Kumarakom - Serene beauty of Backwaters

Tucked away at the southern tip of peninsular India, sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, is a piece of tropical paradise called Kerala. The National Geographic Traveler has listed it among the top ten must see destinations on earth. Kerala, as the cliché goes, is God's own country; and Kumarakom is its sanctum sanctorum.

Seemingly afloat on the placid waters of the Vembanad Lake, Kumarakom is a quaint little hamlet of tiny islands about 85 kilometers from Cochin International Airport.
Relish nature’s glory on wings with the world-famous sanctuary at Kumarakom.Taste a touch of rustic Kerala village life with the R-Block and Kainagiri, small islands on the Vembanad Lake. Witness farming of a different kind, farming below water level. Dip your toes in the warmth of the sand stretches of Pathiramanal.

Take a pensive moment before the Buddha statue dating back to 300BC at Karumadikuttom or at the equally ancient St. Kuriakose Church. Savourstrokes of brilliant traditional architecture at the famous temples of Ambalappuzha or partake in the crafting of Kerala’s renowned ‘Snake Boats’ at Chempakkulam. Or just be Fascinated with women expertly fishing with their mere bare hands. And the million other fascinations that Kerala is known for around the world.


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 touristic 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. 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.