Our Honeymooning in Kerala- Exploring the Adode of Serene Beauty

"I sing of gentle flowers, gushing streams andtraditions of the region, the Padmanabhaswamy
placid windstemple is highly regarded as one among the 108
When amidst the tranquil pleasures of the earth,temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu in India. To me,
Love in its entire quiescence--helped me discoverthe temple was fascinating to say the least (in
youspite of its strict worship protocols), emphasizing
As my entire being, my entire life..."fully on the sanctity, simplicity and a prevailing
Well, unlike all the other travelogues that I havenaturalism which marked the worship of Lord
written these days, this one may sound like aPadmanabhaswamy.
fragment of my emotional fancies. And for thatThe journey to the beautiful Alleppey backwaters:
matter, whosoever on earth told to recount hisThe day was the 6th of December and the
her honeymooning ventures/escapades would justmorning had been made into an auspicious one by
love to express to you how much beauty,the prevailing serenity of the temple. Now, we
tranquility and lust for life was waiting for them tohad very little time at our disposal in
be explored in their honeymoon haven, far fromTiruvanandapuram, the temple site, as we had to
the madding crowd! As for me, it was anset out for another fabulous journey, a night at a
experience so preciously personal that I couldn'tsweet, picturesque houseboat, exploring the
have found the eloquence of words to describe itexquisite beauty of the Alleppey backwaters
for years, had it not been for my husband's(now named Alappuzha Backwaters) and the
constant insistence to pen down my thoughts oncluster of beautiful little islands in the vicinity. We
it. So I dedicate this one to none other than myhad already booked a one-night cruise on a
sweetheart, and to the constant love andhouseboat that would let us explore the beauty
affection that has held us tight towards eachof Alappuzha, and we would spend the night in
other amidst all odds of life!the quiet tranquility of the backwaters. The
What can I say when love was in its most tranquilthought itself was so romantic that when we
form, among the roaring waves of the beaches,were trying to reach the coastal township of
the silent prayers inside the sublime temples, andAlleppey, we didn't even notice that our driver got
amidst the exotic beauty of coconut trees?confused with the direction and we were getting
The die-hard romantic that I used to be in myquite late than our scheduled time! However, after
teenybopper college days, I had always dreamtmuch strife and tribulations, we reached the coast
of an ideal date by the side of a pristine beach,from where we could see our small, romantic
with the sands flirting with our feet, with thehouseboat amidst the drizzling raindrops, seated
waves gushing to proclaim the beginning of a new,on a network of lakes and lagoons and canals
exciting togetherness, with silence intertwined withthat were crisscrossing each other! Never before
soft whisperings. And believe me or not, all of ithad I seen a more heavenly sight anywhere!
really came true in my life, not on my first date,Visitors all across the globe have named the
but on my honeymoon, in Kovalam beach, Kerala!!Alappuzha as the Venice of the East. Rightly so,
How can I ever forget the date? It was a newas it has been home to the picture-perfect
dawn for me, the 3rd of December, the day wewaterways and canals unmatched by any other
set out for our flight to Trivandrum in the midstsite in the orient. Enjoying the extremely romantic
of a foggy early winter morning in Kolkata!dusk with the sight of the enchanting backwaters
Why did we choose Kerala beaches andand the raindrops which had made the setting
backwaters as our honeymoon destination:even more out of this world, we stepped inside
Truly speaking, beach sites all over India haveour small, cozy houseboat for our backwater ride
simply fascinated me since my childhood.after dusk. Sailing along the "kettuvallam"
Moreover, since both of us had just decided upon(houseboat) through the enchanting backwaters
visiting some place that would not be crowdedof Alappuzha was the experience of a lifetime,
(quite a common criteria for honeymooners!) andthough the journey had to stop after a while due
at the same time would be exotic enough to beto rough winds and heavy rainfall. Our boat was
remembered for a lifetime, we unanimouslythen anchored somewhere near the shore and
agreed upon touring the beach sites of Kovalamwe were to stay inside the boat for the night and
as well as exploring the exquisite beauty of theagain start our journey the next morning if the
Alleppey backwaters. And while I have heardstorm cooled down. Ours was a one room
some people say that beaches are the samehouseboat including a picturesque sundeck, a cozy
everywhere, I instinctively felt that it is not so inbedroom and an attached private bath, with
Kerala. And why not? Bound by the exoticexcellent construction and luxurious furnishing
Arabian Sea on its western side, with its vastfeaturing exquisite flooring, hull and valavara
shore line extending up to 600 kilometers, we can(canopy). The reason I am describing the interiors
safely say the tiny state of Kerala houses someof the houseboat is that it was a completely
of the best beaches of the country, or rather, ofsoothing experience to me, being totally different
the world!in its raw, naturalistic appeal in the midst of a
Speaking of the beaches, I don't personally knowpicture-perfect scenario of lakes, lagoons, canals
why the Kerala beaches have taken a backseatand rivers. And though the houseboat operators
when Indian tourists are concerned. Most of ushad their share of flaws, they made up for it with
blame the tremendous popularity of the Keralasome mind-blowing authentic Keralite cuisines
backwaters for it, but if you ask me, well, whereincluding some interesting delicacies made with the
else can you find such gentle surf and crystallocal fish!
clear blue waters topped with a fabulous coast lineThe next day, early at dawn, the storm cooled
that is adorned by sandy beaches, rockydown and we could see the clear azure sky,
promontories and coconut palms? And the beautywhich meant we could now start sailing through
of most of the Kerala beaches lies in the factthe backwaters again. And lo, what do we see as
that all of them are tremendously picturesquewe start the backwater ride? Palm fringed narrow
sites while at the same time being quiet andcanals winding through the vast expanse of paddy
serene, less infested with seasonal crowd. And infields, neat tiny hamlets lined up along either sides
all the three days we spent in the Kerala beachesof the canals, and above all, a bewildering labyrinth
including Kovalam, we just celebrated theirof shimmering waterways composed of lakes,
tranquility, seclusion and virgin beauty, along withcanals, rivers and rivulets! Moreover, along our
sharing some of the most divine momentsway, we explored the scenic countryside of
together, watching the small, quaint local fishingKuttanad (referred to as the "rice bowl of Kerala"
villages, some old piers that extend in to the sea,due to its wealth of paddy crops) with its
lagoons, vast lakes and numerous fresh watershimmering waterways, its dense tropical
rivers. At the Kovalam beach site, we enjoyedgreenery and its rich crop of bananas! There
the sight of a small village down the shoreline, thewere those fishing nets of the local fishermen, the
exquisite Lighthouse beach. At theflock of ducks swimming around the banks and
Shankhamugam beach on the other hand, wetiny birds flying across the sky, smelling deeply of
were fortunate to experience one of the mostthe vibrant life in the countryside of the magical
breathtaking sunset views ever amidst theKuttinad!
picturesque surroundings of a favorite haunt ofLate at noon, we decided to encounter the
sunset watchers. Another fascinating beach, thecluster of little islands on the Vembanad Lake,
Thirumullavaram Beach was a perfect morningwhich is very much a part of the Kuttanad region.
retreat, where we started our day looking at theThere was an immensely beautiful bird sanctuary
swaying coconut palm trees, and watching localin the vicinity, spread across 14 acres--quite a
fishermen who set out into the sea in search offavorite haunt of migratory birds (including herons,
their catch! On one hand, we were getting moreteal, waterfowl, cuckoo, wild duck and migratory
and more awed by the untarnished beauty of allbirds like the Siberian storks) and an ornithologist's
the beaches, while on the other hand, we wereparadise! We were told that the best way to
just relishing our sheer sense of delight looking atwatch the birds of the Kumarakom sanctuary is a
the contrast between the blue hues of the waterboat trip. However, we didn't have enough time
and the sky! Everywhere around us, there was afor the boat trip, but explored to our full the lush
bite of paradise, which was getting more serenegreenery of a couple of islands and the serene
with the nectar of our sweet togetherness!beauty of the Vembanad lake that juts into the
Our prayers in the Padmanabhaswamy temple:mainland in a series of lagoons and streams.
As I had already heard and read some fabulousTogether, all of it created splendid scenery that is
tales about the hoary temple tradition at thestill fresh in my memory like a drop of morning
Southern State of Kerala, we had quite decideddew!
that our visit would be incomplete without seeingIt was the last evening of our tour, and with
at least a couple of them. Moreover, like most ofhearts heaving with the sheer ecstasy of the
the newly married Hindu brides, me too had somesurroundings as well as with the sorrow of parting
sentimental leanings towards offering prayers andways with the magical Kerala, we reached the
'puja' to the Lords for both of our lives, ourWhispering Palms lake resort, the 4-star resort in
future and our prolonged togetherness! Well, I canKumarkon, located on the bank of the
still clearly remember the day we paid a shortVembanadu Lake. It was fascinating to discover
visit to the exquisite Padmanabhaswamy temple,that this resort also adorned the natural
when we were just fascinated with its uniquebackwaters! That was the last night of our stay in
temple architecture and the quiet serenity insidethe picturesque honeymoon haven that we had
the huge temple boundaries! To be in sync withchosen for ourselves. To make the night
the mood, I dressed myself completely in amemorable, and to bask in the luxury of
traditional south Indian ensemble, bought flowerstranquility, we remained awake till the wee hours
from the local market and hanged them aroundof the night, not in our room, but outside,
my hair as a demure Keralite bride, and I lovedwatching the spectacular beauty of the
every moment of it! The day started off withbackwaters nestled undauntedly by the tall palms
our sheer wonder in exploring the awe-inspiringand coconut trees which was being enjoyed from
architecture of the Padmanabhaswamy templea point just outside the resort! As small children
and the serene atmosphere of divinity inside it.sitting in the lap of Mother nature, we had our
One of the grandest and one of the most ancientfeet floating in the waters, and also had to pay a
temples of Kerala, it has been vibrant withsmall price for it. One of my pair of sandals
tradition, having been associated for years withsuddenly disappeared into the waters, and after
the arts and music. Needless to say, the mostsome time, we understood it was useless
awe-inspiring sight inside the temple was its shrine,searching for it. As we laughed it off, our giggling
showcasing an imposing image of Vishnu in theand 'sweet nothings' evaporated into the air and
Anantasayanam posture; an image which wemingled with the mystic charm of the settings of
viewed through three doors in front of the shrine.the beautiful Kumarkon! Now staying some
It was a sunny Sunday morning, and the hugethousand miles away from my country, I wistfully
gathering in front of the shrine was enough to tellyearn for the essence and the fervor of those
us the religious fervor of the people there!few days spent in the lavish exploration of
However, beyond the sheer religious pursuits ofnature's wonders in Kerala, the God's own land!
people, we were getting more and more awedSome day, before we die, we would surely love
by the Dravidian style of the temple architecture,to relive those idyllic days! Till then, all I can do is
its 100 feet high 'gopuram' (also built in ancientto conclude my writing with these famous lines of
Dravidian style) and its magnificent mural paintingsWilliam Wordsworth:
and stone carvings! No wonder then, that with a"Earth has not anything to show more fair/ Dull
colorful calendar of festivities, the amalgamationwould he be of soul who could pass by/
of stonework, wood work, murals and sculpture-A sight so touching in its majesty!
harmoniously blended into a structure vibrant with