Venice of the East

Alleppey backwaters are a beautiful mesh of the interconnected lagoon and lakes parallel to Arabian sea in Alappuzha district. It’s a labyrinthine network of inlets, rivers, and interconnected canals measuring 900 km of navigable riverway accessible by small to medium motorized or non-motorized boats. Surrounded by tall coconut palm and tranquility a night at a traditional houseboat at Alleppey backwaters would definitely qualify as a once to be experienced movement in life.

Of this tangled beauty of waterworks, Vembanad is the largest lake covering large network of canals that meander through the region of Kuttanad. Backwaters have a unique ecosystem where freshwaters from rivers meet salty water from the Arabian sea. Most of the places a barrage is built to prevent seawater from mixing with the river water destroying the marine ecosystem. These barrages also act as a floodwater control system during heavy monsoon rain. Freshwater separated from barrages are used for irrigation purposes. This freshwater is used for the cultivation of a famous paddy in Kuttanad. Kuttanad is historically known as major rice producer in south India earning a sobriquet rice bowl of Kerala. Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has declared the Kuttanad Farming System as a globally important agricultural heritage system (GIAHS). This region has in Kuttanad where the farming is carried out is 1.2m to 3m below sea level, and focuses on sustainability using bio salinity.

Image of Alleppey backwaters is incomplete without talking about traditional water boat racing at Punnamada. Colloquially known as vallamkalli is a form of canoe racing and using a paddled war canoe. It is held during the harvest season, around the time of festival Onam. Snake boat (colloquially: chunda vallam) is about 30 to 35-meter-long with 64 or 128 paddlers abroad) compete for Nehru trophy.

Houseboats used traditionally by fishermen to live on a lake during fishing for an extended period of time is now a tourist attraction. Most tourists prefer to stay at houseboats during their visit to Alappuzha and experience marine life and moonlight around the lake at night. It has something to offer for both hopeless romantics and poets after all thing of beauty lives on forever, it doesn’t get tarnished or corrupted.

Alleppey backwaters are shrouded in mystique if you haven’t been the place before. The more you explore more you realize the magnanimity of the place and your own insignificance in comparison.