Month: July 2017

Pilgrims in Kerala – A Perfect Destination to Witness History

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pilgrim

It is not necessary that one should only travel with your family to visit places of natural beauty and nature driven destinations. I with my whole family went for a religious tour on the 3rd of August. Born Christian; our religious tour including churches like the Santa Cruz Basilica, St. Francis Church, Vimalagiri Church, the Arthunkal Church and the St. George Forane Church. It was a one day tour with some of the elderly members of the family. Kerala is my home land with tourist destinations which could be included in all Popular Kerala holiday packages for family irrespective of the occasion or purpose of the tour. After the breakfast we started our trip on the 3rd of August at around 10 am, to accommodate a number of around 15 members we arranged for a traveller. According to our plans, our first destination was Santa Cruz Basilica; we reached the church after a one hour drive at 11.15.

Santa-Cruz-Basilica-Fort-Kochi

Santa Cruz Basilica is a well-known church all over India; the church placed in fortress Kochi is one of ought to visit vicinity in Kerala. The church is extremely famous for its architectural shape which is a mixture of each Kerala and Portuguese artwork. The church changed into built in 1500 after the advent of the Portuguese missionary to the land with the permission of the then Raja of Kochi. The church now serves as the primary landmark of the area. The church underwent most important renovations to attain the shape and elegance it now contains. After spending 45 min in the church praying and enjoying the architectural beauty of the church we headed to our next destination the St. George Forane Church.

golden curch

We reached this golden church at 12.30, the church located in Edapally is said to be one of the oldest Roman Catholic Church in Kerala. The church was constructed in 594 AD with several renovations done. The golden church has a perfect interior in the European style with the prayer area made in gold and steps in silver. The art works of Jesus and disciples are made in bronze. All these features make the church a unique one. After enjoying the beauty and carvings of the church we headed to visit the Vimalagiri Church in Kottayam with our Kerala family tour packages.

Vimalagiri Church in Kottayam

We reached Kottayam after a travel of around 3 hours. Every time we travel in the traveller we arranged, religious songs were played which eventually killed the vibe in me and made me sleepy, so literally, I was the only person who slept well throughout the journey. On the way to the church, we halted to have our lunch and then continued our journey reaching our destination at 4. The main attraction of the church was the Gothic style architecture with a 172 feet tall tower. These features made the place a best spiritual destination in most famous Kerala Tour Packages from Bangalore. The church is recorded to have the tallest church tower in Kerala.

Arthunkal Church in Alleppey

Our next plan was to visit the Arthunkal Church in Alleppey. The church built with an elegant architectural style is a feast for the eyes of the pilgrims. I have been to this church before during the yearly feast which is held in the mid-January.the feast was attended by thousands of devotees and tourist from different parts of the world visit the place to enjoy the feast with cultural rituals of the church. Our next destination to visit was the St. Francis Church.

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The St. Francis Church is located in Kochi and we decided to visit the church on our way back to home. the St. Francis Church positioned in Kochi is one of the oldest Europeans churches in India that bears the unseen witness of the colonisation of the Europeans in India the church built in the sixteenth century was made with timber that’s now renovated and constructed with stone masonry. The first Portuguese to tour in India the Vasco Da Gama was earlier buried in this church and later turned into transferred to Lisbon in Portugal. We reached the church at 6 and enjoyed the elegant touch of the European style. The church had a great interior with a mix of cultures. After the visits to different Christian pilgrims, we stopped to have some tea. The main difficulty I faced was an unorganised pattern of visits during the trip. It is always the best to let the organisers like the Gogeo holidays plan the travelling in a well-organised manner. After all the tiring travelling and visit to the pilgrims, we reached our homes at around 7 pm.

Kottakkavu_Mar_Thoma_Pilgrim_Church_founded_by_St._Thomas

Kerala is land with an availability of innumerable herbal treasures in the form of the wooded area, waterfalls, natural heritages and locations of ancient relevance. Other than best Kerala Tour Packages for Family with tourist destinations of natural elements, the land is a well known religious centre. The land had a populace in which majority of them are Christians. The ancient Kerala has a number of conventional and ancient church buildings which are now the primary vacationer appeal for travellers from a different a part of the world. The domination of Christianity inside the kingdom with numerous church buildings, the vicinity will become a widely recognized Christian pilgrim centre. To understand the ancient aspects of the land a visit to these historical churches is a must. These are some of the renowned Christian pilgrim centres in Kerala that one should include in their Kerala trips to know more about the history and ancient architecture of the land. Tour organisers like Gogeo holidays offer the best experiences in the land of pilgrim centres in the most affordable rates with all the places of your interest. People from all over the world visit the places without any religious discrimination. Natives from all cast and religion visit these pilgrim centres to seek blessings. The Arthunkal Church in Alleppey is also a destination included in some Kerala honeymoon packages due to its location which is near the Alleppey backwaters. A visit to this church during your honeymoon trip will fill the trip with great blessings that would strengthen the bonds between the couples.

 

The mystic land with an abundance of marvels

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For nature and adventure lovers, Andaman is the land to visit; the place is a cluster of islands and a juncture of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. Unlike other destination, most of the islands in Andaman are unexplored and uninhabited. The land is a cluster of around 570 islands in which around a number of 20 are inhabited by humans. There is mostly covered with beaches and forest with a wide variety of plants animals’ birds and butterflies. The place comes with the union territory of India with the only active volcano in India. Tourists from all around the world visit this place with the help of different Amazing Andaman tour packages organised by tour operators like Andaman Tour Travel who helps you greatly in organising and planning your destination and stays in this place of wonders.

 Some of the not so known facts of Andaman Islands include the following:

The origin of its name

bharatpur

According to the myth, the name Andaman was thought to be derived from the Hindu god Hanuman, who was known to the Malays as Handuman. The word Handuman was later evolved to be called as Andaman.  The name Nicobar is said to be a subversion of the term ‘Nakkavaram’ which literally means ‘the land of the Naked’ as given in the great inscription of Tanjore of AD 1050. The term Nakkavaram was later modified over time to be known as the Nicobar. And such was the formation of the name the Andaman and Nicobar islands.
 Tribal life

tribal life

It was believed that the tribes of the Andaman Islands were posterity of African slaves who were once shipwrecked, but most of the anthropologists after researchers have come to a conclusion that the tribes are not Negros but Negritos. The tribes living in the Andaman Islands are clearly isolated and do not mingle with people. They are in less than a number of 500 and do not interact with outsiders. The North Sentinel Island is habituation to one of the most isolated tribal population in the world. It is said that during the times of tsunami when the rescue team reached the tribal village for evacuation they aimed arrows at the chopper to scare the chopper away. These are a group of people who are very much isolated from the modern world and changes.

Japanese occupation

Japanese occupation

During the time of 2nd world war, the British force retreated from the land witnessing the raging force of the Japanese army allowing the Japanese occupation of the Andaman Nicobar islands.
According to the historical recordings, Andaman was the only place which was under Japanese occupation during the times of World War II. These islands were a part of Japanese occupation for more than 3 years while some parts of India came under Japanese occupation staying there for a maximum of 6 months. The Japanese brutally ruled the land with massive fortification of the lands with building airfields, construction of radar for security and defence and a chain of fore shore pill boxes.

The language of Andaman Islands
The language spoken in the land of Andaman is mostly Tamil, Bengali, Malayalam and English, the availability of Anamneses as a language is very less among the peoples. This variety makes the land unique from other states.

Kaalapani the dark side of Andaman

Kaalapani the dark side of Andaman

With all the beauty and abundance of natural resources, the land has a dark side of it. The Andaman Islands have the cruellest prison of all times the cellular jail better known as the Kaalapani, a name very promising to the imprisonment in the jail. The construction of this cellular jail took long 10 years to reach its final stage. The construction started in 1896 and finished in 1906. Today the jail is been converted into a tourist destination open for all. The light and sound show at night organised for tourists will bring a small portion of the history of the place.

The happy land of butterflies

land of butterflies

Andaman is a land of beaches, island abundant with different water life forms, and the land is mostly covered with forest. The natural beauty of the land attracts a large no tourist as well as butterflies. A large number of butterflies migrate to this wonderful land to enjoy the beauty of the place. Tourists from around the world come to this land to witness this site, with the help of Best Andaman tour packages from places like Kolkata and more. There will be an availability of butterflies of different species and colours that attract tourist greatly.

Active volcano

Active volcano in andaman

Andaman is the only place that comes under Indian Constitution with an active volcano. The active volcano in barren islands is a wonder to itself. True to its name a barren island is a place which is not inhabited by humans. The only inhabitation in the island is of goats and bats. The place is completely covered with thick forest. Andaman is also a land with mud volcano which is a wonder.  The land has 2mud volcanoes in which one is located in Diglipur and the other located in Baratang. The tourist from all over the world visits Andaman to witness this natural wonder in person.

Fishing is banned

fish

Andaman is the only land where fishes die of ageing. Commercial fishing is banned in this island. The sea of Andaman is said to have a variety of around 197 spacious of coral out of which a number of 100 is newly identified by the scientist. The presence of this coral variety gives a new phase and new beauty to under water experience of the divers and tourists. The waters of Andaman hold a variety of fishes with different colours and model. The transparent fish is a rare variety of fish available in the seas of the Andaman Islands.
 Dugong – the state-animal

Dugong - the state-animal

The dugong is a water animal considered as the state animal of Andaman and Nicobar islands. It is a rare species animal which under the verge of extinction. The dugongs are said to be very shy to mate which is the main cause of its extinction.  Andaman is the only place where special facilities for mating are made available for this sea animal to help it increase the population of its kind.

Above given are some of the wonders of the Andaman islands which the tourists and travellers may find interesting. Andaman Island is one of the most beautiful islands that come under the Indian Territory with a number beach islands and entertainments. The tourist could easily make all the fun loving activities available by choosing an Enchanting Andaman tour packages from Chennai with all the activities you wish to enjoy. The Andaman would give you a varied experience of the land of the beaches.

Alleppey Village Tourism, An Added Attraction to Your Backwater Tour

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village-big

The Venice of the East, Alleppey is mostly visited for taking a backwater tour on a houseboat. Due to time constraints and other package related instructions, most of them won’t opt for other backwater tourism specialities. For foreigners who watch Kerala as a real magnificence, must need to dig deeper into the village worlds and their life. The real facet of rural Kerala can be understood once you dare to go inside the villages. The greenish marvel is the prime attraction of a village scenery and most of which are offered by paddy fields. Since most of the backwater tours are conducted from Alleppey as the starting point if your itinerary allows you then take a break for village tours. The tours are best enjoyed on a canoe and will take you to inner skirts f villages. Huge networks of canals, rivers, lagoons, lakes and other waterways make the backwater tourism of Alleppey splendid. Village tour basically takes to various cultivations like mango, banana, Tropicana, coconut grooves and lush green paddy fields. Here a boat or canoe is a must to the local villagers. Tribal villages are not seen here but most of the villagers are fishermen and they depend on fishing their livelihood. The backwaters provide various varieties of fishes to them like mussels, pearl spot fish, prawns and crabs etc. Early morning is the best time for taking part in a village tour in Alleppey as you can admire women working at paddy fields and toddy tapers at their work. All the sights of fishing nets, group of ducks swimming in the rivers are really exotic to watch. For the village, tours visit any travel operators page and search of attractive Kerala backwater tour packages price list and top things to do. If your tour days are flexible, they can arrange for a village tour. While cruising through the houseboats, take some time to stop at the banks and interact with coir workers and enquire their daily activities. There are chances for you to listen to any interesting incidents happened in the village. Kerala’s major village attractions are

KUTTANAD

kuttanad..

Alleppey’s village beauty and state’s rice bowl offer a splendid greenish scenic beauty throughout. Vast spread paddy fields are an exciting view to behold. Surrounded by a vast stretch of water covering  land leading to 75 square kilometres of area, Kuttanad is known for its rice cultivation and exploring the agrarian community is the best things to do here. There are houseboat routes to this village.The village folks engage in their work and here an old cultivation technology chakram, a wooden wheel to bail out water from the fields can be seen. The farmers in Kuttanad is the backbone of rice cultivation and they had developed the ancient heritage technology where cultivation in 4-10 feet below sea level over one and half a centuries ago. The cultivation methods are factors of excitement as you can see women folks heading to paddy fields with their sickle, or sowing seeds and removing weeds. Natural beauty is witnessed here as with the onset of sunrise, the sunlight touching the paddies and long away bordered coconut palms fringes amidst slowly flowing rivulets.You can explore the amazing view of Kuttanad during your trip with enchanting Kerala Backwater tour packages.

KARUMADI

Karumadi.trikunapuzha.alapuzha.jainmarriage-023

Located near Ambalapuzha, a town in Alleppy, the village is famous for an ancient sculpture of Lord Buddha black in colour, commonly called Karumadikuttan. People believe it as an old Buddhist pilgrim centre which existed prominently in 9 Th and 10 Th century. This idol has many traditions connected to it. Attracting travellers and archaeologists to Karumadi every year. The state archaeological department takes care of this statue and people believe that the idol is credited with many healing powers. The idol has the view of a black coloured granite structure in a sitting position but the interesting part is that the left hand of the idol is missing. Check the online tour sites and pick  Honeymoon packages in Kerala houseboat and ask for village tours. Try to include this village too in your itinerary.

PATHIRAMANAL

pathiramanal_island2 (1)

Pathiramanal is a small backwater village in Alleppey and is actually a tiny island, a haven for lots of migrating birds from different parts of the world. A myth is associated with this island that states that once a Brahmin cleaved the water and the land came out from below where he used to meditate. This land is called as  Pathiramanal meaning the sand of midnight and the only way to reach here is by a boat.The mode to reach the island can be opted by us depending on the duration of travel, as if you chose speed boat you can reach the destination by 30 minutes and if you pick a motor boat, then you need to travel for 1 and a half hour. Check for Kerala backwater packages and opt for a floating restaurant in Pathiramanal. Since the island is less crowded, your serene holiday will be successful. The floating restaurants offer delicious Kerala cuisines and which will be served on board. Since the village has the potential for bird watching and backwater tourism, The Kerala government on realising this in prior has taken over the property in  1970’s. presently the village is on its way to start a bio-park which was actually a dream conceived by local authorities. Other upcoming projects to be implemented here are a fish breeding facility, museum, and an aquarium.

PUNNAPRA

Punnapra is a popular village situated in Alleppey which once traced a bad phase following a fight between communists and police force of Travancore in 1946. Currently, the village is somewhat developed and houses an engineering college. History fanatics can have a look at this place.

 

kerala-backwater

The major highlight of being in village tours is that you can avail the chance to take part in kayaking. Some of the inner villages can be encountered while your kayaking and it will be a varied experience for those who have not tried it at once. The sight of village boys bathing on the banks of rivers and toddy shops can be watched. A houseboat voyage along with a village tour can complete your backwater tourism days to the fullest.