900
km of 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.
The
Ashtamudi Lake (literally, having eight arms), which
covers a major portion of Kollam district in the south,
is the second largest and is considered the gateway
to the backwaters.
The
Ketturvallom: Showcasing a unique heritage The kettuvalloms
(houseboats) of Kerala are giant country crafts, measuring
up to 80 feet in length. It took great skill and meticulousness
to construct these giants by tying huge planks of jack
wood together, without the use of a single nail.