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You cannot shoot india, or talk about any trip there without touching on the poverty. Of course poverty is relative. I was genuinely expecting to see a lot more "poverty" than I did. I suppose my ideas on what that meant to me changed a lot during my time there.
Does poverty mean someone that doesn't have a 40 hour a week job and no social welfare. Someone that doesn't have a bedroom with air conditioning, or someone that cannot feed themselves one solid meal a day to keep their nutrition up?
I think what we in the west see as poverty is very different to what someone in Delhi sees as poverty.
When you look at the face of this woman, what do you see? I had been in India for 12 days when I met this lady. If I had met her on my first day my emotions would have been very different. Before I go on, I did give her some money, but the image was not staged in anyway. Her expression was painted to her face. This is how she makes a living, and she was very accepting of me taking her photo, and I gave her the money afterwards.
After much conversation with many people about poverty in india I feel about it like this, and there will be a comprehensive story about it. I observed pretty closely the different levels of society whilst there, well as much as you can in 2 weeks, and I saw several different levels of people, both in the city and out. There are people who live on the street and have very little. Who struggle to eat well and feed their kids, and stay warm. BUT from my limited observation the numbers weren't overwhelming to me, relatively.
There are 1,200,000,000 humans in india. I am sure if you took the population of australia and extrapolated it out and made the poorest of our population, and they DO exist, visible to all it would be just as confronting. We are just extremely good at hiding them away so that they are not in our conscience.
I know this is a HUGE subject, but one that fascinated me a lot. I have a beautiful, yet sad story of a family I met who literally live in the gutter and eat scraps. Mum, Dad, kids and grand dad. They were lovely, and I have some difficult yet stunning images of them that I will share at some stage.
Peace, Denis
Patriotic Indians on the Indian side of the India-Pakistan border preparing to witness the sunset border closing ceremony.
© 2012 davidMbyrne.com
Elsewhere: Click here to see this and other pictures as uploaded to my India-Pakistan Border Crossing Ceremony photography Blog entry. Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.
India is a good way to see how colonialism and now globalism destroys local democratically run economies. As Vandana says, politics is about economics and we should not forget this because politics is often said to be controlled by the religious agenda of certain groups and the threat of terrorism.
India came under British control because of the manipulations of the British East India Company, the original transnational corporation. They divided the people into two cultures, that were largely a fiction created from so called "ancient laws" in the process disappearing 9 or so actual cultures and thousands more that were land-based. Having created this artificial apartheid, it was easy to divide the country into two fundamentalist groups, Hindus and Muslims. This dualistic approach was also used in Rwanda as I remember. Once divided it is easy to distract people with divisive issues until violence ensues. Then the Brits decided that the country had to be partitioned into two creating Pakistan to contain the Muslims. This partition in 1947 caused the death of 800,000 people or so in the turmoil. This dualism is the underlying friction that causes India so much trouble today she says.
She also describes how the British used India to jumpstart the British textile mills. The British did not have cotton clothing only wool. When Britain took over India they allowed imports of cotton clothing into Britain for only a short time longer. Then as British factories started weaving cotton, they restricted Indian imports to raw cotton only, in order to give the Brits a chance to get their mills going. (Those satanic mills whose looms toiled for the Spring and Fall fashions that made clothing obsolete so quickly; the first incidence of planned obsolescence.) Once India was no longer allowed to sell to the British market its textile industry collapsed. Revisionists claim that British technology simply outdid traditional Indian manufacturing practices. The example of Britain and India seems to be the model for globalization and industrialization today. (Naomi Klein says globalization is a euphemism for capitalism.)
The rest of the book is devoted to how corporate giants have manipulated their way into taking over India's bio-diversity through the monoculture of industrialized agriculture, indigenous seeds through patenting and GMOs, and finally water rights through the building of dams. At just 168 pages this treatise pretty much sums up how globalization does not bring democracy and prosperity to all, but rather creates fundamentalism and violence by forcing trade into higher technological vehicles thus only the elite of developing countries can participate. And when people suffer an economics of exclusion they are then attracted to a politics of identity ie: religious fundamentalism.
When I saw her speak, Vandana Shiva claimed that this is also why religious fundamentalism has risen in the US. I had a hard time understanding this because here the right wing Christians have enormous power. In this book she talks about how the neocons have married technology to right wing Christian ideology, creating a culture of hate which then covers up the inequities created by globalization. I think this is Vandana's main beef—that reality is constantly being covered up by stories of religious strife in order to hide the fleecing of the poor and the land base.
India - A view of Gujarat.
The Jat - one of the hidden tribes in Gujarat (India).
Dhaneta Jat girl.
The Jats who live in Kutch are particularly conscious of their identity as a group and their sense of unity comes from a perception of shared historical traditions and a belief in common ancestry.
Originally the Jats were herders who lived in an area called Half in Iran. Five hundred years ago these shepherds migrated from Half and came to Sindh and Kutch to search for new grazing lands. They crossed the Rann of Kutch and settled there taking up farming, they became known as Dhaneta Jats. Some have devted themselves to the study of the Koran and are known as the Fakirani Jats. All the Jats in Kutch are Muslims and have similar marriage and dowry customs.
The Dhanetas are the largest of the Jat Communities. They live throughtout north western Kutch. The Dhanetas live in the Banni, herd cattle. The men care for the animals and women remain in camp looking after their families.
See also:
www.flickriver.com/photos/waltercallens/random/
www.flickr.com/photos/waltercallens/favorites/
english.cohga.net/flickr/user/74089637@N00_1.html
Carved wall of the Sun Temple of Modhera.
Sun Temple at Modhera is one of the few shrines that are dedicated to the Sun God. Situated on the banks of Pushpavati River in Modhera, Sun Temple is easily accessible from Ahmedabad, the largest city of Gujarat.
In 1026, the temple was built by King Bhimdev of the Solanki dynasty (believed to be the descendants of the lineage of Sun God). This ancient temple revives the reminiscences of Sun Temple at Konark in Orissa. Turning in the pages of history, one can notice the mention of Modhera in the scriptures like Skanda Purana and Brahma Purana. The surrounding area of Modhera used to be known as Dharmaranya (forest of righteousness) and the place was blessed by Lord Rama.
The brilliant architecture of the temple is one of its own class. The temple encompasses three different yet axially-aligned and integrated constituents. As per the Konark Temple, this shrine is designed in a manner, so that the first rays of the Sun cast on the image of the Lord Surya. The Temple was plundered by Mahmud Ghazni; still the architectural grandeur is not vanished. No matter what is left, yet the remnants provide a great enchantment to behold.
Erected on a high platform, the Temple appears majestic with its grand structure. However, the spires are out of the scene, but the 'Toranas' (Archways) that lead to the main halls overshadow the absence of spires or shikhars. The exterior walls are engraved with intricate carvings, boasting about the mastery of art in those times. Every single inch of the structure is covered with the sculptural patterns of Gods, Goddesses,
birds, beasts and flowers. Actually, the Sun Temple is divided into three parts namely Surya Kund, Sabha Mandap and Guda Mandap.
Surya Kund is a deep stepped tank in the front of the temple. The tank was named after the Lord Surya (Sun God). In the earlier times, this 100 sq meter rectangular tank was used to store pure water. The devotees used to take a halt here for ceremonial ablutions before moving towards the temple. Not less than 108 shrines mark the steps of this tank including the shrines dedicated to Lord Ganesha, Lord Shiva, Sheetala Mata and many others. In front of this tank, a huge 'torana' (archway) leads to the Sabha Mandap.
Sabha Mandap: literally, Sabha Mandap refers to an assembly hall where religious
gatherings and conferences are conducted. This hall is open from all the four sides and has 52 delicately carved pillars. The intricate carvings depict scenes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata (Indian Epics) and scenes from the life of Lord Krishna. In order to get into the Sanctum Sanctorum, one has to cross the passage with pillars and arches.
Guda Mandap is the sanctum sanctorum that is supported by a lotus-base plinth. Once, this hall used to house the idol of the Sun God. The designing of the hall was done in a way, so that the idol gets the first glimpse of the Sun at equinoxes. However, the idol was plundered by Mahmud Ghazni yet the walls represent the Sun God in his 12 different facets of each month. The carved walls also depict the aspects of human life like the vicious circle of birth and death. The façade of this hall was renovated in the recent years, despite the fact that the roof over the Guda Mandap had already been shattered.
Multi storied buildings operating as brothels at Sonagachi, South Asia's largest red light district in the Indian city of Kolkata, India. May 2, 2017 / Thomson Reuters Foundation/Tanmoy Bhaduri
Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway connecting the town with the plains was declared a World Heritage Site in 1999 and is one of the few steam engines still in service in India.
India - A view of Gujarat.
The Jat - one of the hidden tribes in Gujarat (India).
Dhaneta Jat girl.
The Jats who live in Kutch are particularly conscious of their identity as a group and their sense of unity comes from a perception of shared historical traditions and a belief in common ancestry.
Originally the Jats were herders who lived in an area called Half in Iran. Five hundred years ago these shepherds migrated from Half and came to Sindh and Kutch to search for new grazing lands. They crossed the Rann of Kutch and settled there taking up farming, they became known as Dhaneta Jats. Some have devted themselves to the study of the Koran and are known as the Fakirani Jats. All the Jats in Kutch are Muslims and have similar marriage and dowry customs.
The Dhanetas are the largest of the Jat Communities. They live throughtout north western Kutch. The Dhanetas live in the Banni, herd cattle. The men care for the animals and women remain in camp looking after their families.
St Francis CSI Church, Fort Cochi, Kerala.
Fort Cochin (presently Fort Kochi) is the oldest European settlement in India and St. Francis Church is the first European Church that was built in India. The History of this Church reflects the colonial struggle of European powers in India from the 15th to 20th centuries.
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to discover the sea route to India when Vasco da Gama landed at Calicut in 1498. Two years later, on 24th December 1500, Portuguese ships, under the command of Admiral Cabral, visited Cochin and the Rajah of Cochin permitted them to engage in trade. In 1503 Alphonso Albuquerque was given permission by the Rajah to build a fort at the mouth of the river which was constructed mainly of the stems of coconut trees bound with iron bands, whilst the rampart of stones and sand formed the inner defence. Within the fort they erected a church made of wood which was dedicated to St. Bartholomew and that stood on the exact place where the more spacious existing structure of the Franciscans later arose. In 1506 Dom Francisco Almeyda, the Viceroy, was given permission by the Rajah of Cochin to build a new city using mortar and stone and building roofed with titles (a privilege hitherto been confined only to the palace of the local prince and to the temples in which he performed puja). The Portuguese vowed that apart from the fortifications, the first permanent erection would be a church for divine worship. Accordingly, the wooden structure was replaced with one made of mortar and bricks. The new church was completed in 1516 and dedicated to St. Antony.
Towards the end of 1524 Vasco Da Gama returned to Cochin (his first visit was in 1502) where he died on the Christmas eve of that year and was buried in this Church. Fourteen years later, his remains were shipped to Portugal and deposited at Vidigveria where they remained until 1872 when they were removed to the monastery of Jeronimos in Lisbon, its present abode.
The Church remained in the Order of St. Francis until the arrival of the Dutch in 1663. One of the first acts of the Dutch was to order all European Catholic priests to quit their territory, after which they demolished all the convents and churches of the place, except the Church of the Franciscans, which they reconditioned and converted into their Government Church. On 8th January 1664 they celebrated their first service with a parade of all arms on the anniversary of their entry into the city. During the reconditioning, the stone altar and the wiring guilded screens were removed and taken to the Church of Vypeen, which the Dutch permitted the Roman Catholics to build in 1665, and the communion table and the rostrum furniture were installed in their stead. A tablet over the west door indicates that the Church was renovated in 1779.
The Dutch cemetery here is one of the oldest cemeteries in India. Hundreds of Europeans left their homeland on a mission to expand their colonial empires. The tombstones in this cemetery are the most authentic record of these Europeans who changed the course of history of this land. The cemetery was consecrated in the year 1724. It is owned and maintained by St. Francis C.S.I. Church.
When the British captured Cochin from the Dutch in 1795, they permitted the Dutch to retain possession of the Church for a time. In 1804 the Dutch voluntarily surrendered the Church to the Anglican Communion when it was passed to the Ecclesiastical Department of the Government of India. But when Rev. Thomas Norton came to Cochin in 1816 on his way to Alleppey to inaugurate the work of the Church Missionary Society, he found that the Church was just bare walls, the interior was very dilapidated and part of the roof had fallen in. Later, the building was sufficiently restored to enable Bishop Middleton, the Metropolitan, to use it for a confirmation service during his Episcopal visit to the Malabar Coast.
The change of name of the patron saint was presumably due to the Anglicans, for it was not until 1870 that any reference was made to St. Francis Church. The gravestones laid on the walls of the Church were taken from the floor of the grave in 1886. On the northern sidewall Portuguese gravestones can be seen and the Dutch gravestones on the southern wall. The Vasco da Gama stone is on the ground at the southern side. A table inside the building over the west door shows that it was "repaired by the Government of Madras in 1887, being the fiftieth year of the reign of Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland and Empress of India".
The Church possesses an interesting link with the past in the form of the 'Doop Book', the old baptism and marriage register from 1751-1804, which may be accessed in the vestry. It was maintained for 40 years in the handwriting of Predikant Cornelies and was sent to London in 1932 for getting the leaves repaired by experts. It was then rebound in the original style. A Photostat copy takes the place of the original for scrutiny by visitors.
The Church became a protected monument in April 1923 under the Protected Monuments Act 1904. The Cenotaph in memory of the residents of Cochin who fell in the First Great War erected in 1920 and was unveiled by the Governor of Madras on 21st October of that year. The boundary walls were erected in 1924.
The Clock on this Church was erected in the year 1923 in memory of Hal Harrison Jones, a former Managing Director of Aspinwall & Company.
The Pankhas or Fans found in the Church are a reminder of the British opulence of that period.
A few memorial brass plates and marble slabs were erected in memory of very important persons who had dedicated their own lives to this Church and the society. The present furniture were installed when it was under the Anglican order of worship.
The Church of South India (C.S.I), spreading as 22 dioceses throughout the four states in the southern part of India, and in Sri Lanka, owns the Church. There is regular worship service in this Church on all Sundays and commemorative days. On weekdays it is kept open for visitors and tourists.
The Church of South India (C.S.I) – the second largest Christian community in India-is an ecumenical church since 1947.
Campaign poster for prevention of AIDS use of condoms at Sonagachi, South Asia's largest red light district in the Indian city of Kolkata, India. May 2, 2017 / Thomson Reuters Foundation/Tanmoy Bhaduri
Village Mathura Nagar, Pharenda Block, Dist, Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh, INDIA.
Members of School Management Committees (SMCs), comprising local authority officials, parents, guardians and teachers, take part to discuss of their initiative on school development and management programme like increasing attendance of students, 100 % enrollment of children, arrangement of safe drinking water, arrangement of separate toilet facilities for girls and boys, distribution of textbook, arrangement of quality mid-day meal, use for Gram Panchayat fund for school development, free distribution of school dress, monitoring and follow-up of government supply and utilization of government grants, development of child friendly school, adequate attention to health, water, sanitation and hygiene issues under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act. The Unicef state office of Uttar Pradesh in collaboration with the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan under the initiative called "Awaahan" is strengthening the School Management Committees (SMC) and helping in the creation of child-friendly schools. SMC is an important provision under the RTE Act which states that the body must be composed of parents, guardians, women, headmaster and representatives of the gram panchayat and civil society. The idea is to encourage parental/societal involvement and demand better functioning of the education system.
Launched in 2011 in the Farinda Block in Maharajganj district in eastern Uttar Pradesh, the initiative works through capacity-development and strengthening of teachers and different stakeholders such as District Project Office; convergence with other departments, especially Gram Panchayat, Integrated-Child Development Services, District Panchayati Raj Officer and Block Development Officer; and also strengthening Mother-Teacher Association and Parent-Teacher Association and promotion of community mobilization activities and ownership. UNICEF India/2014/Dhiraj Singh.
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the truth about pOtable drinkig water in rural india ...... INDIA SHINING ???...
clean safe drinking water still remains a distant dream in most of indias villages and small towns as well
Indian eunuch groom posses for photograph with other eunuchs during his marriage in the northern Indian city of Jammu, the winter capital of Kashmir on 04 December 2010. Eunuch marriage is marked to observe the mourning of the demised leaders of the eunuch fraternity “Kinnar Biradari” during the 10 day long rituals to mark the occasion the eunuch would perform different activities marriages, lunches and dinners hosted by the fraternity members for the “Kinnar Biradari”. Thousands of eunuchs drawn from different parts of India and Pakistan take part in “Kinnar Biradari mourning” being organised in Jammu and Kashmir state after 35 years.
We started on the very south in Kerala. Visited Fort Cochin, watched a crazy Kathakala traditional dance, floated down the backwater canals on a little row boat until our butts got sore. Headed down to Varkala, a beach surrounded by big cliffs. Our train rides this time were better, maybe we were more experienced and tolerant. Took a wrong train once and missed our destination, boarded an unreserved train cart and also boarded an overnight train without confirmed tickets – woo! Visited the British tea plantations in Munnar. Spent time in Goa, dodging the western hippies and meeting Indians with Portuguese names. Unavoidably met the hippies in Hampi but the ruins and temples made up for it.
The North
We visited Mumbai and nearby Aurangabad, Ajanta and Ellora. In Rajhastan, we visited Jodhpur, Ranakpur, Udaipur and Pushkar. Kept heading north towards Punjab and visited Amritsar and the Pakistani border. Looped around to hippie-center Rishikesh and back to Delhi, once again after our first visit 5 years ago.
Dhamek Stupa is cylindrical in shape, 28.5m in diameter and 43.6m tall. The Archeological Survey of India claim that it marks the site of the First Sermon. It is not possible to confirm this claim as Dhammarajika stupa and the Gupta shrine of Pancayatana, are also believed by some to be the site of the First Sermon. The best thing to do is to treat the whole area as the place of the First Sermon.
Dharma Chakra Centre or Rumtek Monastery is one of the most important seats of the Kagyu lineage outside Tibet. In the early 1960's, His Holiness the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa, founded this seat. The Centre has become the International Kagyu Headquarters during the life of His Holiness, and was the place from which lineage activities have manifested throughout the world. Here, the younger generation of Kagyu masters are being trained in the traditional study and meditation practices which have continuously been taught and practiced for the last 800 years.
The establishment of the Dharma Chakra Centre, Rumtek, Sikkim, India, includes:
1. The Rumtek Monastery: The beautifully structured main shrine temple and monastery surrounded by monks' quarters, where monks and Tulkus are trained in traditional tantric ritualistic arts and sadhana practices. His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa resided on the top floor and the most of the important relics are enshrined there. More
2. Drupdra Yiwong Samten Ling: A three-year retreat center built in the late 1970's by His Holiness the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa, where traditional three-year retreat training is given, in accordance with the tradition of the Kagyu lineage. More
3. Karma Shri Nalanda Institute: The Shedra, or monastic college, affiliated with the Sampurnnant Sanskrit University in Varanasi, was founded by His Holiness the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa. The young monks and Tulkus are trained in traditional buddhist education with a touch of modern educational systems. At the top of the old Shedra building, the relic of the Sixteenth Karmapa is enshrined. More
4. Karme Dechen Chökhor: A nunnery founded by His Holiness the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa, were the nuns receive full training in the tantric ritual arts and sadhana practices.
When we got back to the Ghat there were people at the water’s edge praying and giving thanks. This river is life, purity, and a goddess to the people of India. The river is Ganga Ma, "Mother Ganges." Anyone who touches these purifying waters even today are said to be cleansed of all sins.
One summer while at Dubai Men's College, we chose to spend about 6 weeks of the summer in India. We first flew into New Delhi and were on a private escorted tour of Agra and Jaipur. We continued for the next five weeks travelling by ourselves. We took the train to Bihar for the Buddhist things, and Varanasi. We continued down to Calcutta and then Bhubaneswar. After we flew to Madras and went to a Jain temple in the Bangalore area. We flew to Goa for a short stay. Finally, we travelled overland to Bombay (called at the time) and returned to the UAE from there.
Incredible India Portraits Series .
“ Cause life does not owe you a happy ending “ .
Homeless Lady .
Ramappa Temple.
Palampet is located at a distance of 77 km from Warangal, the ancient capital of the Kakatiyas. It is home to brilliant Kakatiya art as seen in the Ramappa temple. The Ramalingeswara Temple is popularly known as the Ramappa temple because the chief sculptor was Ramappa. It is probably the only temple in India to be known by the name of the sculptor who builds it. It was built under the patronage of the King Kakati Ganapathi Deva by his Chief Commander Rudra Samani at Ranakude in the province of Atukuru. The temple has been described as the "brightest star in the galaxy of medieval temples in the Deccan". The temple is approached thorough a royal garden, now just a lawn with tree lined path. The temple is situated in a valley and is built with bricks so light that they can float on water. Yet the temple is so strong that it is still intact after numerous wars, invasions and natural calamities.
The Ramappa temple stands on a 6 ft high platform on a cruciform plan. The sanctum is crowned with a shikhara and is surrounded by a pradakshinapatha. Rich and intricate carvings adorn the walls, pillars and ceilings of this wonderful building. The hall in front of the sanctum has numerous beautifully carved pillars that have been placed to create an effect that combines light and space wonderfully. There are many votive shrines within the temple. There are two subsidiary shrines on either side of the main temple, which are in a good condition.
The entire temple complex is enclosed with a compound wall. At the entrance to the temple is a ruined Nandi mandapam, with an imposing 9 ft high Nandi, which is still intact. The Shivalingam in the sanctum also rises to a height of 9 ft. The east-facing sanctum is surrounded with pilasters crowned with Dravidian and Nagara shikharas in an alternating fashion.
The temple signifies many facets of Shiva, his royal residence, the Himalaya Mountains and his inhabiting a sacred space beyond the mortal realm. The temple is built upon the classical pattern of being first raised upon a platform that separates its sacred functions from the taint of the everyday. This 'sacred mountain' mindset was characteristic of the temple builders in all the cultures. It represented a powerful symbolic representation of a perfect building, an intersection in midair of the spheres of heaven and earth. The platform lifts it above the normal, transcends the profane, declaring with uncompromising firmness that it is a place for un-common activities dedicated to a god.
Guntur Hospital Chapel Preachers, 1922.
Back row (L-R): Dr. Victor McCauley; Mr. V. Ch. John, M.A.; Mr. N.V. Raghavachari; Pastor M. Satyanandam; Mr. P.B. Paul; Dr. John Aberly.
Front row: Pastor P. Philip Leisenring; Mr. S. Bhushanam; Pastor K. Luke; Dr. L.L. Uhl; Mr. Chegudi Joshua; Pastor R.P.D. Augustus; Pastor Murari David.
Used in Guntur Mission Hospital by Anna S. Kugler, p.40.
LCA 16.6.3 box 6 f. 15 India - Missionaries.
ELCA Archives image.
The Kerala backwaters are a chain of brackish lagoons and lakes lying parallel to the Arabian Sea coast (known as the Malabar Coast) of Kerala state in southern India. The network includes five large lakes linked by canals, both manmade and natural, fed by 38 rivers, and extending virtually half the length of Kerala state. The backwaters were formed by the action of waves and shore currents creating low barrier islands across the mouths of the many rivers flowing down from the Western Ghats range.
The Kerala Backwaters are a network of interconnected canals, rivers, lakes and inlets, a labyrinthine system formed by more than 900 km of waterways, and sometimes compared to the American Bayou. In the midst of this landscape there are a number of towns and cities, which serve as the starting and end points of backwater cruises. National Waterway No. 3 from Kollam to Kottapuram, covers a distance of 205 km and runs almost parallel to the coast line of southern Kerala facilitating both cargo movement and backwater tourism.
The backwaters have a unique ecosystem - freshwater from the rivers meets the seawater from the Arabian Sea. In certain areas, such as the Vembanad Kayal, where a barrage has been built near Kumarakom, salt water from the sea is prevented from entering the deep inside, keeping the fresh water intact. Such fresh water is extensively used for irrigation purposes.
Many unique species of aquatic life including crabs, frogs and mudskippers, water birds such as terns, kingfishers, darters and cormorants, and animals such as otters and turtles live in and alongside the backwaters. Palm trees, pandanus shrubs, various leafy plants and bushes grow alongside the backwaters, providing a green hue to the surrounding landscape.
Vembanad Kayal is the largest of the lakes, covering an area of 200 km², and bordered by Alappuzha (Alleppey), Kottayam, and Ernakulam districts. The port of Kochi (Cochin) is located at the lake's outlet to the Arabian Sea. Alleppey, "Venice of the East", has a large network of canals that meander through the town. Vembanad is India’s longest lake.
HOUSE BOATS
The kettuvallams (Kerala houseboats) in the backwaters are one of the prominent tourist attractions in Kerala. More than 2000 kettuvallams ply the backwaters, 120 of them in Alappuzha. Kerala government has classified the tourist houseboats as Platinum, Gold and silver.
The kettuvallams were traditionally used as grain barges, to transport the rice harvested in the fertile fields alongside the backwaters. Thatched roof covers over wooden hulls, 30 m in length, provided protection from the elements. At some point in time the boats were used as living quarters by the royalty. Converted to accommodate tourists, the houseboats have become floating cottages having a sleeping area, with western-style toilets, a dining area and a sit out on the deck. Most tourists spend the night on a house boat. Food is cooked on board by the accompanying staff – mostly having a flavour of Kerala. The houseboats are of various patterns and can be hired as per the size of the family or visiting group. The living-dining room is usually open on at least three sides providing a grand view of the surroundings, including other boats, throughout the day when it is on the move. It is brought to a standstill at times of taking food and at night. After sunset, the boat crew provide burning coils to drive away mosquitoes. Ketuvallams are motorised but generally proceed at a slow speed for smooth travel. All ketuvallams have a generator and most bedrooms are air-conditioned. At times, as per demand of customers, electricity is switched off and lanterns are provided to create a rural setting.
While many ketuvalloms take tourists from a particular point and bring them back to around the same point next morning there are some specific cruises mostly in the Alappuzha area, such as the one night cruise from Alappuzha to Thotapally via Punnamada Lake two nights cruise from Alappuzha to Alumkavadi,[8] one night cruise from Alappuzha to Kidangara, and one night cruise from Alappuzha to Mankotta. There are numerous such cruises.
Beypore, located 10 km south of Kozhikode at the mouth of the Chaliyar River, is a famous fishing harbour, port and boat building centre. Beypore has a 1,500 year-tradition of boatbuilding. The skill of the local shipwrights and boat builders are widely sought after. There is a houseboat-building yard at Alumkadavu, in Ashtamudi Kayal near Kollam.
FERRY SERVICES
Regular ferry services connect most locations on both banks of the backwaters. The Kerala State Water Transport Department operates ferries for passengers as well as tourists. It is the cheapest mode of transport through the backwaters.
ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE
Connected by artificial canals, the backwaters form an economical means of transport, and a large local trade is carried on by inland navigation. Fishing, along with fish curing is an important industry.
Kerala backwaters have been used for centuries by the local people for transportation, fishing and agriculture. It has supported the efforts of the local people to earn a livelihood. In more recent times, agricultural efforts have been strengthened with reclamation of some backwater lands for rice growing, particularly in the Kuttanad area. Boat making has been a traditional craft, so has been the coir industry.
Kuttanad is crisscrossed with waterways that run alongside extensive paddy fields, as well as fields of cassava, banana and yam. A unique feature of Kuttanad is that many of these fields are below sea level and are surrounded by earthen embankments. The crops are grown on the low-lying ground and irrigated with fresh water from canal and waterways connected to Vembanad lake. The area is similar to the dikes of the Netherlands where land has been reclaimed from the sea and crops are grown.
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