples and water bodies. Kottayam is en route to Thekkady, the famed wildlife sanctuary in the middle of the Periyar Lake.

KOVALAM

         Three crescent shaped stretches of sand strung together on the edge of shark-free, relatively calm waters, Kovalam is described as one of the finest beaches of the world. It is only 10 Km from  Thiruvananthapuram. While some of the hotels have their own private beaches, the public beaches are good enough, if one does not mind a crowd.  The nearest airport is Thiruvananthapuram. Taxis, auto rickshaws and buses run regularly between         Thiruvananthapuram and Kovalam.               

THIRUVANANTHPURAM

         Earlier known as Trivandrum, this city, the capital of Kerala, was the seat of the Travancore kings. Thiruvananthapuram, as the place is called in Malayalam, gets its name from a beautiful temple in which the idol is Vishnu reclining on an enormous, many-headed snake, Anantha. The famed Kovalam beach is near Thiruvananthapuram, as also Ponmudi, a hill resort and Veli, a centre of  water sports. The city abounds in mosques, temples and churches. It has a museum housing many interesting paintings and artefacts, as also a zoo.     Getting there -->  Thiruvananthapuram is well connected to Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Colombo (Sri Lanka) by air. The airport is 6 Km from the main city. Trains connect Thiruvananthapuram to Kovalam, Thrissur, Ernaculum, Mangalore, Pallakad, Kochi, Delhi, Coimbatore etc. K SRTC buses ply within the city as well as connect Thiruvananthapuram to places around.

Special Attractions:Shri Padmanabhaswamy Temple,  Palace Museum,  Natural History museum, The Zoo Science and Technology Museum Near Thiruvananthapuram, the Padmanabhapuram Palace etc...

KOCHI

          Kochi, also known as Cochin is dubbed the Queen of the Arabian Sea by the British; it is a fine  natural harbour and has attracted traders from ancient times. It is contemporary Kerala's  commercial capital. There are many interesting historical monuments in and around Kochi. For example, St. Francis Church, where Vasco da Gama, Portuguese navigator who first discovered a European Sea route to India around the Cape of Good Hope and landed on the Malabar Coast in  1498, was originally buried. There is a Jew Town, which retains a splendid synagogue, and many   unique customs even after a large number of the inhabitants migrated to Israel. There is  a       palace built by the Dutch for the rulers of Kochi. The Bolgatty palace has been converted into a     hotel. Forty odd kilometres north of Kochi is Cranganore (Kodungallore).

Current Attractions:  The oldest mosque in India, believed to have been built in the seventh century and a temple to a fiery goddess whose propitiation takes the peculiar form, once a year, of a pilgrimage where all the  pilgrims arrive singing songs of filthy, albeit rhyming abuse. Cranganore was known as Muziris or  Muziripattanam. The Romans are believed to have built a temple here to Augustus in the first century AD.

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