In and Around

God’s Paradise – Kerala
One of the 50 must see Destinations of a lifetime in the world.

Kerala, popularly tagged as God’s own Country, is a celestial beauty, a poet‘s muse and nature’s treasure of divine infinity. Situated on the south western coast of Arabian sea, it is blessed with a very pleasant climate throughout the year. This state is a hub of exotic beaches, tranquil backwaters, misty mountains, wild life, graceful rivers, slender coconut trees, tea plantation, lush hill stations, majestic waterfalls and paddy fields.

National Geographic Traveler, after two years of extensive research chose Kerala as one of the 50 greatest Destination of a life time.

Kerala was listed as one of the ten destinations in the “paradise found” category.The only Indian destination that features Kerala as the Taj Mahal in the World wonders category.

The magazine celebrates Kerala’s social development indices when it states “Statistical Kerala stands out as the Mount Everest of social development. Only 25 regions in the world are known for bio-diversity out of this only two are in India. They are the Himalayas and the Western Ghats.

With 12 wildlife sanctuaries and 2 national parks, set in the luxuriant forests of the Westem Ghats, Kerala is an ideal destination for the wildlife buff. An abode to rare and endangered species of plant and animal life, these parks with their diverse Habitat, are an experience of nature in its raw, wild and untampered form”

Macaques are a common sight in the reservoir area. Other animals like Tiger and Leopard are also seen around. The tourism department offers an adventurous trekking right into the heart of the forest either by foot or atop the friendly elephants. The resort is located in an island, centre of the lake on the road from Moozhiyar to Thekkadi via Gavi.

Zigzagging through the thickest forests of Kerala, Elephants are a pretty sight on this path. Boating through the lake is a very serene and a pleasant experience with a spectacular view of many waterbirds at a close range. This place is perfect for wildlife photography and the ideal time to visit is between September and March.

Thekkady is 130 Km away from Kanjiramattom and only 2.5 hrs drive.

Cochin -The Queen of Arabia

Cochin is the main port city on the south west coast of Kerala and the star attraction to a major chunk of foreign visitors. The easy travel connectivity to almost all the tourist places of Kerala makes it the prime stop-over destination. It holds a lot of opportunities for boating and rafting. The houseboat rides in the placid backwaters are an experience of a lifetime offering absolute relaxation and peace to rejuvenate and unwind yourselves.

The famous Bolgatty palace and the Jewish Synagogue are situated on the banks of the lagoons. Pilgrimage centers like the Santa Cruz Basilica and the St. Thomas Church at Malayattoor are also worth visiting to.

The Thripunithura palace is one of the biggest of its kind in the whole of Kerala.The Chinese fishing nest in the lagoons are an enchanting sight. The shopping centers in the city are famous for its silk sarees, western outfits, exquisite and valuable jewellery.

Today Ernakulam, previously known as Cochin, is one of the most successful and glorious harbors on the Coast of the Arabian Sea.

Ernakulam is a very fast developing city and the commercial capital of Kerala. The Ernakulathappan temple, Chottanikkara Devi Temple and Tripunithura Poornathrayeesa Temple are the temples of interest to the Devotees. Apart from these, Bastion Bungalow, Bhoothathankettu, Cherai Beach, Dutch Palace, Kodanad, Santa Cruz Basilica, Willingdon Island and Parikhit Thampuran Museum are some other places of interest in Ernakulam District.

Accessibility

Ernakulam is well connected by air, rail water and road, Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery is near to Ernakulam.

2 Railway Stations at Ernakulam itself caters to the people who visit the place. Transportation to all the major places in Kerala and to a few of the cities in the neighboring states of Tamilnadu and Karnataka are also available by road. Water transport is by means of service boats to the islands in Kochi and also to Alappuzha and Kottayam of the Southern Naval Command.

Cherai Beach

The 10 km long Cherai Beach is the best golden beach of Kerala and is popularly knows as “The princess of the Arabian sea”. The warmth and the touch of the Golden rays of sunset is like a divine feeling. Dolphins are also occasionally seen here. The beach is shallow, calm and good for swimming & sunbathing.

The newly embellished main beach with the walkway, enhances the charm and the Highmast lamp makes the beach enjoyable even at night.

Alappuzha

Attracting thousands of tourists every year, Alappuzha is also famous for its boat races, houseboat holidays beaches, marine products, and coir industry. Kuttanad, is a primary area of lush paddy fields and it is also called the Rice Bowl of Kerala. It is one of the few places in the world where farming is done below sea level.

Splashed by the shiny silvery waves of the Arabian Sea, the Venice of the East welcomes you to the backwaters. The canals and shores peripheral led with palm trees, bustling with glimpses of the daily commoner’s life in the country side, the crystal clear lagoons, picturesque lakesides and its long sandy beach has hallowed, the water locked district, to metamorphose as one of the best Backwater tourism destinations in God’s Own Country,

The large network of canals provides Alleppey its lifeline. Water carnivals using the gigantic snake boats and the country canoes of varying sizes occupy an integral role in the community life of the district

Kanjiramattom is linked by rail and road to major cities of Kerala. Cochin International Airport is the nearest airport.

Sheikh Fariddudin Mosque

The Sheikh Fariddudin Mosque is famous of Kodikuthu and chandanakkudam ritual, which is celebrated on January 13 to 14 every year. It is one of the annual colourful festivals held in Kerala.

During the Chandanakkudam ritual at night the pilgrims carry post covered with Sandal wood paste and proceed in procession to the mosque. The six caparisoned and ornamented elephants and folk performances add colour to the performance, Traditional Muslim art forms like Duffmuttu and Kolkali are also staged during the festival.

One of the famous Muslim festivals of Kerala, the Kanjiramattom Kodikuthu festival draws number of tourists. It is one of the important religious festivals of Kerala, people dress in their best clothes and offer their prayers in the Kanjiramattom mosque during this festival. People participate in it without religious discrimination and it is not a purely Muslim festival. As a matter of fact Hindus also throng to the Mosque on Kodikuthu. There is a “meleppalli” with a stone edifice for vavar Swami.

Another important pilgrimage tourism centre in Kanjiramattom is the Aryankavu Ayyappa temple, the name. Arayankavu’ is associated with the Kavu’ or temple of Goddess Bhadrakali.

The temple is famous for Thookams’ especially the Garudan Thookam, The festival is celebrated in the Malayalam month of ‘Meenam’.