Now the largest archaelogical museum in Kerala, the Hill Palace was the official residence of the Kochi Royal family. The 20,000 sq ft palace was built in 1865 in the traditional architectural style of of the state, and includes beautifully landscaped gardens, a deer park and facilities for horse riding. Continue reading
30 hours after leaving JFK International Airport in New York, I have finally arrived at Cardamom County. Here are a few first impressions of Kerala:
1. Scanning the other passengers arriving into Cochin, because of my white-ish skin, it was evident that I was the minority. Moreover, for the first time in my life, people stared at me as if I was different. They looked at my U.S passport as if only a few existed in the world, and tried to engage in conversation with me, eager to try out their English. It is a very weird feeling going from a place where it is so easy to fit in, to a place where you can only stand out. It will be interesting to see how this feeling progresses over the next 2 months.
2. Driving in India is different to say the least! Continue reading
Photo Credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
The city of Kottayam is referred to as both the “land of literacy” due to its numerous institutions of higher eduction, as well as the “land of Latex” due to its rubber plantations. The Indian government has just added the moniker of “land of the mural paintings”. Continue reading
The Western Hill Banana is a large succulent herb that naturally grows in the rocky slopes and cliffs of South India’s Western Ghats. These plants are commonly growing in the forests above 1000 meters. The fruits of this plant is used in many traditional medicines. Continue reading
Hibiscus flowers are very common in the Hill Ranges of Kerala. There are multiple hybrids in a wide range of colors such as white, red, orange and pink. Hibiscus plants are also used in Ayurveda medicines. Continue reading
The most popular activity in the Periyar Tiger reserve is boating on the Periyar river. It’s a lazy, indulgent, moment of enjoyment of sightseeing. The ancient sunken tree trunks, the depth of the woods, the indigenous population fishing along the river…it also offers good chances to sight animals drinking, hunting by the river and excellent opportunities for birdwatching.
During the cruise I kept thinking it could all be quieter though, the engines of the motor boats seemed to break with the pristine tranquillity of this place… Continue reading
The Chinese Fishing Net is one of the tourist attractions in Kerala that is a living fishing method in use for the last 650 years. Locally it is known as Cheenavala. By origin it was introduced by the Chinese explorer Zheng He.
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Signature Spiders are commonly found in India, especially the Periyar Tiger Reserve. Their name comes from their distinctive zig-zag patterned X in the center of their webs.
In India Kerala is famous for its Tribal folk dances. There are more than fifty well-known popular folk dances in the state which are mostly performed for religious influences, during harvesting, sowing of seeds, festivals etc. Tribal dances are often accompanied by songs & instruments.
Photo Credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
Kerala is rich in beliefs and the Fire Walk is one of the most difficult example. The person doing the fire walk must follow specific religious practices. The devotee walks through a pit of burning coals and the surrounding devotees sing hymns praising the lord. The sound of the drums and the burning of the incense make the entire atmosphere inspiring. The devotee gets in to a state ecstasy and easily walks over the fire. Continue reading
Gavi, part of the Periyar Tiger Reserve under the management of the Kerala Forest Development Corporation, is one of the off-the-beaten-track destinations ideal for a wilderness retreat replete with trekking, birding, canoeing and facilities for lodging. There are hills and valleys, tropical forests, sprawling grasslands, sholas (evergreen tropical forests), cascading waterfalls and cardamom plantations. Elephants, Nilgiri Thar, and the endangered Lion-tailed macaque are all often sighted at the outskirts of Gavi. Yesterday Mr. Sunu from Kottayam visited Gavi and shared some of his photos. Continue reading
Our neighborhood, where kids know how to have fun on a hot summer’s day, is currently full of kids all day every day, now that school has been out for a while. The usual suspects are at it again, thinking about how to get airborne.
Bamboo Rafting
Community based ecotourism is the hallmark of the Periyar Tiger Reserve. These programmes are conducted by the local people responsible for the surveillance of the vulnerable parts of the reserve. Bamboo Rafting is a dawn to dusk range hiking and rafting programme through some of the richest forest tracts of the reserve. Continue reading
When we last saw New York Times contributor Joan Nathan she had written a lovely article about the fading tradition of a cuisine in India–exactly the type of story we love to share on this blog, but somehow we failed to. This time, failure is not an option. We missed her at Cardamom County, but found her now in the New York Times. She was in our neighborhood, walking our walk and talking our talk:
Kumily, India — One of the best parts of traveling, at least for me, is bringing back a food story, a new ingredient or a recipe. My family journeyed last year from the verdant tea plantations of Munnar down to the Cardamom Hills of Kerala, in southwestern India. Our driver, Janaki Raman, who had proved himself by dodging many a cow on the winding mountain roads, asked whether we might like to go to a local cooking class. Continue reading
Common Crows
Males of many butterfly species assemble on spots of ground contaminated with animal urine or excreta or even some food plants. The butterflies absorb essential elements such as sodium that have been lost during the mating process. Continue reading
Photo Credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
Brahmin homes are called agraharam. They are made up of 50 to 100 dwellings housed in a single compound that are so closely packed that, in most cases, two homes have a single wall as separation. The Brahmin mix of Tamil and Kerala culture is evident in every aspect of their lives, ranging from language, behavior, architecture and culinary skills. Continue reading
Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
The Kuthira Malika is a beautiful Kerala style, two story, 80 room palace with open verandas. Built by the Maharaja Swathi Thirunal in 1844, the name Kuthira Malika, which means Horse Palace, was chosen based on the many wooden horse figures carved along the entire length of the exterior lintel of the upper floors. The Palace has now been converted into a museum that houses very interesting and rare artifacts and paintings belonging to the previous Travancore Kings. Continue reading
To make a beautiful “uruli”, a traditional Kerala bowl filled with water and flowers, you need a keen eye. Picking the right flowers, drying them if it rained, placing them artfully, it is a craft. Continue reading
Photo Credits: Ranjith
Kottiyoor Mahadeva Temple is located near Kelakam in the Kannur district. Described as the ” Varanasi of the South”, the shrine is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is an important pilgrim centre of north Kerala. Located in the deep forest, it is interesting to notice that there are no physical temple structures except for a Shiva linga. The annual festival attracts lakhs of devotees every year during the ” Vaisakha Maholsavam”. Continue reading
Organikos 