Air:
The nearest airport is Cochin, 64 km to the north; Trivandrum International
Airport is 159 km to the south.
Rail: Alleppey has recently been linked to Cochin by rail.
The Alleppey Railway Station is 5 km from the central bus stand
and the boat jetty.
Road: Alleppey is on the NH 47 highway
and is connected to all-important towns in south India by public
state transport buses.
Houseboat Boat / Motorboat: Alleppey
is linked by boat services through the backwaters to Quilon and Changanassery,
Kottayam, Cochin, Kumarakom, Kavalam and Chengannur, Kuttanad places.
The
Venice of East,Kerala; One of the beautiful backwater houseboats places
in the world. To label Alappuzha (The Malayalam name for Alleppey) The
'Venice of the East' might today appear a far-etched clichés of
travelogue writers, but this quaint little town is certainly the Venice
of the East, Alleppey (Alappuzha). Nowhere else will you find, spread
out across the center of town, a unique crisscrossing network of canals
& lagoons on which thatch covered country boats punt (houseboats)
along leisurely. The proximity of lakes adds to the Venetian ambience.
But
when Raja Kesavadasan, the Dewan of Travancore (king), founded the town
in 1762, there was just one canal through the strip of sand between the
backwaters and the sea. This soon grew into a bustling waterway, with
shops, factories and commercial establishments springing up on either
bank of the canal. This attracted merchants from other parts of the country
from Europe, America and some other business countries.
By the mid-19th Century, the sea had receded a mile, offering more land
along the sand strip. Trading vessels soon began to call on Alleppey (Alappuzha).
In 1859 the first organized coir factory & products was started here
and began producing matting from coir yarn on a loom developed by an English
sea captain. Soon other British company -owned weaving establishments
followed.
Meanwhile,
in 1816, the Church Missionary Society set up its local headquarters in
Alleppey(Alappuzha).
(Christ society of India ) and three years later the first Anglican Church
was built. In 1851 Alleppey had the honor of housing the first post office
in the erstwhile Travancore State (kerala). The commercial importance
of Alleppey (Alappuzha) began to decline after the late 1920s with the
development of Cochin (queen of Arabia) into a major port.
However,
today Alleppey(Alappuzha) is still a major center for trade in coir products,
copra (dried coconut meat) and coconut oil for cooking and Ayurvedic products.
Thanks to its long beach coast, Alleppey(Alappuzha). is also a center
for fishing and marine products processing activities, have a good beach
and looking to development for Tourist Ships.
Govt
is taking steps for promoting tourism in Alleppey(Alappuzha).
For
tourists Alleppey(Alappuzha) is the pivotal point for trips into Kerala's
famed backwaters (houseboats & motor boats) and the state's lush rice
bowl, Kuttanad, Between Quilon to the south and Kottayam to the east lie
some of the most entrancing scenery of palm-lined banks, islands, quiet
water-bound villages and little boats taking the local people to and fro-everything
framed in green.
Apart from the boat trips through the town's many canals and lakes, and the
Mullackal Bhagavathi Temple in the heart of town, Alleppey(Alappuzha) offers
glimpses of the coir manufacturing process-from the coconut husk to the final
rope / coir yarn stage. There are also several shops selling coir matting and
carpets, often at prices cheaper than elsewhere.
The long sandy beach at Alleppey (Alappuzha)
has a lighthouse and a pier jutting out into the sea, once active in
the unloading of goods from cargo ships calling at Alleppey(Alappuzha).
Children can romp in the Vijay Beach Park.
Kerala
Snake boat race
The not-to-be-missed spectacle in Alleppey(Alappuzha)
is, of course, the Nehru Trophy Boat Race which began in 1952 on the occasion
of the visit of India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, to Alleppey(Alappuzha),
It is now a major event held on the second Saturday of every August and
features the gigantic snake-boats of Kerala, the chundans, once the battleships
of the Malayalee kings of yore.
Today the Boat Race has grown into Alleppey (Alappuzha) single most
important tourist event, with each boat being sponsored by a different
village. Competition is severe as the boats, with over 120 rowers in
each, race to the finish to the accompaniment of rousing music. World
famous snake boat race is in Alleppey (Alappuzha) is on second Saturday
of August on every year.
Houseboats construction
Now Alleppey (Alappuzha) is becoming famous for houseboat building,
more than 50 houseboats are building per year. One houseboats cost Rs.25,00,000/-(euro)
Houseboats are moving into the venbanad lake with the tourist, it can
go to kottayam, cochin, kumarakom, changanassery, thanner mukkam, muhamma,
kollam (quilon), kayamkulam etc….
Grant Jepson, 40, British Nationalist, Marine engineer, he had an experience
in 25 years in boat building in Europe: Holland , England, Indonesia
etc.... he came as a tourist in kerala on 2002 and traveled in a houseboat
at Alleppey (Alappuzha),He taken a key Interested to build a houseboat
in Alleppey (Alappuzha), but it is building a Eco friendly, Green
Palm and unique houseboat, 100% pollution free. The Govt. of India is
supporting visa for his new venture....
A
traveler can use Alleppey (Alappuzha) as a base to make excursions to
nearby historical sites and scenic spots. Pathiramanal, (near kumarakom)
a beautiful little island in the Vembanad Lake; it is the largest lake
in the Asia, which can be reached only by boat, is set to be developed
as a major tourist spot. The Sri Krishna temple at Ambalapuzha, 14 km
from Alleppey (Alappuzha), is among kerala's more famous ones, boating
through of the typical temple architectural style of the state. It is
equally famed for its palpayasam, a sweet milk porridge offered to the
diet. The temple's main festival occurs in March/April. It was in this
temple that the 16th century poet Kunjan Nambiar staged his first Ottan
Thullal, a solo dance performance with a high social content.
Close
to Ambalapuzha, the village of Karumadi is famous for its Karumadi Kuttanm
a black granite figure of Budha, said to belong to the 9th or 10th Century.
During his visit to Kerala in 1965, the Dalai Lama worshipped at this
shrine.
Arthinkal, from Alleppey (Alappuzha) 25km, known for the St. Andrews
Church established by Portuguese missionaries in 1951, is near Sherthallai,
north of Alleppey (Alappuzha). The feast of St. Sebastian is held here
every January.
On the Pamba river is Chambakulam, (Rajeev ghandi snake boat race)
the site for the famous boat regatta held during August/September that
has traditionally involved the participation of all communities.
The 18th Century Krishnapuram Palace(45 km from Alleppey( Alappuzha),
built during the reign of the Travancore monarch, Marthanda Varma, is
a double-storied structure, which displays typical characteristics of
Kerala architecture-gabled roofs, dormer windows, and narrow corridors.
It houses one of the largest mural paintings in Kerala, called the
Gajendra Mokshm. It measures 14 feet by 11 feet and is at the
western end of the ground floor, a walking distance from the palace
pool. Inside is also a museum of antique sculptures, painting and bronzes.
Situated 45 in from Alleppey (Alappuzha) on the way to Quilon Krishnapuram
are easily accessible by bus from Alleppey.
A short distance from Alleppey (Alappuzha) is Punnapra, a village that
has gone down in history as the scene of a battle between the Communists
group and the Travancore State Police in the Punnapra - Vayalar Communist
Uprising of 1946.
Mannarasala, 32 km from Alleppey (Alappuzha), is a very important center
of serpent worship in Kerala, Built in a cool grove of trees and shrubs,
this temple is said to contain 30,000 images of snake-goods, which line
the path to the temple.
|
travelogue writers, but this quaint little town is certainly the Venice
of the East, Alleppey (Alappuzha). Nowhere else will you find, spread
out across the center of town, a unique crisscrossing network of canals
& lagoons on which thatch covered country boats punt (houseboats)
along leisurely. The proximity of lakes adds to the Venetian ambience.
Alleppey(Alappuzha).
(Christ society of India ) and three years later the first Anglican Church
was built. In 1851 Alleppey had the honor of housing the first post office
in the erstwhile Travancore State (kerala). The commercial importance
of Alleppey (Alappuzha) began to decline after the late 1920s with the
development of Cochin (queen of Arabia) into a major port.
Alleppey(Alappuzha) offers
glimpses of the coir manufacturing process-from the coconut husk to the final
rope / coir yarn stage. There are also several shops selling coir matting and
carpets, often at prices cheaper than elsewhere.
Close
to Ambalapuzha, the village of Karumadi is famous for its Karumadi Kuttanm
a black granite figure of Budha, said to belong to the 9th or 10th Century.
During his visit to Kerala in 1965, the Dalai Lama worshipped at this
shrine.
Gajendra Mokshm. It measures 14 feet by 11 feet and is at the
western end of the ground floor, a walking distance from the palace
pool. Inside is also a museum of antique sculptures, painting and bronzes.
Situated 45 in from Alleppey (Alappuzha) on the way to Quilon Krishnapuram
are easily accessible by bus from Alleppey.
