Kerela is a city and region which sits at the Southern tip of India and which provides this country with some of the best beaches, most scenic views and most exotic holidays. Below we look at five things you really should see and do in Kerela in India.
1. Take an elephant ride with a guide through the Periyar Wildlife Park. Your guide will walk you past low-hanging trees where the monkeys watch you as you pass by. It’s a great opportunity to commune with nature. The sanctuary also offers visitors cruises on the lake as well as guided treks to the ruins of the Mangala Devi Temple. Herds of wild elephants can be seen coming down to the lake to play and bathe.
2. Watch the Kathakali form of theatre. It includes acting, dancing, literature, and music. Various stories from the Mahabharata and Ramayana are enacted through dance. The dancers, musicians, and makeup technicians undergo many years of training prior to starting work for a stage performance. The actors/dancers lend visual appeal to the singing through their facial gestures, movements, and dancing. The eyes and their expressions play a major role in the dance and in interpreting the song. You can sign up to learn the Kathakali at Kerala’s Kalamandalam. The Bharat Natyam is a similarly interesting form of dance.
3. Take a cruise on the backwaters of Kerala. The backwaters are a network of lakes, canals, rivers, lagoons. The banks are covered in lush greenery and coconut trees sway by the wayside. Birds and animals can be spotted through the foliage. Cruises on rice boats could last from a few hours or a day trip to a few days. They could be the perfect romantic getaway, especially on a bright moonlit night. Get a guided tour or make your own way through what is officially known internationally as the Venice of the East. As you ride, your personal chef will cook up a traditional Keralite meal that’s perfect for the occasion and surroundings.
4. Practice a holistic lifestyle with yoga in the early morning and an ayurvedic massage from trained masseurs during the day. Take a refreshing medicated bath or mud therapy to cure any aches and pains from your regular lifestyle and try the herbal diets that come highly recommended.
5. Visit the Snake Park located at Parassinikadavu, Kannur. The park is unique throughout India and is home to many different species of snakes. It features three snake pits and fifteen glass cases as well as two large glass houses for the King Cobras. A professional handler conducts a snake demonstration every hour to an enthralled crowd.
By: Orson Johnson
Posts Tagged ‘Kerala India’
5 Things You Must Do and See in Kerala, India
December 5th, 2009Top Ten Places to Visit in Kerala, India
November 22nd, 2009
Kerala, the land of coconuts, also called as God’s own Country, is situated between the Arabian Sea at the west and the Western Ghats to the East, on the southern region of India in Asia. Kerala is India’s cleanest and most advanced society with hundred percent literacy. The whole Kerala is blessed with abundant natural beauty.
1. Munnar – The beautiful hill station of Kerala, with vast tea plantation, is a paradise for nature lovers, trekkers, photographers, and campers is in Idukki. You can also enjoy a fantastic boating in the beautiful Madupetty Lake, visit Eravikulam National Park and see Nilgiri Tahrs in groups, Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary, Kumili, and more.
2. Kottayam – the much sought after holiday destination of backwater at Kumarakom. You can also visit the popular bird sanctuary here, enjoying the breath taking beauty of the surrounding Vembanad Lake, Peermad Health Resorts, Idukki Reservoir, one of the major Hydroelectric projects in Kerala, Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary at Thekkady, the famous Pilgrim centre at Sabarimala.
3. Kochi (Cochin), the queen of Arabian Sea has a lot to offer, such as Chinese net, Kochi Fort, St.Francis Church, Jewish Synagogue, Dutch Palace, temples, museums and more.
4. Thiruvananthapuram, (Trivandrum) – The capital city of Kerala has a lot to offer – Beaches like Kovalam, Shanghumugham, Varkala, Temples, Museums, Palaces, Veli tourist village, Kalari Payattu, and more. Also beautiful Kollam (Quilon) with Museums, Beaches, Ashtamudi Lake , Temples and Wildlife, is not far away.
5. Kannur (Cannanore) – Arabain Sea washing the sands on the long beaches like Muzhappilangad with drive-in facilities, and other beaches; Ezhimala hill with medicinal herbs, Pazhassinikadavu Snake Park, Pazhassi Dam, Temples, Arakkal Kottaram and Ayurveda Resorts. You can also visit the nearby fishing village Beypore to see the fishermen building the wooden country boats, and Thalassery (Tellicherry) just 70 kms away, the Church built by the famous European Scholar of Malayalam Dr. Gundert, and Gundert Bungalow.
6. Kozhikode (Calicut) – Historic town on Malabar coast, Beaches like Kappad, Museums and Art Galleries, Temples, trekking, backwater and more.
7. Wayanad – Plantations of coffee, tea, pepper, rubber and cardamom, the hillock at Kalpetta with Jain cave shrines, Sulthan Bathery, magnificent glass temple at Koottamunda, Chembra Peak, Pazhassi Tourist Resort, Vyittri, Lakkidi, and the famous Wayanad wildlife Sanctuary.
8. Thrissur – Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple, Kerala Kala Mandalam at Cheruthuruthi for teaching classical dance in Gurukul system, Punnathur Kotta, and Vadakkunnatha Shiva Temple, and Thrissur Pooram.
9. Alappuzha – popularly called as the Venice of the East, with intricate net work of canals, backwaters, and bridges, along the Vembanad Lake. Beach, Nehru Boat Race and more Aranmula Vallom Kali, Ambalapuzha Krishna Temple, Aranmula Partha Sarathy temple, special metal mirrors called “Aranmula Kannadi”, Mannarshala Snake Temple.
10. Palakkad – Picturesque place at the foot of Western Ghats is the Gateway to Kerala, with misty mountains, rivers and forests. Apart from Palkkad Fort, Kalpathi Shiva Temple and Malampuzha Dam, wildlife sanctuaries like Parambikulam and Silent Valley National Park are also here.
During the harvest festival Onam, the beauty of Kerala further enhances and becomes more colorful.
By: Lakshmi Menon
