Sep 03, 2007 02:27 PM Alappuzha - The Venice of the East posted by Anirban

Alappuzha  Â–  formerly  known  as  Alleppey  is  one  of  the  14  districts  of  the  state  of  Kerala  coming  4th  from  the  southern  tip  -  that  is  Trivandrum.  Alappuzha  is  the  oldest  town  in  Kerala  with  rich  history  .Alappuzha  had  trade  relation  ship  with  Greece  and  Rome  in  ancient  times.  The  present  town  was  built  by  Sri  Raja  Kesavadasan.about  two  centuries  back.  The  remnants  of  the  old  structures  are  still  visible  through  out  the  town.  The  old  dilapidated  pier  and  rail  tracks  once  beehive  of  activity  is  still  here  as  a  feast  to  the  beholder  who  has  some  interest  in  history.  A  stump  of  the  old  flag-mast  is  there  with  itÂ’s  upper  portion  lying  beneath  in  pieces  silently  murmuring  centuries  old  stories  it  has  to  tell.  Alappuzha  was  once  called  the  Venice  of  the  east  because  of  the  glamour  it  had  from  heightened  commercial  activities  which  were  carried  through  the  waterways.

On  the  design  front  this  town  is  a  marvel.  The  two  canals  which  forms  the  back  bone  of  the  town  has  parallel  to  the  canal  with  sufficient  inter  links  enables  transport  through  water  and  roads  at  the  economical  way.  The  backwaters  which  borders  the  eastern  portion  of  the  town  facilitated  transport  through  water  with  various  parts  of  Kerala.  The  boats  which  carried  out  these  activities  are  still  here  busy  playing  various  roles.  The  Snake  boats  (chundan  vallams)  which  were  the  war  horses  of  the  past  carrieng  soldiers  for  war  are  now  being  used  for  boat  races.  Processing  of  coir  was  and  still  is  the  main  industry  of  this  town.  At  present  most  of  the  coir  factories  are  defunct.

Of  late  Alappuzha  has  emerged  as  a  major  tourist  spot.  The  backwaters  are  spotted  with  numerous  houseboats  (Kettu  vallams)  which  are  provided  with  all  modern  amenities  beckon  tourists  by  offering  them  days  and  nights  in  the  midst  of  the  vast  expanses  of  backwaters  with  exclusive  cuisines.  Numerous  resorts  which  have  also  sprung  up  throughout  the  town  offer  accommodation  at  affordable  rates.  In  Alappuzha  every  location  is  identified  with  the  nearby  bridge,  simply  get  in  to  an  autorikshaw(a  three  wheeled  contraption  which  is  ubiquitous  and  say  go  to  iron  bridge  or  YMCA  bridge  or  triple  bridge(muppalam)  or  any  such  bridge-There  are  about  15  bridges  in  this  small  town-  so  locating  a  place  is  easy.

Alappuzha  is  well  known  for  itÂ’s  peoplesÂ’  revolutionary  past  during  the  independence  struggle  people  of  Alappuzha  fought  vigorously  under  the  leader  ship  of  late  T.V  Thomas  Against  the  rulers-that  struggle  is  known  as  the  Punnapra  Vayalar  revelution.  Thousands  of  people  lost  their  life  but  Sir.C.P.Ramaswany  Iyyer  the  then  ruler  had  to  resign  from  his  Dewanship  People  of  Alappuzha  are  well  known  for  their  awareness  of  their  rights  especially  the  laborers.  They  are  so  organized  that  entrepreneurs  find  it  almost  impossible  to  manage.  The  work  culture  deserves  much!  And  that  is  the  only  concern.

Alappuzha  is  waking  up  to  regain  its  past  glory.  The  canals  crisscrossing  the  town  which  were  once  rotten  to  the  extreme,  have  been  cleaned  up  and  beautified.  It  seems  that  the  time  of  an  idea  has  come-  an  idea  that  Alappuzha  is  waking  up  to  occupy  itÂ’s  rightful  place  in  the  state  What  a  sweet  idea  lets  look  forward  to  the  day  when  this  finally  becomes  a  reality.