| |
A beautiful garland of interlinked
waterways, the backwaters are an adornment that Kerala wears
with pride. For the people who live alongside , the rivers are
a part of their legacy and culture; their work and worship,
their ablutions and absolutions. |
|
The backwaters are more than just an accessory;
the fisherman and the student, the housewife and the wizened
grandmother, all navigate the waters in their tiny boats, at
one with the river and with Nature at large. Harmony is the
ripples made by their oars against the water, peace is the glide
of the boat along its journey, life is the whisper of the river
as it flows onward.
The backwaters are unique to Kerala and are believed to have
been formed by silting during the great flood of 1866 AD. Linking
land masses along their routes, the backwaters lend an entirely
different personality to Kerala.
A fascinating sight along the backwaters are the Kettuvallams.
These gargantuan country boats measure up to 80 feet in length
and are painstakingly made by tying together huge planks of
Jack wood. Put together without the use of a single nail, they
are a truly majestic sight to behold as they wind their way
through the watery highways.
|
|
