Trifter

Kerala , with its sickle shaped , pollution free atmosphere , a unique and magnificent culture, is one of the 50 top tourist destination in the world. Recently I got a chance to visit this ” God ‘s Own Country “.The vast scenic beauty, dozens of architectural works and a wizard cuisine were indeed a sigh of relief from Bankura’s pollution and traffic jams. The 15 day trip was like being in heaven.

Our first stop was Kochi. It comprises 10 islands and it is situated in the middle of the Arabian Sea. In the first day we got a chance to go to a village. We went to the interiors chockablock with tall coconut trees. We also tasted “taari’ which is produced by fermenting the juice of palm trees. At first we took a motor boat and then we were taken by simple oars. It seemed to me that oars were much better because from these oars we could get a clear view of plants and shrubs. Water was closed to us so that we could even pluck flowers, which was not possible while traveling by motor boat. 

But lunch prepared by the village people, seemed to me the best. The lunch which was consisted of usual rice, sambar, rasam and curd, was traditional, home made and fantastic meal. Another item was “avil”, a vegetable curry, a very famous Keralian item. One can get a different pleasure when he tastes it in traditional form, cooked by coconut oil.

Our next destination was Fort Kochi .When we reached the shore, we saw the Chinese fishing nets, an old style of catching fish. This Chinese fishing has been going on for ages. Jewish Synagogue is also a visiting place. Jews are still living there though the young generation has migrated to Israel. The Mattancherry Palace which is situated in front of the Jewish Synagogue is also a valued visiting spot. It is also called the Dutch Palace. 45 pictures have been displayed on the wooden walls which show the episodes of “Ramayana “and “Mahabharata.”

St Francis‘s Church is another worth visiting place. It is also the graveyard of Vasco da Gama.  The body was exhumed by his son and was taken to Lisbon, Portugal. But the tomb is still existed there. Kochi is also famous for its food. There are so many restaurants and hotels in Kochi. Among them Chariot Beach at St Princess Street of Fort Kochi, Jaya Café of woodlands hotel are the best for South Indian Food.

Thiruvanathapuram was our next destination. Here Sree Padmanaswami Temple is one of the major attractive tourist spot. The image of Lord Vishnu of this temple is the largest in all over the world. The image is situated in the main temple. Its design is like a pagoda which depicts the Dravidian style. Puttan Malika Palace is to the south east of this temple. It has 122 horse shaped pillars which display the magnificent keralite art.  Inside it there are so many attractive things such as antique furniture, ivory chairs, crystal throne presented by the Dutch, collection of paintings which are worth seeing for the tourists. The beauty of sunset at Shangumughan Beach also mesmerizes the tourists.

Allepey or Alapphuza is called the Venice of the East. It is also a famous tourist spot. Mural paintings of episodes of Gagendra Moksha of Krishnapuram palace are also very attractive for the visitors. The Vembanad Lake is also a very charming place. It is created from the backwaters. Migratory birds visit this lake in winter. Bird watchers often come to this lake for studying different kinds of birds. The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is another jewel in the crown of Kerala. There are more than 40 tigers in the Tiger Reserves. Bison, elephant, wild buffaloes, wild boars, panthers, deer are plenty in this sanctuary. 265 types of birds and 160 species of butterflies are found in this place.

At last our trip came to the end point and we returned to our beloved home town Bankura. Though it has been some time since we got back, we still have not recovered from the spell this trip cast on us. We tend to talk endlessly about this trip in our waking hours and dream of our enjoyment when we are asleep.