Friday, March 26, 2010

Kerala One of the best holiday destination in the world

Destination of life time, yes it is not an exaggeration when it use for Kerala holidays destination. A sliver of dense greenery sandwiched between the Arabian Sea and the forested Western Ghat mountains, the state of KERALA stretches for 550 Km along India’s southwest coast, and is just 120Km wide at its broadest point. It is one of the ten Paradises of the world.

It’s blessed with unique geographical features, and the lush tropical landscape, fed by two annual monsoons, intoxicates every newcomer. Equally, Kerala’s arcane rituals and spectacular festivals stimulate even the most cynical imagination.

Better educated, more literate and more politically sense than any other in India, the state’s 32.5-million- strong population has also embraced the globalized economy with grate enthusiasm. The most popular destination for visitors is undoubtedly the grate port of Kochi (formally cochin), where kerala’s extensive history of peaceful foreign contact is evident in the atmospheric old quarters of mattancherry and Fort Cochin- hubs of a still-flourishing tea and spice trade. The capital, Thuiruvanathapuram (Trivandrum), almost as far south as you can go, and a gateway to the nearby palm-fringed beaches of Kovalam, provides various opportunities to sample Kerala’s rich cultural and artistic life. More physical pleasures are the reason travelers flock to varkala, just over an hour north of the capital, where Hindu pilgrims share the Papanasanam beach with ranks of sun worshippers and yoga buffs, against a spectacular backdrop of red laterite cliffs.

More than anywhere else in India, the great joy of exploring Kerala is in the traveling itself, especially by boat. Ferries, cruisers, wooden longboats and house boats ply the backwaters, slowly meandering through the spellbinding Kuttanad region near historic Kollam and alappuzha on the southern tip of the huge Vembanad Lake. Drifting between swathes of palm trees and past tiny villages in the humid heat, you vannot fail to be lulled by the unhurried place of life.

The only way to escape the humidity of the lowlands is to head for the hills. Roads wind through landscapes dotted with churches and temples and past spice, tea, coffee and rubber plantations, as well as natural forest, en route to wildlife reserves such as Tholpetty and Periyar, where sightings of wild elephants are virtually guaranteed. Further highland options include the former British hill station of Munnar, surrounded by endlessly rolling tea estate, the spice plantations of Palakkad, and the beautiful forested district of Wayanad, with its indigenous tribal population.

Kerala is short on the historic monuments prevalent elsewhere in India, and the ancient temples that do remain are still in use, and usually closed to non- Hindus. Following an unwritten law few buildings in Kerala, whether places, houses or temples, are highter than the trees , often creating the illusion of clean , green cities. Typical features of both domestic and temple architecture include pillared verandas and long, sloping tiled and gabled roofs that offer protection from both rain and sunshine .the definitive example is Padmanabhapuram palace ,just over the border in Tamil Nadu ,and easily reached from Thiruvanathapuram.

No comments:

Post a Comment