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Kottayam has a vast nertwork of rivers
and canals, which empty into the great expanse of water called the
Vembanad Lake, a fast developing backwater tourism destination. Vembanad
Lake is having 83.72km. length and 14.48km. Width. Traditional Cargo
boats called Kettuvallams are modified into Cruise boats and House
boats, with all basic facilities like kitchen, toilet, bathrooms,
sit outs etc. These boats gracefully move around the back waters,
providing facilities to
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tourist to enjoy the beauty of the Vembanad
Lake in a relaxed pace. The Kumarakom tourist village offers house
boat cruises and holiday packages. In
the Vembanad Lake there is a small beautiful island called Pathiramanal
or the Midnight sands. This lonely island in the Vemabanad Lake
is accessible only by boat.
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Kumarakom gained national and international
importance with the visit of the Hon'ble Prime minister A.B. Vajpayee
in 2000 December.Kumarakom is a small village 14km. west of Kottayam.
It is a part of Kuttanad, which is a ' wonder land ', lying below
sea level,
comprising of a number of islands, in the back waters. Kumarakom
Village covers an area of 5166 Ha of which 2413Ha is lake portion,
1500Ha is paddy fields and the remaining portion of 1253 Ha is
dry
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land. Kumarakom is an unbelievably beautiful
paradise of mangrove forests, emerald green paddy fields and coconut
groves interpersed with enchanting waterways and canals adorned
with white lilies. Situated on the Vembanad Lake, this small water
world has plenty of traditional country boats, crafts and canoes
which will take you in to the heart of scenic Kerala. The resorts
near by offer comfortable accomodation and exclusive leisure options
like Ayurvedic massages, Yoga and meditation besides boating, fishing,
angling and swimming.
In
the last Century, Henry Baker, an English man, attracted by the
beauty of the place, selected Kumarakom as his residence and
built a bungalow, obtaining 104 acres of land from the then Maharaja
of Travancore. He also made a beautiful garden. Preserving the
old style, the beautiful bungalow of Baker has now been modified
into the Taj Garden Retreat, a hotel with modern living facilities.
The Kerala State Tourism Development Corporation is converting
this place into a Tourist Complex. K.T.D.C. has constructed A.C.
Cottages here and it runs a floating restaurant. The Corporation
also provides boating facilities. Coconut lagoon is a beautiful
resort here.
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Situated
64kms from Kottayam, this enchanting hill station at an elevation
of 1100 metres above
sea level is a
trekker’s paradise. This enchanting hill station on the Idukki-Kottayam
border dotted with tea gardens and meadows, will soon be one of
India's foremost Eco tourism projects. The breeding centre of the
Kerala
Live stock Board is located here.
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The Poonjar Palace in Meenachil taluk
is a glorious testimony to the regal opulence of a bygone era. With
the palace walls, is an extra ordinary royal collection of antiques
and exquisite furniture which include a palanquin, a thoni carved
out of a single piece of wood for ayurvedic massages, huge chandeliers,
palm leaf engravings, jewel boxes, a variety of lamps, sculptures
of Nataraja (dancing Lord Siva ), grain measures, statues and
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weapons.
A unique couch preserved here is taken out once a year for ritualistic
purposes. Near the palace is an amazing replica of the Madurai
Meenakshi Temple. The walls of this temple have sculptures with
war fare stories from the Puranas (the legends of ancient India
). However the most fascinating thing here is the Chuttuvilakku
(row of lamps) carved out on the stonewalls of the Sastha Temple
nearby. Such rocks cut lamps are rare in India.
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Elaveezha poonchira, a hill station near
Melukavu Mattom, 60kms from Kottayam is gaining tourist importance.
Located among three beautiful hillocks Mankunnu, Kudayathoormala
and Thonippara, Poonchira is a place of picturesque charm. Legends
say that the pool here was a bathing place for Panchali the legendary
heroine of Mahabharata. The D.T.P.C. is developing this place into
a trekking spot. A tourist bungalow with rooms and dormitory to
accommodate 15 people
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has
been constructed. The beautiful valleys of Poonchira are spread
across thousands of acres. The verdant landscape punctuated by
the gigantic hills, each rising to around 3200 ft. is an ideal
place to unwind. During the monsoons when the valley fills up
to form a scenic lake, this place unveils yet another beautiful
slice of nature. Elaveezha poonchira means valley where leaves
don't fall and is named so because the place has no trees. This
is also one of the best places in Kerala to witness both the
sun rise and sunset.
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An
attraction of Kumarakom is the Bird sanctuary spreading over 14
acres of land. Located on the banks of the Vembanad Lake, the sanctuary
is a favourite haunt of migratory birds like the Siberian Stork,
egret, darter, heron and teal. Local birds like the water fowl,
cuckoo, owl and water hen, other common varieties like the wood
pecker, sky lark, crane and parrots can also be spotted here. 91
Species of local 50 species of migratory birds are found here.
The best time to bird watch is
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migratory birds during November-February. A cruise along the Vembanad
Lake is the best way to experience the sanctuary. |
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