come to kerala

the contribution to ecology...

2012-02-05T01:13:00.000-08:00

the pond at ambalapuzha sreekrishnaswamy temple

the temples and such religious places contribute a great deal to the ecological balance. in kerala, almost all temples have a large pond in it's premises. these ponds are used for taking bath, the religious rite of immersing the deity during festivals and other religiously important occasions etc. but actually these ponds contribute to the ecological balance and ozone layer of the earth. we never know whether our ancestors have included the ponds also with the temple complex with the purpose of ecological balance. but in reality, it happened so.

another view of the pond with the entrance to the premises on the other side

appu and friend inside the kulapura (house from which one can take bath) at the ambalapuzha temple complex.

beautiful reflections from the water on the wall

The Marvelous structures...

2012-01-24T18:23:00.000-08:00

The Sreekrishnaswamy Temple at Ambalapuzha is of architectural importance as there are numerous marvelous works by our ancestors. Decades back when the technology was not this much developed, wooden carvings and other such hand made structures were used extensively for buildings. We can witness many such wonders in and around this temple. The temple complex itself is a vast built up area with many buildings, balconies, and other structures. The Natakasala, meaning Drama Theatre, itself is a marvel. Built mainly out of wood and stone, we can find out intricately hand carved pieces of art built into this building.

The wooden rods used to hold together the roof railings are intricately carved into a screw like design. It seems that this wooden rod is screwed in through the other railings which are also made out of wood.

The accuracy with which this is made is amazing. In this technically advanced era also, these hand made pieces amaze us and leave us wonderstruck.

This is only a part of the marvelous work done by our ancestors. We can only imagine about the perfection of their calculation and execution.

first feast at Ambalapuzha

2012-01-13T18:15:00.000-08:00

The religious rite of giving the first solid food for my younger son was performed at the Ambalapuzha Sreekrishnaswamy Temple.

baby is going to get his first food (in solid form)..

Ambalapuzha Sreekrishna Swamy Temple where the rite was organised..

This Temple, which is in Alleppey District, is historically important. It has relevance in art, culture and literature in kerala. The Temple is adjacent to the old palace. The folk art of Ottanthullal, was originated here. Ottanthullal is very beautiful form of dance and drama which satirically narrates the epics of Kerala.

Appu in front of the Kalathattu (resting place)used by Kunchan Nambiar to introduce his art form

The thatched roof maintained in front of the temple was the place where all the drama happened. The legend is about Kunchan Nambiar (1705–1770) who introduced the new dance form called Ottanthullal. Nambiar was accompanying the Chakyar Koothu, the dance form which was very popular during that time with his Mizhavu, an ancient instrument.

The Mizhavu, Preserved at Ambalapuzha

Chakiar Koothu usually depicts epics like Ramayana, Mahabharatha etc. The peculiarity of this art is that the artist who performs Chakiar Koothu would be including the audience by mocking them in apt situations during the performance. During the performance Kunchan Nambiar became sleepy and he messed with the instrument. The performer of the dance mocked him in public and Kunchan Nambiar left the arena humiliated. The next evening when the Chakiar was performing before the audience, Kunchan Nambiar came in a new attire and started performing the new dance form which he called Ottan Thullal. The entire audience shifted to the place where he performed the dance. Chakiar lost his pride and a new form of art was born.

Ponthanpuzha again...

2012-01-07T11:19:00.000-08:00

My travelogue about trip through the backwaters in Cochin is not yet finished but meanwhile, we had a nice trip again to Ponthenpuzha forest. Appu insisted on going into the forest to have a bath in the small stream which comes from some place which is deep inside the forest. It is near Thacharickal Temple, about which I have posted earlier. Because of the season, the stream was not full. But enough clear, pure water was there which was enjoyed by Appu.

Appu was excited and took off his shirt to plunge into the water which was only knee deep in this area. Upstream it is deeper. But the water was chilling and clear. This stream comes through the backside of Thacharickal Temple and people believe it has the blessing of the deity.

appu trying to propel through the stream...!

Ponthanpuzha is a reserve forest. It spreads in both Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts. Thacharical was declared as a centre for folklore studies as the temple has importance in promoting arts like padayani, kolam etc.

journey continues...

2011-12-26T12:26:00.000-08:00

a beautiful view of the ship was visible from the boat. may be due to restrictions, they didn't take us near the ship which was in the oil tanker berth. but the feeling that we are passing through the deep channel was exciting...

beautiful views of the modern Ernakulam...

another views with the constructions going on... modern Ernakulam is a prime destination for investors who are interested in real estate...

a view of the boats with the rainbow bridge, which is a part of the marine drive walkway, in the background.

the travelogue about our journey through the backwaters is still to be continued and there are lots of pictures to be published...

A barge passed by...

2011-12-21T10:38:00.000-08:00

We were near the oil tanker berth of Cochin port and the children were happy and looked through the windows of our boat then on the the other side there was a something and it was...

a barge passing by with a heavy load of fertilizers. it was a beautiful site and we had the opportunity to take this picture through the fin like backside of our boat. the barge is a cheap alternative for the transport system through the road. the roads are usually congested or crowded.

Through the Shipping Channel

2011-12-19T18:33:00.000-08:00

The Shipping Channel of the Cochin Port is divided in to two. The Ernakulam and Mattancherry channels .The Ernakulum Channel is 4.90 Km long, with the width varying from 250 to 500 m and has a draft of 12.5 m up to the Oil Terminal and 9.14 m up to the wharves and the north and south tanker berths. Travel through this is really fantastic with the boat swaying to the sides gently in the high currents and big gentle waves. Boats which take the tourists go through the Shipping Channel upto a certain limit and let the tourists have a look at the ships berthed and the vastness of the Channel.

Looking back towards the left we can see the beautiful, new ferry jetty which is used by the ferry boats to take passengers from ernakulam to Vypeen and Fort Cochin. Before the bridges connecting the Vypeen island to the mainland was built thousands of commuters used to take the ferry daily on their way to the offices in Ernakulam.

boating through the shipping channel...

2011-12-18T09:44:00.000-08:00

Today we had a very good trip through the backwaters in Cochin, the Queen of Arabian Sea.

the boat which took us around the lake and the crude bridge which took us to the boat.

At this place, the Lake Vembanad meets the Arabian Sea. The meeting point of the lake and sea is at Fort Cochin. The Cochin Port is in this place. The Port is situated in a man made island. This island is 3.2 km² of land which was reclaimed during the dredging for shipping channel by Sir Robert Bristow. The island was named after Lord Willindon, Governor of Madras, who ordered the commissioning of the project. There are many locations of interest for the traveler.

Appu (green and blue striped shirt) getting into the boat

view of Cochin from the lake with the boats waiting for tourists.

due to the limitation of the speed of internet i am not able to include the entire journey into this post and, this travelogue would be continued please be in touch..........

happy reason...

2011-12-07T09:50:00.000-08:00

i have included this post because of querries from my blogger friends about the previous post...

the baby in the previous post is my second son born on 16th August 2011. i am also publishing picture of both my cute boys...

the elder Niranjan (also Appu) is the creator of the pictures which i publish in the blog http://appupaints.blogspot.com.. . and the younger is called Gopu (official name yet to be selected. thanks for all my friends who visited the blog and asked the question...

the happy reason...

2011-12-04T18:42:00.000-08:00

I was not able to post blogs frequently for the last few months... the reason is shown above...

Homestays in Fort Cochin

2011-11-27T16:41:00.000-08:00

Homestays are the best option for staying in tourist locations like Fort Cochin. Homestays are facilities run by families where the owner resides with family and rent out a few rooms. The tourists are received like guests and food is provided as if they are guests. The Government of Kerala has issued strict guidelines for running such establishments. Those who run homestays have to hand over the names and photographs of the family members to the local police and tourist authorities. After getting complaints, the police authorities started checking the homestays to ensure that they are following guidelines. Don't depend too much on the autorikshaw drivers to get access to the homestays. As for every other walks of life, the drivers also have among themselves, bad elements which malign their names. You can easily book homestays through the web or travel agents.

train journey

2011-11-10T09:43:00.000-08:00

chatting on the upper berth...

enjoy the journey...

Treasure of Kerala

2011-07-06T11:27:00.000-07:00

The Sreepadmanabhaswami Temple in Kerala hid treasure worth crores of rupees for centuries. This was revealed when the treasure cellars were opened under the order of Supreme Court. The images of these treasures are yet to be published. Only a few officers were allowed to enter other than the members of the royal family of Travancore. These chests contained lots of golden chains, ornaments, things used for rituals which were made out of gold, royal crowns etc.

The Court further ordered those who are involved in the stock taking process, to abstain from declaring the value or disclosing the details to the press and other media.

Anyway, this is amazing.....

It is power cut today...

2011-06-20T10:27:00.000-07:00

Today something happened at the power station at Moolamattom, Idukki, from where a major portion of the supply of electricity to the entire kerala is drawn. The power was going on and off. We had to search the candles and help ourselves with the soft light of candles. Appu took this as an opportunity to experiment (or play) with the candles. The above picture was taken by him using our Nikon Coolpix L21. He used a torchlight which he used from his side to the candle, to enhance the lighting effect. The result was amazing. I was never able to have such pictures. Inspired by his act, my husband also grabbed the camera and took some photographs. He turned the focus to the corner which we have dedicated for the gods. In Kerala, we used to light the traditional lamp with coconut oil in it for rituals. This picture also came out in good shape, may be not as good as Appu's photograph.

The picture which included the idols were also good though not so clear. I have collected these from our journey though Kerala. Some of them are made out bronze, some are wooden and some are made out of clay.

Before posting these pictures, the urge for which was irresistible, I asked myself the question "whether these have relevance in a blog which is meant for travel?". But I think these showcase the culture of our country. Let others have a glimpse!

Logos Hope leaving...

2011-06-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

Logos Hope which was a hit when embarked at North Cole Warf at Cochin in Kerala is preparing to close the exhibition and leave. The ship will be at Cochin for about 10 more days to have rest for the crew. The crowd turn out became a record when more than 16000 people visited the ship on last saturday.

Appu was happy to visit the ship and the memory is beautiful...

LOGOS HOPE

2011-05-28T13:12:00.000-07:00

Today, we had a great opportunity to visit Logos Hope, the largest floating book stall in the world. Years back, we have visited Logos Doulos. This is a bigger and more cool ship. The visit of Logos Hope was officially innaugurated by Smt.Bhadra Suresh, Hon.Deputy Mayor of Corporation of Kochi. It was exciting to know that the ship has crew from all over the world including Kerala. Appu was very much excited to have a visit to the Ship.

The Ship was having the invitation to come on board, painted on it. I have narrated Appu about the visit to Doulos and cautioned him to limit his expectations, because usually they don't allow outsiders to visit anywhere except a small portion of the ship.

Before going inside, Appu posed outside the North Coal Warf where the ship was embarked. There was heavy crowd waiting for the entry ticket. It was priced at Rs.50/- for adults and children upto 18 years were rightly admitted free of cost.

The crew were friendly and helpful. They announced in different languages. They have encouraged everybody to have enough time in browsing through the books. The prices were in units. 1 unit was equivalent to 80 rupees. There were books for every taste. Appu selected some books which included his favourite subject - Magic.

After the books, we had our refreshments at the vast cafeteria. Appu wanted to have his picture taken with the cafeteria in the background. I have asked and one crew member kindly allowed us to take the picture. The visit to the ship is so informative, educating and spiritually awakening which nobody should miss.

Humayun's Tomb

2011-05-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

This is the main entrance to Humayun's Tomb. This itself is a marvel. The first thing which come before you would be the shallow canal which is flowing slowly. This canal seems to be passing through the tomb complex. The typical mughal garden is well kept. The canal is ending into the fountain. Going further, you can enter into the Tomb which is a predecessor of Taj Mahal.

It is really stunning to watch the tomb with the clear streams crossing over. During the Partition of India, in August 1947 the Humayun's Tomb became major refugee camp for Muslims migrating to the newly founded Pakistan.

The Garden Tomb

2011-05-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

This month I had the opportunity to visit the Humayun's Tomb in New Delhi. Mirak Mirza Ghiyath, a Persian was the Architect who designed this monument. This is the first distinct example of Mughal style architecture.And Mughal style was inspired by the Persian Architecture. This was declared a world heritage monument in 1993. The Humayun's Tomb inspired many Mughal architectural innovations and culminated into the construction of the 'Taj Mahal'. This tomb was constructed by Biga Begum, the widow of Humayun in 1569-70, 15 years after the death of Humayun who was the second emperor of India. This was later used for the burial of several members of the royal family. Thus it could be rightly called the necropolis of the Mughal Dynasty.

This monument is at the centre of a typical Mughal Garden laid out in four-fold style. The garden is well kept and beautiful. It is really cool to walk into.

The pavement leads to the Gateway. From the entrance itself you would be stunned by the beauty of Humayun's tomb.

waterscape...

2011-01-04T08:34:00.000-08:00

this is a water scape which is near kumbalam, ernakulam, in kerala. this place was an island which got connected to the mainland by the bye pass of national highway 47. this place is very beautiful with backwaters, fishing and enough transport facilities. may be, this picture has the horizon which is not horizontal. this shows fishermen starting off for next catch from a boat jetty. this lake part of the 'lake vembanad' which is the largest in kerala and this kind of boats are used usually by fishermen. it has space just enough for two people and some fish.

worship the vehicle...

2010-12-29T09:55:00.000-08:00

this is a view of the 'vahanapooja' which is a customary worship of the new vehicle. in kerala everybody does this, if he is a hindu, christian or muslim. those belonging to different religions offers this worship according to their own custom. the vehicle is brought in front of the temple and the ritual is done. in front of each wheel a lemon is placed and the driver starts the vehicle. the lemon is ruptured when the vehicle runs over it. posted here is a hindu style worship. it is done at 'erumeli' which is a major temple on the way to sabarimala. lord ayyappan is the diety here. sabarimala is situated deep inside the forest in pathanamthitta district. now is the prime season to visit sabarimala.

Home of Elephants...

2010-11-22T17:13:00.000-08:00

We have visited Punnathurkotta a sanctuary for elephants maintained by Guruvayoor Devaswam. Here more than 50 elephants which were donated (in actual sense given as offerings to the Lord Guruvayoorappan) by devotees of Guruvayoorappan. This place was a palace under the 'Punnathoor Rajas'. This 10 acre compound is about 3kms away from Guruvayoor which is situated in Trichur District in Kerala. All the facilities are provided for the well being of the elephants. There is a temple in this compound also.

a view of the sanctuary...

elephant taking a bath in the sanctuary...

another view of the elephants...

the palace...

this is a place which no traveler with a bend for nature can miss...

Valiyazheekkal...

2010-10-31T19:32:00.000-07:00

enjoying the beach near the harbour...

this is a revisit to Valiazheekkal about which i have posted in 2008 April...

this place was destroyed by the tsunami in 2004...

the new bridge which was built under the tsunami relief scheme...
this connects the mainland to the small strip of land on the banks of Arabian Sea where Valiazheekkal is located...

Belur

2010-10-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

This is a few snaps from my tour to Belur which is in Hassan District of Karnataka. This was constructed during the Hoysala Dynasty. Belur was the capital of Hoysala Kingdom. One can visit Chennakesava temple complex which contains the Chennakesava Temple (Chennakeshava means 'handsome Vishnu') as the centre piece, surrounded by the Kappe Chennigraya temple. This is a beautiful example of the Hoysala architecture. This was built by King Vishnuvardhana to commemorate the victory over Cholas. It is said that the Hoysala Kings took 107 years to complete this temple which is full of intricate statues...

hundreds of tourists visit this beautiful place...

One of the beautiful statues which you can find in Belur...

It is anatomically perfect and carved in such a way that you can find out that each bead in her ornaments are separate as if it is a real garland made of beads...

Shravanabelagola

2010-09-11T18:42:00.000-07:00

the steps leading to bahubali temple at Shravanabelagola.

to the temple...

after reaching the hilltop, you still have to climb to the temple...

considered to be the largest single stone statue in the world, bahubali atop the hill at Shravanabelagola is a beautiful, imposing statue. The 57 ft. (17.5 mtr.) tall magnificient monolithic statue was declared sacred by Chavundaraya, the Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief in the Talakad Ganga Kingdom in 981 A.D

this picture shows how big the statue is...

Shravanabelagola is in Hassan district in Karnataka state in India. It is about 140 km away from Bangalore, capital of Karnataka. Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation operates conducted tours with A/C Volvo buses to this place. The journey with them is safe, comfortable and reliable.

and we have reached...

2010-06-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

When we reached the baba mandir, there were lots of tourists... This place is about 15 km away from tthe Tsmogo lake and at an altitude of thirteen thousand feet from the sea level. This mandir (temple) is built by the Indian Army in memory of Captain Harbhajan Singh (Baba) who drowned in a glacier near Nathula pass bordering China. The small cafe here is called 'Cafe 13 thousand.'

near the 'cafe 13 thousand'

Life at this altitude...

2010-06-20T10:35:00.000-07:00

We can see with awe that people live at these altitudes also...

the border roads organisation toiling hard to keep these roads in shape...

on the way to baba mandir...

2010-06-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

the terrain with snow clad peaks in the background

playing with ice on the way...

fog or is it the clouds?

2010-06-19T05:44:00.000-07:00

going further was a difficult as the fog engulfed us.... or is it the clouds which we watch far above when we are at home?

the road becoming more and more difficult...

our next destination is very much near the nathula pass which is the meeting point of indian and chinese borders...

the driver described about the temple under the control of indian army...

More roads which are difficult to tread....

2010-06-14T18:24:00.000-07:00

The journey through this altitude is exciting....

and this is not the end of the road....

and there is the beautiful Tsmogo Lake perched high on the himalayan ranges of Gangtok...

with the clouds touching the beautiful hills that surround the lake...

road to Tsmogo Lake through difficult terrain...

2010-06-13T16:08:00.000-07:00

the road became difficult...

difficult....

difficult...

difficult...and

difficult...

Through the mudslides we went on...

2010-06-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

We went up slowly and carefully through the area where the road is slippery due to the mudslides which was cleared, apparently by the army, to ....

..see around the corner...

...the beautiful sight of the clouds touching the earth at the hills of Gangtok....

the beauty of this hill state was hiding away from me for all these years...

Falling Rocks...

2010-06-08T17:24:00.000-07:00

Falling of Rocks on to the road is a familiar sight on the way leading to Tsmogo Lake Gangtok...

Army comes and help clear the road and life of people of this area....

the Popcorn Seller.....

2010-06-04T16:24:00.000-07:00

There are popcorn sellers on the way up to Tsmogo Lake in Gangtok... They say that the popcorn helps you in high terrains where there is scarcity of oxygen... Don't know if it is real...

Gangtok....landscape

2010-06-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

Peruliar land scape of Gangtok which 5480 feet above sea level is such that you can always look down from the vehicle to see the dwelling places. Almost all roads wind up to the hill. It is a beautiful sight....

Bakthang Falls...

2010-06-02T18:33:00.000-07:00

This beautiful water fall originates from Ratey Chu, the main water source of Gangtok. A 20 minutes drive from Gangtok along 31 A National Highway would take you here. The place is clean, green, cool and peaceful.

Reaching Gangtok ....

2010-06-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

The Road Trip to Gangtok...

Gangtok which is 124 kilometers away from Bagdogra is reachable by road... You have to spend almost 5 hours in the vehicle travelling through the mountain terrain along the river. You can avail the helicopter service also. This takes about 20 minutes and rupees 1500/- per person... The journey by road is really breath taking as the entire stretch is through the banks of river teesta. On the side which is deep ridge, you can see teesta flowing by...

River Teesta accompanying you throughout your travel from Bagdogra to Gangtok

tour to Gangtok and Dargeeling....

2010-05-30T17:53:00.000-07:00

on our way to Gangtok......

I was not able to post for the last few days of this month. The reason being my tour to the northern parts of India, Gangtok and Dargeeling. Being from south India, this tour opened eyes towards the beauty of other parts of India and also the sacrifice of the soldiers who brave the weather and tough terrain to guard the country. It is a model to other states of India, how the people of the state of Sikkim find a means of living through tourism. The drivers who took us to places were enthusiastic, brave and friendly. Some of them told they make a good living through working all the day. Some of them informed us that they bulit good houses, brought own vehicles and living happily. Hard work is paying for them. Being an strong supporter of my native place, i never hesistate to describe the beauty of other places like Gangtok and Dargeeling.

above the clouds on our way to the North East states..

I 'll come up with more about this trip in my next posts....

god's own country....

2010-05-03T16:02:00.000-07:00

the nice yard of my house with the beauty of shade caused by trees....

the island of vypeen...

2010-04-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

A fishing boat coming back to the dusk at Cochin after venturing into the Arabian Sea....

Fishing from an embarked boat...

visiting marine drive again....

2010-04-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

walk through marine drive walkway, cochin, kerala, with a view of cheenavala (chinese net) bridge ahead

a view of the walkway from the bridge

visiting the temple amidst ponthanpuzha forest ....again......

2010-04-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

this temple is located amidst deep forest...

i have posted about this place sometime before...

this month, during the school vaccation, i visited this place again...

the diety is thacharical amma, and.....

.....name of the forest is ponthanpuzha reserve forest, which is located at the border of Kottayam District in Kerala...

views at bay of cochin

2010-03-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

dredger passing through to deepen the ship channel...

ferry crossing over from fort cochin to vypeen...

beauty of cochin....

2010-03-21T06:27:00.000-07:00

Ferry boat crossing the shipping channel at the Cochin Port...

Chinese fishing nets lined up near the port channel at Cochin....

vembanad lake meets with arabian sea...

2010-02-27T09:34:00.000-08:00

A cruise boat is waiting lazily during a quiet and peaceful evening... This picture was taken from Marine Drive, the most beautiful place in Kochi, Kerala... This lake extends up to Arabian sea... This place has historical importance... On the left side of this boat in the background you can see the Willingdon Island, land reclaimed from the lake around 1939. The island is named after the erstwhile governor of Madras who conceived the project and Robert Bristow was the chief engineer of this project. On the right is the island of Vypeen. This island is believed to be created by floods...

Tourist boat plying lazily in the lake with a big passenger ship in the background

offerings...

2010-02-23T08:19:00.000-08:00

a pooja (offerings for god's grace) going on before the swasthi chakra shown in my previous blog. natural lights using traditional lamps is used. coconut oil is used in these lamps with wicks made out of cotton cloth...

swasti chakra

2010-02-21T18:17:00.000-08:00

making of a kalam(pattern)

Hindus in Kerala use kalam(patterns made out of natural powders like rice, turmeric, leaves etc.) for attracting devine powers while making big poojas(offerings). Here, the swasthi is being prepared. It is interesting to watch the ingenuity which they use in making of these patterns. They don't use scale or other devices which the modern world use to make these patterns. Instead they use a portion of the palm leaf in a special manner for this purpose.

view of the almost pattern which is almost complete

entrance - janardhanaswamy temple

2010-02-18T07:13:00.000-08:00

This is the gopuram (tower at the entrance) of janardhanaswamy temple, at varkala, about which i have mentioned in this blog on 16th of this month. This gopuram is also an example of the ancient architecture.

paravoor beach

2010-02-17T19:05:00.000-08:00

paravoor pozhi

paravoor, en route varkala, is a very beautiful place where the ashtamudi lake meets the arabian sea. The place where this meeting takes place is a place of beauty to watch

janardanaswamy temple...

2010-02-16T17:05:00.000-08:00

janardanaswamy temple, which is about 2000 years old, is a very beautiful place. it is perched on a hilltop near varkala beach. the stone statues are marvelous. people come here to pay homage to the departed soules dear and near. though the climb to the hill is tough, the atmosphere is peaceful....

steps leading to the temple

the arch in front of the temple

kerala style gopuram (tower at the entrance) of the temple

varkala

2010-02-15T10:33:00.000-08:00

Varkala is a place which is famous for sivagiri, a shrine connected with the social reformer Srinarayana Guru.
The Temple of Janardanaswamy, which is 2000years old is also another attraction of this place. Nowadays, this place is visited by thousands of foreign tourists. The calm sea is safe for a plunge into and to be played with.

varkala beach with the cliffs adjacent to it..

a view of the beach near the beach hotel

another view of the beach

vavar mosque

2010-02-09T18:01:00.000-08:00

vavar mosque at erumely, pathanamthitta district, kerala

According to the legend, Vavar, a muslim saint who was a pirate who came to conquer and loot Pandalam, in Kerala. Vavar was defeated by Lord Ayyappa and Vavar became a diciple of Ayyappa. Today, the mosque is visited by the devotees of Ayyappa before the pigrimage to sabarimala.

useful blog found

2010-02-07T16:47:00.000-08:00

while browsing i found a blog which is very useful for those who are in adventure tourism.
it is adventureengine......

temple

2010-02-07T15:08:00.000-08:00

mattummel temple

temples can be found everywhere in kerala. giant banyan trees are always there near the temples. people of kerala worship these trees also.

Thaikal Beach.............

2010-02-05T17:26:00.000-08:00

A visit to the Thaikal Beach, near the pilgrimage spot ARTHUNKAL at Alleppey district is a very refreshing experience. Here you can experience almost untouched peaceful beauty of this beach. Arthunkal is famous for the St. Andrews Forane Church which was built in 1581. Visiting this place has the advantage in both ways, a pilgrimage and visit to a calm, beautiful village in the seashore in Kerala. This place is reachable both from Cochin (44 kilometers towards south) and Alleppey (22 kilometers towards northern direction)

a view of the beach from the road.

a view of the beach

This part of the beach is highly active, with the sea always full of fishing vessels. The fishermen use their traditional country boats made of wood. This is a view worth watching.

fishing boats venturing into the sea

Durbar Hall Ground....

2010-02-04T09:35:00.000-08:00

Today Durbar Hall is worth mentioning because of the vast lawn, where the people of this busy city of Cochin gather in the evenings to spend a quiet and peaceful time. It is a beautiful, green and clean place. This 2 acre land is adjuscent to the Durbar Hall, where the king of Cochin used to hold his durbar. This place is famous historically for proclamations, administrative reforms (04-Jan-1938), new constitution of the Cochin State (17-Jun-1938) etc. and as a venue of Cochin State Central War Committee on 28-Jun-1940.

Now the place became a beauty by the efforts of Ernakulam District Tourism Promotion Council, which was completed during 1998-99.Some of the significant proclamations, like the administrative reforms of January 4, 1938, the new constitution of the Cochin State of June 17, 1938, and the formation of the Cochin State Central War Committee on June 28, 1940, were all made at this very ground.

the historical place which transformed into a place of beauty....

another beautiful view of Durbar Hall Ground on the right side of which is

the Durbar Halll which now is housing an art gallery run by the lalithakala academy.

Come to Cochin

2010-02-02T18:28:00.000-08:00

Cochin can be reached by all the means of transport.
Cochin International Airport is situated at nedumbassry 25 km away from the city. It was established in 2005. The airport has domestic terminal, international terminal, vast car parking area, shopping area and all other passenger amenities.

a view of the international terminal at Cochin International Airport

Vallarpadam..... Cochin

2010-02-01T18:41:00.000-08:00

The main attractions are church of our lady of Ransom. It was established in 1524 by the Portuguese.

After this was destroyed by the floods in the 17th century, the chrch was rebuilt in 1676. It was declared

as a special church by Pope Leo XIII in 1888.

Entrance of the bridge leading to vallarpadam.

The longest rail bridge in India is being completed in Vallarpadam.

The bridge is 4.62 kms long, and crosses the Vembanad lake to reach the mainland.

the walkway at marine drive, cochin

2010-01-30T16:12:00.000-08:00

a view of the lake with the port on the other side

boats waiting for the evening cruise

hill palace

2010-01-27T08:48:00.000-08:00

another view of hill palace, cochin which is under rennovation

hill palace

2010-01-26T05:41:00.000-08:00

old fountain with seating arrangement made out of cement

hill palace...

2010-01-23T16:34:00.000-08:00

Hill palace was built on this beautiful hilltop in 1865.
Today you can visit the mini zoo also which was setup recently. The zoo, deer part with spotted deer, sambar etc., is run by the Society for the Preservation of Hill Palace premises..

hill palace, cochin

2010-01-21T05:19:00.000-08:00

Hill palace, which was the house of the royal family of Cochin is situated near Tripunithura, 10km away from cochin. The palace complex consists of about 50 buildings sprawling in 52 acres of land. The name derives from its location. The palace occupies a hill, in full, surrounded by beautiful flora.

a view of the palace

a view of the steps that lead you to the palace

looking around from my home...

2009-12-07T19:13:00.000-08:00

lonely fisherman

2009-12-03T09:30:00.000-08:00

this man is hunting for living in the vastness of the lake 'vembanad', which covers three districts kottayam, allepey and ernakulam.

KERALA means land of KERA or coconut....

2009-12-01T09:04:00.000-08:00

you can find coconut trees everywhere across kerala...

the surroundings of this highway is not an exception..

this is 'kuttanad' the rice bowl of kerala...

surrounded by water, paddy fields and coconut....

road through the green......................

2009-11-30T17:08:00.000-08:00

it is a highway which connects districts alleppey and kottayam....

paddy fields.......

2009-11-20T05:20:00.000-08:00

the paddy field is ripe and ready for harvesting.........

travelling through kuttanad in alleppey you can watch beautiful sights like this..

Durbar Hall again..........

2009-11-20T05:11:00.000-08:00

it is durbar hall, ernakulam, again..

this time a full, beautiful, long distant view with the beautiful lawn in front of it....

this landscape is developed for the people to spend evenings, in a cool, refreshing atmosphere....

this gives a breathing space for the busy city of cochin, which otherwise is highly congested...

the peaceful, green kerala

2009-11-18T15:56:00.000-08:00

while traveling through the villages in kerala, you can find calm, green places, through which villagers traveling leisurely to their workplace.

the beautiful rainy road......

2009-11-18T15:50:00.000-08:00

It is a very cool experience to pass through the road which connects alleppey an changanassery, while the rain clouds are hovering above......

Temple at Perumpetti............................

2009-11-16T15:50:00.000-08:00

Two dieties in a temple...
This is the peculiarity of the temple at perumpetti, which is situated in pathanamthitta district.
This temple looks different with two flagposts (kodimaram in malayalam)...

Cochin, the beautiful port......................

2009-11-13T09:35:00.000-08:00

night view of cochin

2009-10-25T03:41:00.000-07:00

poornathrayeesan at tripunithura....

2009-10-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

this temple has historic importance which is connected with the kingdom of cochin, ie. tripunithura royal family...

athachamayam, which is a colourful procession is the prime attraction of this temple.

this is organised in connection with onam festival every year.

durbar hall ground...

2009-10-17T19:53:00.000-07:00

durbar hall ground is now a place where people come to spend evenings.

it is a scenic and pleasant spot in the heart of the city of cochin.

adjacent to it is durbar hall, the assembly hall of kings who ruled cochin and now converted into an art gallery.

meeting 'santhosh george kulangara'...............

2009-10-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

it was pleasure to meet mr.santhosh george kulangara, who is famous for his video travelogues...
he has travelled more than 60 countries ALONE !
he is just like s.k.pottekkad, malayalam writer who inspired the childhoods with his travelogues, like 'kappirikalude nattil' etc.......
mr. santhosh is inspiring with his style of using maximum malayalam words in his travelogues....
it is a speciality.........

rain coming to cochin.....

2009-10-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

rainy season, best for medical tourism (ayurvedic)

children in beach at alleppey

2009-09-10T11:23:00.000-07:00

Onam...Children

2009-09-09T10:55:00.000-07:00

Watch children playing with the happiness of onam...........

Onam Festivities...............

2009-09-09T10:49:00.001-07:00

Watch people enjoying at Alleppey Beach during Onam....

Onam

2009-09-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

Onam is an important festival season in kerala....
Every Keralite, breaking all the differences of caste, creed etc, celebrate this festival....
We celebrate with the grand feast on the day of Thiruonam, which this year was on the second of September, and decorating houses with designs made out of flowers.
This design is called 'Pookkalam'....
See this beautiful design made out of different kinds of flowers....

park...........

2009-06-07T18:56:00.000-07:00

childrens' park - ernakulam

children enjoying in the childrens' park in ernakulam..

temple..

2009-06-07T18:49:00.001-07:00

beautiful view of a temple in kerala

the rainy season arrived

2009-06-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

lake and the distant cochin across it in mansoon..............

rainy season and medical tourism......

2009-06-07T03:34:00.001-07:00

in ayurvedic system, rainy season is considered best for ayurvedic rejuvenating treatments...

there are many firms, organisations and hospitals (traditionally known as vaidyasala) which do this...

Kerala Ayurveda which is famous in the US also is one of them..

Kottakkal Aryavaidyasala started by Vaidyaratnam P.S.Varyar is another, very famous institution. They have a very famous kathakali troupe also.....

both have very good team of doctors and other medical staff..

from the other side of city

2009-05-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

a view of the "queen of Arabian sea" from the other side of lake...........

lake view......

2009-04-25T23:44:00.002-07:00

watch the lake and the long bridge to cross it.....
at AROOR in Alleppey....

waterscape again

2009-04-22T10:35:00.000-07:00

here it is intermittent rain......
and beautiful waterscapes....

it is that scenic beauty again...........

2009-04-21T18:38:00.001-07:00

i have got this picture of the river, which is very beautiful while travelling by train through kuttanad, the land of paddy fields....
travelling through this beautiful place, i have reached a village in alleppey...

have a look at the view from the inside of an ordinary kerala house in the village in kerala.

water water everywhere.....

2009-04-21T05:58:00.000-07:00

travelling this season through 'kuttanad', the soul of god's own country you can enjoy the whole area covered in water...

the reason being that, after harvest the paddy fields were drenched in water...
this helps the paddy fields to prepare by itself for next agricultural activity...

the beautiful light house at alleppey

2009-04-20T04:32:00.001-07:00

while going again, through alleppey by train on the coastal railway, i saw this beautiful light house looking through the trees at me...

Thacharickal Temple....

2009-03-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

The best time to visit Alapra.....

The Devi Temple is celebrating annual festival with padayani (traditional temple art). The festival starts on 24th of this month and lasts for a week...

The speciality of this temple is its location amidst the forests of ponthanpuzha. A scenic place

You can witness padayani, different types of kolam(traditional form of art and procession), adavi(a very beautiful form of traditional cultural procession with has a very deep relation with the nature), etc....

This temple is very near to Oottupara, Sankupathalam, etc...

This place is in Kottayam District towards its border with the district of pathanamthitta...

Nature lovers can't miss this occation.....

banasurasagar

2009-03-09T07:49:00.001-07:00

this is the place for those who like enjoy the scenic beauty of lake which is playing hide and seek. banasurasagar is actually a dam site. the dam is built across karaman reverlet which is part of kabani river. this place is a cluster of about 27-28 small islands formed by the reservoir.

located in waynad district in kerala. the nearest city is kozhikode (calicut). you have to travel 72 km from here. or alight at padinjarathara and go by auto. the nearest town is kalpetta (about 25 kms).

visitors are restricted during monsoon during which the place will be flooded to frighten us.

boating is an attraction of this place.

hotels and homestays are available at kalpetta.

SLE & my dear Suryagayathri

2008-12-05T17:12:00.000-08:00

I was not able to post anything....

Because while online, i was always searching for details of SLE (Systemic lupus erythematosus), the disease which took away our dear neice Suryagayathri from us...
She, after long term treatment in Amritha Institute of Medical Sciences, departed us on 26th of November 2008, at the age of 19.

This is the most cruel disease we have met..

She was a person who was always peppy, smart and loveable....

May her soul rest in peace....

I used her picture while I had the picture 'atop oottupara' in my blog....

visit the official site of Nehru Trophy.....

2008-08-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

while browsing I found this official site of Nehru trophy.....
http://nehrutrophy.nic.in

this site provides lots of information which included this "how to reach"...

080 Km. South of Cochin International Airport – 70 minutes journey by NH 47
062 Km. South of Kochi – An hour drive from Kochi by NH 47
170 Km. North of Kovalam – 3 ½ hours journey by NH 47
155 Km. North of Trivandrum – 3 hours journey by NH 47
125 Km. West of Thekkady – 3 hours journey by road
050 Km. West of Kottayam – 1 hour journey by road

a very useful site....

chundan from ernakulam....

2008-07-23T18:01:00.000-07:00

For the first time in the history of Nehru Trophy Boat Race, which has a history of 57 years, a boat club from Ernakulam district is participating with a Chundan Vallom..

Amrutha Boat Club, which has won 'iruttukuthi' category for the last 4 years, is venturing into the grand 'chundan' category...

Chundan is nothing other than the Snake boat...

No other club has ever participated in this category from Ernakulam District....

Amrutha Boat Club will be participating with "Ayaparambu Valiyadivanji"....

Wish you all success

Nehru Trophy Boat Race.......

2008-07-15T22:27:00.000-07:00

Here again comes the grand fiesta of snake boats....

The date this time is "August 9th, 2008"

To commemorate the visit and memories of Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru, people of Alleppey conducts this race every year on the second saturday of August...

The venue of the race is "Lake Punnamada"... which has a 1370 m long race track.

The advancement of the boats resembles that of snakes, as the oresmen work up their way in unison...

The preparation of almost a month brings its fruit here...

You will be excited with heat of the competition....

You can witness 'chundan vallm', 'vaipu vallom', 'odi vallom', 'iruttukuthi vallom', etc.. which are different kinds of boats used in kerala

a useful link to book the tickets http://ntbr.igitec.com/index.php

stepping on to a small boat

2008-07-09T18:47:00.002-07:00

stepping on the small boat used in the kuttanad area of kerala is really an art..
these boats are called "kothumbu vallam"..
kothumbu vallam is very small.. about 4 feet long and one foot wide.
you have to really bend your lets and sit on your your calves...
this does not have that small piece of wood to sit on...

and you should have to balance the boat with the help of your body and the paddle...

from alleppey to changanacherry

2008-07-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

There is a cananl near alleppey bus station, one of many which were dug by Raja Kesava Das, the creator of modern Alleppey.
These were dug for commercial purposes and goes through the length and breadth of Alleppey.
Now this canal is full of house boats...
It is very convenient to board the boat from here as it is near the bus stand...
For other passengers also roads are there on both banks of the canal..

On the way to Changanacherry, which is in Kottayam district, by road you will be passing through the middle of vast paddy fields...

A very beautiful sight..
Water almost touches the road on both the sides..

A canal, which was made actually to provide sand to make this road runs through the side...

You can see villages on the route...

People's life is based, maninly on agricultural related activities..

On the road you can see people selling fish, freshly caught...
and ducks...

Small houses are situated on the small medians between the paddy fields...

Looking further, you can see houses, which are on small islands between the paddy fields...

During floods, and intervals between the harvests, when the paddy fields are filled with water, people have to depend on small boats to come to the main land.

Riding the small boats, which are called 'kothumbu vallam', is just like riding a bicycle.. You need to have balance to ride....

Looking on... You will have the urge to venture into these paddy fields...

These paddy fields are also below the water level...
This is possible, because water does not go through the clay...
This is a peculiarity of this area....

Looking on, you may sometimes be lucky to watch the mountains, as faint seen in the east.. You will be luck if you can witness this.. You will be watching another geographical area from here.

Reaching Changanacherry.. We are in another geographical area...

From here you can to to Kumarakom, or the hilly eastern ghats...

Rain, Rain,.....don't have to go away!

2008-07-06T19:44:00.000-07:00

The best season to visit kuttanad.....
Enjoy rain from a vallam....
Vallam is a traditionally built boat, non-mechanised...
Go through the paddy fields, which are below water level....
A mysterious site.....