Backwaters of Kerala

Kerala is a land with a huge necklace of canals, lagoons, lakes and rivers. These water bodies are loosely known in the local parlance as the backwaters. Kerala exclusivity lies in its backwaters - found nowhere else in the world. The backwaters are a gateway for the visitor to see first hand the unhurried village life of rural Kerala.

The voyage normally begins at Alapuzha, because of its large network of canals. The journey winds through the small canals out into the Vembanad Lake. This place is also called Kuttanad, once the rice bowl of Kerala. You could go to Kollam through a maze of rivers, lakes and lagoons. The sights are truly out of this world. The last part of the trip is through the Kayamkulam Lake and then to the Ashtamudi Lake in all its pristine glory.

In the monsoon months, these backwaters echoes with the sound of the traditional snake boat races, featuring the 130 feet long Chundan boats. It is believed that these boats were designed for ancient Naval battles fought in these backwaters.

The Aranmula boat race is more customary and is associated with temple festival there.The Parthasarathy temple of Aranmula is on the banks of the holy river Pamba. It is believed that Lord Krishna and Balarama visited this place after the battle of Kurukshetra.This temple has two sanctum sanctorums -one for Lord Krishna and one for Balarama at a lower level. The boat festival starts on the day of Thiruonam, the most auspicious day of the Kerala festival, Onam.