GRAND HERITAGE
Venice of the East
A. SRIVATHSAN
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On the west coast, in Kerala. Alappuzha was an important port of call for trading ships.
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PHOTO: JOHNEY THOMAS
INTRICATE SYSTEM OF CANALS: Beautiful city.
On the west coast, in Kerala, between Alappuzha and Kochi lies the most beautiful landscape in this country. It is not just backwaters, mountains, wide rivers and greenery. It is probably, only here, that you can see the backwater system and agriculture exist side by side, separated by a bund. Around Alappuzha, especially in the Kuttanad region of Kerala, farming is done in wetlands that are 2.5 metres below mean sea level. This interspersing of water and land invokes familiar comparison, just as Lord Curzon once did, with Venice. Alappuzha is known as the Venice of the East.
Port town
Alappuzha, was a small settlement under the Chempakesseri kings in the 16th century. Fortunes changed in the 18th century when the Travancore king Marthanda Varma annexed many small principalities including Chempakasseri. Kesava Dasa, the Dewan of Tranvancore realised the importance of location and went about developing it as a port town. Two canals were built to facilitate transportation of goods to the port and the supporting infrastructure facilities were built. By the end of the 18th century, Alappuzha started to receive ships for trade. The port flourished until the modern port of Kochi was opened in 1928. In the recent past, Alappuzha has become an important transit place for those who wish to explore the backwaters of the Vembanad Lake.
Kerala is known for many boat races like the ones in Aranmula and Champakulam. But the Nehru Trophy boat race held in the backwaters of Alappuzha since 1952 has become popular. The unique feature of the boat race is the snake boats and the vanchipattu.
Snake boats are thin, long and designed for speed. They were earlier used in the battle for backwaters, but are now part of the boat race. Vanchipattu are songs specially composed and sung during the boat race. The men row to the rhythm of the vanchipattu.
Krishnapuram Palace located near Alappuzha was built during the18th century. This two-storied palace is known for its beautiful murals. An ancient but less known heritage of Alappuzha is the Karumadikuttan, a black granite Buddha statue in sitting posture. The date of this structure is still debated but this statue, located 15 km from Alappuzha, attests to the multicultural heritage of Kerala.
Thanneermukkom
Growing paddy under mean sea level is not without its own difficulties. During the monsoons, the farmlands get flooded and during summer, when the water flow in the rivers is low, saline water gets in. In order to tackle this situation and protect the farmlands, spillways and bunds were constructed. Thanneermukkom bund (15 km from Alappuzha) was started in 1958 and completed in 1975. The regulators will be down in December and opened in May to prevent salt water entering the Vembanad Lake.
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