DESTINATIONS
IMPORTANT TOURIST PLACES

The Port city and commercial capital of Kerala is not another place of suffocating concrete jungle. The panoramic harbour view, the crisscrossing backwater ways, the cantilevered Chinese fishing nets and lush greenery make Cochin a city of historical and touristic importance.

Jewish Synagogue, Mattancherry-Built in 1568 AD.This is the oldest synagogue in the commonwealth .The Great Scrolls of the Old Testment, copper plates on which the grants of privilege made by the Cochin rulers were recorded, gold and silver crowns gifted by various patrons to the synagogue and exquisite Chinese hand- painted willow patterned tiles are of interest.

Dutch Palace, Mattancherry-The Palace, originally built by the Portuguese and presented to the Cochin Raja Veera Kerala Varman in 1555, acquired its present name after 1663 when the Dutch carried out some extensive repairs. The Cochin Rajas held their coronation ceremonies in the Central Hall of this double-storey quadrangular building. Rooms adjacent contain breathtaking 17th- century murals depicting scenes from the Puranas and the great epics - the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

Chinese Fishing Nets, Fort Cochin-These nets, at the enterance of the harbour and along the backwaters with pivots of wood, were introduced by traders from the court of Kublai Khan.

Museum Of Kerala History, Edappally- Located along with the Art Complex at Edappally, it is a Sound and Light show presenting thirty five scenes from the political, social, and cultural history of Kerala. Commentaries are both in English and Malayalam.

Hill Palace Museum, Tripunithura- Set on top of a hillock, this prodigious palace- turned-museum now displays 13 categories of exhibits, including painting, carving and other royal antiquities donated by the Cochin and Travancore royal families and the Paliam Devaswom. The Heritage Museum, located on the rear side of the palace of the establishment of a mini zoo, a deer park with spotted deer, sambar and peacocks is run by the Society for the Preservation of Hill palace Premises. The museum premises has also been converted into a botanical garden with exotic tropical trees from central America to Australia. Located llkms eastof Ernakulam, enroute to Chottanikara.

Bolghaty Island: This long narrow palm- fringed island. easily accessible from the mainland, is where the Bolghaty Palace is situated amidst 15 acres of lush green lawns. Built by the Dutch in 1744, it later became the seal of the British Resident later. In 1976 the palace was converted into a hotel under the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation.The palace has a golf course on its grounds. The hotel has also a boat, available.

Padmanabhapuram Palace: Padmanabhapuram, the palace complex of the erstwhile Venad Kingdom, the forerunner of Thiruvithamkoor, is 65 kilometres south of Thiruvananthapuram. The walls of its central hall are profusely decorated with mural paintings. The themes of paintings are various episodes and moments drawn from Hindu epics.

The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary (Entry : 0600 to 1800 hrs) Lying close to the plantations, in the rich jungles of Periyar in Thekkady is one of the world's most fascinating natural wildlife reserves - the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. Spread across 777 sq. km, of which 360 sq. km is thick evergreen forest, the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1978. Noted for its geo-morphological diversity of wildlife and scenic beauty, the Reserve attracts visitors from all over the world.

Mullaperyiar dam was built by Britsh in 1895. It stands on Peryiar river whose flow orginates from Thekkady.The dam was built mainly for watering the paddy fields of Tamil Nadu perenially drought - prone. Even though the dam is now in Kerala, most of the water in the reservoir is still released to Tamil Nadu and is cause for considerable political tensions between the two states.The dam is 175 feet tall in hight and is 5704 feet long.

Munnar, a beautiful, peaceful hill station covered with an unending expanse of tea plantations, is 133 km from Cochin and 148 km from Kottayam. With the altitude ranging from 1600 to 1800 metres above sea level, Munnar boasts the highest peak in South India- Anamudi, 2695 metres high.

At Mattupetty, beyond the dam, is the Indo-Swiss Dairy Farm, worth visiting not just to see prized cows and bulls but to savour the rolling green valleys. Another hill station woth visiting, 16 km south-west of Munnar, is Devikulam, which literally means 'the lake of the Goddess'. According to legend, Sita, the consort of Lord Rama, once had a bath in this lake.

ALAPPUZHA: With the Arabian Sea on the west and a vast network of lakes, lagoons and fresh water rivers criss crossing it, A!apuzha is perhaps the only district of immense natural beauty. Referred to as the Venice of the East by travelers across the world, this backwater country is also home to diverse animal and bird life. By virtue of its proximity to sea the town always enjoyed a unique place in the maritime of Kerala. Today Allapuzha may be on the down trend but as a tourist center it is gaining popularity the town was build as a trading center in 1762 by Raja Kesavadasa the Diwan of Travancore. The major attractions are the backwaters and the snake boat race.

The Alapuzha beach by itself is a spectacular one as it is bordered by palm groves at one end and an ancient towering light house at the other. The pier extending into the sea on the northern side is over 100 years old.

Held on the second saturday of every year the snake boat race is a "must see" for every one. Boats of all sizes compete in different events the famous and prestigious one is the race of the "Chundan Valloms" which has 100 rowers, four helms men and 25cheer leaders. The boats are decorated with colourful umbrellas. The race is held in the Vembanad lake.

Palakkad is known as the granary of Kerala. It is a land of valleys, Hillocks, Rivers, Forests, Mountains Streams, Dams and Irrigation Projects. Situated on the foot of the Western Ghats. It is the Gateway to Kerala from the North. Palakkad derives its name from the Malayalam words 'Pala'= Alsteria Scholaris and 'Kadu' = Forest which proves that it was once a beautiful stretch of forest covered with the sweet scented flowers of Pala Tree.

Palakkad is also famous for an irrigation dam where the Japanese Style Garden had been developed. The first adventure park in Kerala with interesting rides like Roller Coasters, Super Splash, etc., The Fantasy Park is located there. UDAN KOTALA, a ropeway across the garden covering almost 1.5km is also a major attraction.

Palakkad is also famous for the Palakkad Fort built by Hyder All of Mysore in 1766. The Fort was taken over and modified by the British in 1790. It is now preserved by the Archaeological Survey of India. The Fort is surrounded by a deep moat and there is a temple and a Sub-Jail functioning within the Fort Walls. The Kalpathi Temple, Thiruvallathur Temple, The Buddhist - Jainumedu Temple are also historic monuments. Ratholsavam(Chariot Festival) at Sri Viswanatha Swami Temple, Kalpathi is a spectacular procession of beautifully decorated temple chariots drawn through the street by thousands of devotees. Lakkidi in Palakkad is the birth place of Kunchan Nambiar the famous 18th Century Sanitrist and exponent of 'Thullal Pattu' The doyen of Karnatic music, Chembal Vaiyanatha Bhagavathar wasa native of Kottayi, a tiny village in Palakkad.

Nellyampathi dubbed as 'poor man's Ootty' is a fascinating hill at a height of 1572 meters above the sea level. One has to negotiate ten hair pin bends to reach breath taking evergreen forest of the Sahya Ranges. Pothundy has a reservoir complex and is on the way to Nelliyampathi.

Malampuzha, a famous picnic spot comprises a dam and a beautifully landscaped garden is situated on the lower hill of the Western Ghats. The garden had got an aerial ropeway across it and has over the lOOvariety of Roses. Boating and Fishing facilities are also available.