Why Alappuzha is called as Venice of the East
In the early first decade of the 20th century the Viceroy of the Indian Empire, Lord Curzon made a visit to the State to Alleppey, now Alappuzha. He was overwhelmed by the beauty of the place and its Tranquil backwaters. He stated that “Here nature has spent up on the land her richest bounties. Alleppey, the Venice of the East”.Alappuzha was initially built for trade purposes by Travancore’s Dewan Raja Kesava Das in the second half of the 18th century, as he has trade relations with Greece and Rome. Travelers and authors like Ptolemy and Pliny have mentioned Alappuzha in their work and did not shy away from describing the beauty of the place in detail. Most of the foreigners agreed with that statement and Now Alleppey is Popularly known as the Venice of the East.
We all have heard about the famous water canals of Venice and it’s out of the earthly charm. But going to Venice can be white expensive but what if we tell you that you can enjoy a much better place than Venice and that too in India, don’t get surprised as we have our own Venice in the Backwaters of Kerala in the God’s own country. Alleppey also known as Alappuzha is the most popular backwaters in Kerala as it is a town with picturesque canals, backwaters, beaches, and lagoons. The name Allapuzha is derived from the geographical location of the town, it means the land between the sea and the river. The backwaters of Alappuzha connect the Kumarkoram and Cochin to the north and the Quilon to the south. It is also the access point to the annual Nehru trophy boat race which is one of the most popular events held here. Alleppey is famed for its backwaters but also for the beautiful beaches such as the Alappuzha beach, Andhakaranazhi Beach and the beautiful Marari each.
House Boats of Alleppey
The most popular means of enjoying the beauty of Alleppey is through a ride on the house boats in the famed backwaters. The houseboats were earlier used for transportation of grains until it was used by the royals of Kerala for their leisurely visits. These house boats are like floating hotels with full facilities and luxury. The house boats can be hired or booked depending upon the type of stay you wish for. You can also select the type of boat you want to stay on depending upon your budget as these house boats function just like hotels and are classified accordingly like budget, deluxe and luxury class boats.