Kerala Backwaters & House Boats

The Kerala Backwaters are a chain of salty 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 (including Ashtamudi Kayal and Vembanad Kayal) linked by 1500 km of 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.

Vembanad Lake is the largest of the lakes, covering an area of 200 km², and bordered by Alappuzha (Alleppy), Kottayam, and Ernakulam districts. The port of Kochi (Cochin) is located at the lake's outlet to the Arabian Sea. Alleppy, "Venice of the East" has a large network of canals that meander through the town. The Vallam Kali (the Snake Boat Race) held every year in August is a major attraction.
The houseboats in Kerala, south India, are huge, slow-moving, exotic barges used for leisure trips. They are a reworked model of Kettuvallams (in the Malayalam language, Kettu means "tied with ropes", and vallam means "boat"), which, in earlier times, were used to carry rice and spices from Kuttanad to the Kochi port. Kettuvallams were considered a convenient means of transportation.

The old cargo-carriers are now in fore front not as shipping vehicles but as major tourist attraction.The popularity of kettuvalloms has increased many folds. Many find the Kettuvallom an ideal means of exploring the beauty of the Kerala backwaters. Such a houseboat is about 60 to 70 feet (about 18 to 21 meters) long and about 15 feet (about 5 meters) wide at the middle. The hull is made of wooden planks that are held together by ropes of coconut fiber; the usual wood is 'Anjili'. The roof is made of bamboo poles and palm leaves. The exterior of the boat is painted with protective coats of cashew nut oil.