God’s Own Country- KERELA
“A fun filled time free from the worries of daily lives, a relaxing moment in serendipity and nothing else to bother the mind”, all these facts can breathe alive if you set your foot to the divine, nature-driven, posh green and mystical land of KERELA.
Located at the south west region of our diversified nation; on the Malabar Coast– this beautiful state attracts thousands of tourists from near and far every day. There is not a single soul that would disagree in the point that it is one of the most beautiful destinations chosen among travelers.
You can choose to pay a visit alone or plan a trip with your friends, families or a loved one and have a time worth reminiscing for the rest of your lives. Road, Rail and Airways connect you to the “God’s Own Country” through all the major cities of India without much trouble in the making.
This green land holds its name for it’s beautiful beaches surrounded by tall coconut trees, the serene backwaters and lovely houseboats in them, marvelous monuments, age old historical churches, holy mosques, divine monasteries, wonderful festivals and magical reserves filled with tigers, elephants and wild animals alike.
An evening stroll along the tall coconut guarded beaches could ignite your mind with utmost passion and strike the chord of your hearts with peace and harmony-provide you with comfort of mind when in trance of fatigue. The sunset in the evening, flock of birds flying towards their nest, a soothing song from the fisherman at a distant point would create a cinematic impact in the hearts.
The beaches at Kovalam can be considered the best if given an option to choose from the lot. They have a charm and a mystical story involving a queen whose interest in its beauty carved a niche for the establishment of a palace and today it is followed by guesthouses and beachfront restaurants with HUGE crowd visiting the place every day. The nearby place Trivandrum has fancy restaurants that offer local cuisines and delicacies to the hungry visitors.
If you fancy a quiet and silent evening below the twinkling stars then Alappuzha would be the best option with its mesmerizing backwaters. You can travel along the water in the traditional barges known as Kettuvallams which were earlier just used for shipping spices to the place. You could enjoy the elegant ride having a sip of the famous Palm wine extracted from the palm trees grown along the shores and bask in the glory of the moonlit night with a beloved by your side.
Similarly you can opt to visit Munnar which is famous for its green and beautiful tea gardens.The Mattupetty Indo Swiss Project that was started here at a place called Muttupetty has made Kerela a pioneer in livestock farming; for it has evolved the idea for creative programs that can help people to improve the breed of local cattle. Employment problem in the area has been resolved a lot with the introduction of this project and has improved the economic capability of dairy farming. Because of its functionality as a cattle farm, Mattupetty is now better known as the “Cattle Village” and Tourists taking a tour of the place can treat their eyes with the view of herd of cattle grazing freely on the rolling hills of the farm.
The larger than life monuments and architectural wonders are seen in the Holy churches of Kochi which holds the entire history of the Kerelan civilization. Not just churches, with every passing step you can enjoy the view of equally vibrant mosques, monasteries and temples as well.
The age old “Ayurveda” also has a firm grip in the place and there are many Resorts and Ashrams that provide the visitors with a variety of Ayurvedic Massages and treatments. The traditional Indian dance form “Kathak” meaning story telling also has its major impact in the state. The month of Aug-Sep marks the commemoration of Vamana Avatara of Lord Vishnu and the subsequent homecoming of mythical King Mahabali and is vibrantly celebrated as the festival “ONAM” and also as the harvest festival. Beautiful flower decorations called as “Pookalam” add to the beauty of the festival and the oldest river boat fiesta “Aranmula Boat Race” also takes place at Aranmula and is a sight worth viewing.
A trip to Kerela would not just add to the fun but would also prove to be an equally learning process for the inquisitive who wishes to learn more about the cultural diversity of our nation INDIA as well.
