900 kms.
of dappled, green waters. Fringes of dense tropical greenery. Clear skies
shimmering through coconut canopies. Kerala is a labyrinth of lazily
meandering backwaters. Sprinkled with traditional house boats, country
crafts, rural lifestyles and Tranquility. It's an intricate network of
innumerable lagoons, lakes, canals, estuaries and the deltas of forty-four
rivers that drain into the Arabian Sea. Over 900 km of this labyrinthine
waterworld is navigable. The largest backwater stretch in Kerala is the
Vembanad lake which flows through three districts and opens out into the sea
at the Kochi port.
House Boat Cruising
Have you ever gone house boat cruising on the backwaters of Kerala? If you
haven’t, make sure you do. This one’s really an absolutely
wonderful, unforgettable experience! The house boats of today - huge, slow
moving, exotic barge used for leisure trips - are the reworked kettuvalloms
of olden times. The original kettuvalloms were used to carry tonnes of rice
and spices - a standard kettuvallom can hold up to 30 tonnes - from Kuttanad
to the Kochi port.
Kettuvallam - Kerala's Traditional Houseboats
The kettuvallam or ‘boat with knots’- was so called because the
entire boat was held together with coir knots only - not even a single nail
is used during the construction. The boat is made of planks of jack-wood
joined together with coir. This is then coated with a caustic black resin
made from boiled cashew kernels. With careful maintenance, a kettuvallom can
last for generations.
When the modern trucks replaced this system of transport, some one found a
new way that would keep these boats, almost all of which were more than 100
years old, in the market. By constructing special rooms to accommodate
travelers, these boats cruised forward from near- extinction to enjoy their
present great popularity.
Now these are a familiar sight on the backwaters and in Alleppey alone,
there are as many as 120 house boats.
While converting kettuvallams into house boats, care is taken to use only
natural products. Bamboo mats, sticks and wood of the aracanut tree are used
for roofing, coir mats and wooden planks for the flooring and wood of
coconut trees and coir for beds. For lighting though, solar panels are used.
Luxury Boats
Today, the house boats have all the creature comforts of a good hotel
including furnished bedrooms, modern toilets, cozy living rooms, a kitchen
and even a balcony for angling. Parts of the curved roof of wood or plaited
palm open out to provide shade and allow uninterrupted views. While most
boats are poled by local oarsmen, some are powered by a 40 HP engine.
Boat-trains - formed by joining two or more house boats together - are also
used by large groups of sight-seers.
What is truly magical about a house boat ride is the breathtaking view of
the untouched and otherwise inaccessible rural Kerala that it offers - while
you float! Now, wouldn’t that be something?
