God’s Own Country, is a phrase meaning a country favoured by God, that was first used to describe the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland and has subsequently been used to refer to various places, including the South Indian state of Kerala.
This is a glimpse of our 6-day road-trip around Kerala. There were two of us - my wife and I.
Kerala is famous for its Ayurvedic treatments, high mountains, gorges and deep-cut valleys, lush and evergreen rain forests, coconut palms, backwaters, and food items. According to Hindu mythology, Kerala was created by Lord Parashurama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu by throwing his axe across the sea to create new land for his devotees to live peacefully.
We flew in from Pune to Kochi (earlier known as Cochin) and hired a car to tour Kerala over 6 days.
Just off the Kochi Marine Drive is the Bolgatty Island. It is an island of calm right in the midst of the bustling City of Kochi. Located in this fascinating island is the stunning property of KTDC where we stayed - Bolgatty Palace and Island Resort.
The Cochin Port on the Arabian Sea handles huge container traffic doing imports and exports from India. Traditional boats as seen above, lend charm rubbing shoulders with modern ones.
Chinese fishing nets are a type of stationary lift net in India. They are fishing nets that are fixed land installations for fishing. This technique of fishing is about 3000 years old.
From Kochi (Cochin) we drove to Munnar.
Munnar is a town in the Western Ghats mountain range in India’s Kerala state. A hill station and former resort for the British Raj elite, it’s surrounded by rolling hills dotted with tea plantations established in the late 19th century. Eravikulam National Park, a habitat for the endangered mountain goat Nilgiri tahr, is home to the Lakkam Waterfalls, hiking trails and 2,695m-tall Anamudi Peak.
From Munnar we drove to Periyar Tiger reserve.
Periyar National Park, also known as Periyar Tiger Reserve, is in the mountainous Western Ghats of Kerala. This wildlife sanctuary is home to tigers and a significant elephant population, as well as rare lion-tailed macaques, sambar deer, leopards and Indian bison. In the park’s north, Periyar Lake is popular for boat rides. Farther north, spice plantations surround the town of Kumily.
From Periyar we drove to Alleppy (Alappuzha) where we (my wife and I) took a private houseboat for a 24 hour stay sailing languidly among the beautiful backwaters of Kerala.
mmm
Our next stop was the quaint village of Kumarakom.
The backwater village of Kumarakom in Kottayam district shot into fame with Arundhati Roy’s Booker prize winning book - The God of Small Things. Kumarakom offers one of the most unforgettable experiences for travelers. Houseboats, picture-book villages, secluded coves, lagoons and the rich flora and fauna of the mangrove ecosystem in the famed Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary make it a truly distinct destination.
God’s Own Country did not disappoint us. It was a truly wonderful holiday.
Thank You!