Destinatons
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» Alleppey |
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About
Alleppey
Experience the un-paralleled magic of the
narrow,  shaded
streets & vibrant color of Alleppey.
This fairly pleasant market town is built
on canals and is surrounded by coconut trees.
The Arabian Sea on its west and a vast network
of lakes, lagoons and several freshwater
rivers criss-crossing it, Alleppey (or Alappuzha
as it's also known) is a district of immense
natural beauty. The average temperature
varies between 35 and 20 degrees centigrade,
with an annual rainfall of 230 cm. The best
time to visit is August to March.
As you walk down the Alleppey's quaint streets,
you can discover its unique architecture,
truly built in a Keralan styles. Alleppey
markets have large quantity of rice, green
coconuts, red chillies, and fat rough skinned
jack fruit. Tourist usually cruise on the
myriad waterways or on the shallow lake,
to view the exciting scene of the great
annual boat race, the most famous being
the Nehru Cup Snake Boat Race, held in December,
that will certainly get you snapping some
great photos and thoroughly enjoying yourself.
If you miss the event then, don't worry
as the city takes pity on you and races
are held again in January.
Alappuzha Backwaters have a vast network
of lakes, lagoons and fresh water rivers
crisscrossing it. You can avail the chance
of watching some of the rare migratory birds
and diverse animals. By virtue of its proximity
to the sea, the town has always enjoyed
a unique place in the maritime history of
Kerala. It has wonderful hotels and resorts
to make your stay a comfortable one.
The Portuguese were the predominant rulers
of this place before it came under the Dutch
control. Later Maharaja Marthandavarma came
into power and was instrumental in developing
the place. Slowly it became a very busy
commercial place attracting merchants from
all over. This resulted in the establishment
of a number of coir factories producing
coir-related goods of quality. The first
coir factory was developed by an English
sea captain and soon others followed suit.
The first Anglican Church was built in 1816
by the Christian missionaries whose headquarter
was in Alleppey.
Climate
The weather of Alleppey
is pleasant throughout the year making it
the ideal destination for tourists. If you
are wondering about Alleppey weather and
climate, we provide you information on Alleppey
weather. Read on further about Alappuzha
weather forecast as given below…
The weather in alleppey is usually pleasant
and this place does not experience extremes
in climatic conditions. The summers though
hot, are pleasant. The temperature varies
between 22o Celsius to 35o Celsius in summers.
The place basically experiences maritime
climate. The place hardly experiences any
winters and the weather remains cool during
the later half of the year. The temperature
usually varies between 18o Celsius to 30o
Celsius in winters.
The months from January to April and August
to October are the ideal months to visit
Alleppey. The place experiences heavy monsoon
showers and if you love rains, you can always
visit Alleppey during monsoons.
Transportation
Traveling to Alappuzha is very easy as this
place is well connected to Kerala by all
means of transport. In case you are wondering
about reaching Alleppey, look no further
as we bring you useful information that
should give you an idea about how to reach
Alleppey. So read on to know about getting
to Alleppey.
- Air: Alleppey does
not have an airport but the ones close
to it are at Trivandrum (150 kilometers)
and Kochi International Airport (60 kilometers).
This place can be easily accessed from
adjacent states like Chennai, Mumbai,
Bangalore, etc.
- Rail: Alappuzha has
its own railway station and trains from
many places connect this city with the
rest of Kerala and India.
- Road: There is a wide
network of roads that connect this place
to the rest of Kerala and also India.
There are a number of national highways
that pass through Alappuzha and connect
it to the rest of Kerala and neighboring
states.
Attractions
in Alleppey |
While in
Alleppey, there are many places to see that
are of immense interest. We shall provide
you with brief information about Alleppey
sight seeing tours so that you get an idea
as to what expect in Alappuzha tours in Kerala.
So read on further about this section that
is called 'Alleppey tours' and know about
the various interesting tourist attractions
in this city.
Alappuzha
beach
Alappuzha beach is one of the most popular
spots in the district of Alappuzha. Its beautiful
garden on the shore gives an exclusive sight.
Imposing buildings of a colonial past overlook
the shore. The pier, which extends into the
sea is more than 140 years old and is a rare
sight. Dense Palm groves at one end and an
ancient towering light house at the other,
Vijay Park and Sea view park are all spectacular
sights one should never miss. Boating Facility
is available in both Parks.
Facilities at the Vijaya Beach Park: Boating,
a children’s park with toy train and
bicycles. Open from 1500 - 2000 hours.
Arthunkal
There is a famous church in Arthunkal known
as the St. Andrews Church. This church was
set up by the Portuguese in the year 1851.
Every year in January, an elaborate feast
is organized in the honor of St. Sebastian
and thousands of devout Catholics come from
all over the state and neighboring places
to take part in the grand feastings.
Chettikulangara Bhagawathy Temple
This temple is very famous
among the local people, as it is believed
that the deity of the Bhagawathy temple has
miraculous healing powers. In the months of
February and March the temple is teaming with
life as the festival of Bharani takes place
during this time. The temple comes alive with
activities and grand feasts.
Alleppey
Boat Races
Alappuzha is famous for boat races and its
annual water carnival festival. The most famous
of them all is the Nehru Trophy Boat Race.
It takes place at the Punnamada Lake and is
supposed to be the biggest boat race in the
world. India's former Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru instituted this boat race. Each snake
boat can accommodate around 150 people that
include oarsmen, musicians and singers. The
race is a magnificent treat to eyes and thousands
of people come from Kerala and neighboring
states to witness this gala event.
Krishnapuram
Palace
Located at a distance of 47 km from Alappuzha
on the way to Kollam, this palace was built
in the 18th century during the reign of Marthanda
Varma. This palace is noted for its typical
Kerala architecture, with gabled roof, dormer
windows and narrow corridors. Here you will
find the famous mural kept in the western
end of the ground floor, called ‘Gajendra
Moksham’ which is the largest mural
in Kerala. There is also a museum of antique
sculptures, paintings and bronze articles
in the palace.
Boatraces
Alappuzha district is proud of being the cradle
of boat races.
All the important boat races, namely the Nehru
Trophy boat Race at Punnamada, the Payippad
near Haripad, the Thiruvandoor, Neerettupuram,
Karuvatta and Thaikkoottam boat races are
held at different parts of the district during
August-September . Thousands of people from
all parts of the world come and witness these
races.
Ambalapuzha
Temple
Constructed in the typical Kerala architectural
style, this temple is famous all over India,
and is renowned for the Palpayasam, the daily
offering of sweet milk porridge. This temple
witnesses the performance of Pallipana by
Velans (sorcerers) once every twelve years.
Paintings of the Dasavatharam (the ten incarnations
of Lord Vishnu) are displayed on the inner
walls of the temple. The ‘ Ottanthullal’,
a satiric art form based on social themes
was the brain child of the poet Kunchan Nambiar
who performed it for the first time in the
premises of this temple.
Edathua
Church
This church, dedicated to St. George is of
special significance as it is believed that
prayers and offerings here help in healing
all kinds of mental disorders and other ailments.
The annual feast is held from 5th - 7th May
and attracts devotees from all parts of south
India. The Church is just 24 kms. from Alappuzha.
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