Kumarakom
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| Kumarakom | |||
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| Country |  India |
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| State | Kerala | ||
| District(s) | Kottayam | ||
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) | ||
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Coordinates: 9°35′0″N 76°26′0″E / 9.58333°N 76.43333°E
Kumarakom is a tourist village in Kottayam district, Kerala, India. It is a cluster of little islands on the Vembanad Lake in Kerala.
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[edit] Environment
Kumarakom is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is a noted bird sanctuary where many species of migratory birds visit. The Vembanad Lake, the largest backwater in Kerala, is habitat for many marine and freshwater fish species and it teems with Karimeen (Pearl spot), shrimp (chemmeen in the local language) and prawns. The bird sanctuary extends over 14 acres (57,000 m²), and came into existence following preservation efforts from the government. It is a major tourist attraction.
[edit] Economy
Agriculture, fishing and tourism are the major economic activities. The place has expanses of mangrove forests, paddy fields and coconut groves. This rich agricultural environment is mainly irrigated using interspersed waterways and canals of the Meenachil river. Kumarakom's perfectly balanced tropical climate is conductive to cultivation. Kumarakom has a wide variety of houseboats with different cost. They are used only for tourist. A separate boat known as Kettuvellam is used by the people to go fishing. Kumarakom is one of the most beautiful villages in the world.
[edit] Modes of access
One can access Kumarakom by many means:
- By air: via Cochin International Airport and the Trivandrum International Airport
- By rail: via Kottayam
- By boat: From Muhamma (near Alappuzha) to Kumarakom Jetty.
- By road:(16 kilometres) Buses and taxis are easily available at all times of the day from Kottayam.
[edit] Tourism
It is a unique experience that will beckon the visitors time and time again as there are several activities for visitors.
The Bird Sanctuary can be visited by canoes, which can be arranged with local fishermen at the entrance to the sanctuary. A two-hour rowing canoe trip is quite cheap, and is best undertaken in the evening or early morning to avoid the afternoon sun.
House boats or speed boats can cover longer distances but cost more to hire.
Taj Garden Retreat the first modern tourist resort in Kumarakom is established in the Victorian two storied bungalow built by Alfred George Baker in the year 1881, on huge pieces of Teak wood rafters packed in mud as a base. This house on the lake at Kumarakom was the house of four generations of the Baker family, for over hundred years. The bird Sanctuary and the two storied Bungalow built by Mr.A G Baker on the muddy land are places of interest for tourists from all over the world. The bungalow still remains grand but silent reminder of an age and people whose hard work cannot be erased by time.[1]
[edit] God of Small Things
Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things is set in Ayemenem or Aymanam village, which adjoins Kumarakom. The explosive success of this novel has given some added tourism impetus to this area. The Taj Garden Retreat hotel complex is centered around a building that is called "History House" in the novel; it was built by British missionary Alfred George Baker, whom the locals called "Kari Saipu" (possibly an elided form of "Baker Sahib"), as in the novel.[2] Four generations of Bakers lived in the house until 1962, speaking Malayalam, and even wearing the mundu. The Baker Memorial School, Kottayam, was started by a daughter of this family in 1925. The Baker family's house is in ruins in the novel, as it was in reality before was developed into a hotel and has been restored by the Taj group. The Ayemenem house, where Arundhati Roy spent part of her childhood (like the twins in the story), can also be visited in the village, which can be reached by boat along the Meenachil river that figures prominently in the story.
Kumarakom has been declared a Special Tourism Zone by the Kerala state Government, as legislated for by Kerala Tourism Act, 2005. [3] Development in the area is therefore now controlled by the guidelines written by the STZ committee, and published at http://www.keralatourism.org/specialtourism.php
[edit] Notable persons
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- Bishop Mar Alexander Choolaparampil (1877-1951), second bishop of the Knanaya Kottayam Archdiocese
- Abraham John Illikkalam: He was a genius and an engineering enthusiast. He is famous for constructing many large sized pendulum clocks. Pendulum clocks are subject to error due to changes in length of pendulum determined by the thermal coefficient of expansion. Materials with extremely low coefficients of expansion have to be used in the pendulum for highest accuracy. John contacted many European firms, like Royal Meteorological Society, for information regarding such materials that could survive the humid and varying climates of Kerala.Though these requests proved futile, he identified a type of locally available timber with extremely low expansion coefficient. He has later received many appreciations from the European firms for sharing details about this timber. One of the clocks he built was presented to the then Travancore King who rewarded him. One clock is still in Display at Manayanthra Bungalow. He is also praised as a hero for shooting a tiger in the Great Flood of 1924. {Known in Malayalam year as flood of '99(1099)}. He is also the forerunner of Illikkalam family in Kumarakom.
- Capt.Dr. Karumacheril Itty John.(Medical Doctor,Surgeon,I.M.S)(1885-1938) He was the first British army officer from Kumarakom and worked in Europe as well as India.
- Dr.Karumacheril Abraham John or K.J.Abraham (Medical Doctor,Physician), Elder son of Capt.K.I.John. The first physician in Kumarakom.
- John Abraham Illikkalam (1929 - 1988) - Elder son of Abraham John Illikkalam was a known Agriculturist at Kumarakom, and made a study & writings about Environmental & Ecological issues of Kuttanadu Region. He built a white chapel in the Vembanad lake, which can be seen when emerging from the Kumarakom boat jetty into the lake.
[edit] References
- ^ PG Padmanabhan (February 2005). "Kumarakom - An Insider's Introduction". Learners Book House.
- ^ Partha S Banerjee (February 2004). "Arundhati’s Ayemenem". http://www.indiavarta.com/travel/22feb04.asp. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
- ^ http://www.keralatourism.org/tourismact.php
[edit] External links
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