About Alleppey

Alappuzha or Alleppey, with its network, of canals, bridges along silver beach, makes for an exhilarating holiday. Alleppey offers enjoyable boat rides to Kollam along the picturesque Vembanad Lake. The endless panorama of lush green paddy fields, swaying coconut trees, shimmering water and long canals around Alappuzha make an interesting setting for the town.

Alleppey is famous for its boat races, houseboats, coir products, fish and lakes. Alappuzha remains prominent on the tourist attractions of Kerela as one of the major centers for backwater cruises. An enchanting backwater destination, Alleppey offers visitors many other leisure options like - boating and fishing, very popular with the tourists. A picturesque world of backwaters, thatched houseboats, Cormorants, Chinese fishing nets and swaying palms - Alleppey is an ideal getaway.

Alleppey History
The Portuguese were the predominant rulers of this place before it came under the Dutch control. Later Maharaja Marthandavarma came into power and was instrumental in developing the place. Slowly it became a very busy commercial place attracting merchants from all over. This resulted in the establishment of a number of coir factories producing coir-related goods of quality. The first coir factory was developed by an English sea captain and soon others followed suit. The first Anglican Church was built in 1816 by the Christian missionaries whose headquarter was in Alleppey.


Place to See
Punnamada Kayal
It is the place where the famous annual boat festival of national fame is held. The boat race has been christened as the Nehru Trophy. Thousands of spectators crowd the backwaters during the months of August-September from all over the country to witness this breathtaking event. The boats are built in such a way that they resemble snakes. Each boat accommodates up to 120 competitors who neatly seat in two rows of 60 each.

Alleppey Beach
The stunning beauty of Alleppey beach enthralls all tourists coming to the place. A beautiful garden and a few charming buildings of the colonial era overlook the shore. There are also two public parks on the shore-Vijay Park and Sea View Park. The boating facilities in the parks are a craze among tourists. Dense palm groves and an old light house on the two ends of the beach further adds to the beauty of the beach.

Krishnapuram Palace
The attractive Krishnapuram Palace in Alleppey displays some typical characteristics of Kerala architecture. The gabled roofs, windows and narrow corridors are some of these typical features.It was built in the 18th century during the rule of Marthanda Varma. But the palace is best known for Gajendra Moksham, the largest mural painting that is housed here. There is also a small museum in the palace complex.

Ambalapuzha
Situated 14 kms. from Alleppey, the architectural feature of the Sreekrishna Temple at Ambalapuzha is a
fine example of typical Kerala style architecture. The temple is famous through out Kerala for 'Palpayasam' a milk porridge of exceptional sweetness offered to the deity.

Karumadikkuttan
Karumadikkuttan is a small village situated 3 km east of Ambalapuzha, known for its 10th century Karumadikkuttan statue, a black granite figure of the great Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. There are many interesting legends connected to this idol.

Champakulam
This is a water logged village which is known for its oldest angadi (market) known as Kalloorkkadu angadi. The St. Mary Forane Church built in 427 A D is another major attraction famous for its beautiful mural paintings for both tourists and art lovers.


How to Reach
Air : Nearest airport is at Kochi, 66 kms away.

Rail : The place is well connected to Kochi, by rail.

Road : The place is connected to all the south Indian towns, by a well-developed network of roads.