KAINAKARY -A TRIP THROUGH THE SCENIC BACKWATERS OF ALAPPUZHA

Have you experienced the sweet smell of the river carried by the wind beating against your face while travelling on a boat through the many backwaters of Alappuzha...If not,Kainakary is one place where you can get the whole experience of backwater cruising that would leave a lasting impression on your minds.  

Mini houseboats docked in the canal near the town bus depot waiting for the passengers 

Kainakary is a village in Kuttanad taluk in Alappuzha district of Kerala famous for its scenic beauty and shimmering backwaters.The lush green coconut trees and paddy fields all the more enhance the sensuality of the landscape. To reach it,we have to take a passenger boat from the boat jetty near the Alappuzha bus depot where boats come to pick up travellers every 15mins.It is a one hour journey from Alappuzha town to Kainakary on these serene waters. There were many tour operators and tourists waiting for their boats to call at the jetty expecting to venture deep into the hearts of these scenic backwaters.

A view from the Alappuzha boat jetty..a picture i took while waiting for my boat to arrive.

Finally the moment arrived,and i embarked on my scenic journey to Kainakary along with the many foreign travellers

I met this 'cool guy' ..,13yr old Felix,who was travelling with his family from Southampton,UK during his school vacation to visit different parts of kerala..He was enjoying the trip thoroughly...evident by his many smiles in my direction!

Mr Kunjachan,my tour guide, who was one of the pioneers of house boating business in these waters,since 25yrs.He provided me with much of the information that i have presented here.

Mr kunjachan was our tour guide.He was one of the pioneers of house boating business in Alappuzha during the 1960s when it was a profitable budding business.It was so profitable that within 2 years,he had bought two houseboats for himself and he had started his own houseboating business.He had such a wealth of knowledge about the local places,their historical aspects,other houseboating enterprises and even about the local cuisines.But nowadays there are a lot of players in this enterprise that it has lost its potential to be a thriving business for livelihood anymore-Kunjachan says.

After reaching Kainakary,we walked a small distance from the boat jetty to his thatched house along the edge of the canal where his family invited us with much delight.we had a short tea break there and started on our boat cruise along the canal.

A short walk to his home near the canal.

A view of the canal from his home as we were waiting for our boats to arrive.

After sometime,our cruise boat came and we were comfortably seated inside,and then the realization of the moment dawned on me that my dream was going to get fulfilled.....and thus it all started.

Cruising through the canals of Kainakary

These small boats are the only means of transportation through these backwater canals.

Alappuzha,which is also called the '' Venice of the east'' due to its innumerable interlinking canals,backwaters and boatways formed an intricate network in between the scattered land masses ,was not always the same way as it looks now.History says,there was a massive earthquake in 859 BC in this region that caused the land masses to break up and the sea just sweeping in between them.

Most families had their own boats.

Entering the Vembanad lake ...my heart pounding for the adventure that lay ahead

Pappi chettan.....our boatman,who has been steering boats in these waters since his teenage years.He knows these waterways like the back of his hands.

Vembanad kayal (Vembanad lake)is the largest lake in kerala spanning 3 districts comprising of nearly 14 villages.It is called Punnamada kayal in Kuttand and Kochi kayal in Kochi.

Formerly, the region was ruled by the ''Ambalappuzha raja'' and later on it was annexed with the Travancore kingdom.

The whole extent of the Vembanad lake

Initially the lake and the waterways where owned privately by rich families of the region who had boats for traversing these lakes.Later on the water transport was taken over by the Governement of Kerala under the Kerala Water Transport Corporation(KWTC) and now its managed by State Inland Water Transport Corporation.

Nehru Trophy Boat Race(''vallam kali'')is a famous festivity of the Vemband region which is conducted on the second saturday of the month of August. The story of the origin of this race is rather interesting to hear.It happened when the former prime  minister of India,Pandit Jawarharlal Nehru was invited to visit Alappuzha by the then chief minister of Kerala,Mr E K Nayanar.Since the only mode of transportation to the place was through the waterways,the prime minister reached Kottayam and then was escorted to Alappuzha on a special boat made for the purpose by the governement of Kerala,a parade of 4 Chundan vallams and lots of small boats.As the journey was long, the speed of the boats led to the rowers to compete between themselves.Finally the ''Naduphagam'' (middle section) of the boats won the race.After the visit,when the  minister went back to Delhi,he sent back a silver trophy for the boat that won the race.This noble gesture captured the hearts of the local people and ever since the occassion is commemorated with a Nehru Trophy Boat Race which has become a national event visited by tourists worldwide. Initially it was called ''Minister's Trophy'' and after his death,it was renamed as Nehru Trophy.

If planning to visit Alappuzha to watch the boat race,confirm by visting their official website:http://nehrutrophy.nic.in/pages-en-IN/default.aspx

It is a thrill to watch the boat race and the way these long boats are being manoeuvred through the lake.There will be as many as 100 people in a single boat.The ''Pankayakaar'' (rowers)rowed the boat according to the rhythm of the drums sounded by the drummers from the stern of the boat .There will be a single line of seated rowers in the fist 7 places,and then it'll be a double line of rowers till the back of the boat

Various snake boats waiting for the race to start.

The rowing style of ''kuthi eriyuva'' means stabbing and throwing the water backwards.

The different types and shapes of boats have entralled the minds of the visiting tourists too as they have taken back bits of these experiences from here after the event.Some britishers have even taken back a life sized replica.a full sized boat(Chundan vallam)named ''Napolean'' built by a local boat builder named Poopally Kuttiachan and was diplayed in a museum in Britain.

Other than Chundans,there are ''Irittukuthy vallams'',named so,as it had a sharp bow to split the darkness of night.Another type of vallam is the ''odivallam'' due to its swiftness in maneuvering through the waters.Both these were used during battles in the past,especially when the Ambalapuzha rajyam was in battle with Travancore.Legend says,a Kuttanadan Narayanan Ashari from Kayamkulam built these battle boats of the kings of Kuttanad.

The Chundan vallams were named after the places where they were built like Champakulam,Erathuva,Karuvatta,Ayaparamb,Ayaparamb pandi etc.

A Kettuvallam(house boat)which passed nearby with tourists enjoying the scenic view of the Vembanad lake from its wooded balcony,virtually living their moments....

Kettuvallam (house boat)was so called because it was made by tying up logs of wood together using hard,sturdy ropes.Nowadays,these houseboats have as large as 10 bedrooms which are fully furnished with air conditioning and other amenities.They would take you around these many islands,catch live fishes from the lake, and then cooked in delicious flavours in their boat kitchens and provided as tasty dishes which you and your family could enjoy sitting on the deck of boat enjoying the star studded sky above and with cold breeze of the night against your hair.In the evenings, when the boat is docked for the night,they would provide ''Madhurakallu'' ,freshly harvested sweet toddy from the coconut trees which would definitely add a titillation to your pleasured senses.

Meenapally lake

The proposed landing strip of the ''sea plane'' in the Meenapally kayal.

Government of Kerala is planning to start sea plane facility at Meenapally kayal for local transportation and as an adventure activity. Meenapally kayal was named after a famous ''Meenapally tharavadu'' of a local rich family which dominated the nearby area.Initially the lake was called ''Vattakayal'' because the water body completely encircled the island of Ambalapuzha.

Pearl spot /Karimeen caught from the Vembanad lake

Karimeen pollichathu-a famous local cuisine

Vembanad lake is also rich in Karimeen or ''Pearl spot''(Etropilus suratensis) or as ''Black fish'' commonly made known to the foreigners who love to have them during their boating sessions.It is considered as the official fish of the state of Kerala.One kg of the fish costs somewhere around Rs 600-700 which will have nearly 6-7 fishes.So an extra cost of rs 200 would be collected from the tourist if they had specially ordered them along with the buffet of food items that are usually provided in the tour package.

It was an awesome three hour journey through the backwaters of Kainakary.I grabbed lot of these memories onto my canon 550d DSLR camera which was a faithful companion during lots of my previous entourages.

''How could i not take a selfie when i'm travelling through my dreams....and i couldn't stop myself.''

The trip was coming to an end...finally.

Re-entering the canal though which we came out into the Vembanad lake ...some 3 hrs before.

But the thought of a good tasty lunch including traditional kuttanadan cuisine with fried karimeen and other delicacies were awaiting at Mr Kunjachan's thatched home,lifted my spirits.

Felix didnt know how to eat rice meals using his hands...and was quite embarassed

and so were his parents.....

It was a fantastic conclusion to a fantastic journey.i would definitely remember these experiences my entire life.Thanks to the team of REDRAW LIFE  for making this trip ,a truely memorable one.


This venture was organised by-REDRAWLIFE ADVENTURES.There are lots of other adventure activities like trekkings,scuba diving,paragliding,cycling,rafting ...and a huge collection of lot more of fun activities are organised by them monthly.Please visit their website(link provided)and book you trips for future.

Contact number(Redrawlife)-9497864497(Joel/Vishnu)

Tour guide-Mr Kunjachan
                   Padinjare chira
                   Kainakary P O-688501
                   Mobile-9995562501
                   Backwater Village Canoe Trips- visit the official website -SOUL OF THE VILLAGE
                   Facebook-Alleppey Backwater Village Canoe Trips

Note;if ever you go for a houseboating in Alapuzha,it is advisable to contact Mr Kunjachan for getting any information about the dos and donts for the trip.It would be of great use to you.