KOVALAM

The Houseboats of Kerala are converted Kettuvalloms. In the Malayalam language “kettu” means tying and “vallam” means country boat – the two together make the local name “kettuvallam”. In the past,Kettuvaloms were the main method of cargo transportation in the backwaters of Kerala, especially of rice from the highly fertile paddy fields field to the major port of Alappuzha.

The Kettuvalloms were also used for general transport purposes, especially in the Travancore and Kochi regions of Kerala. They were punted across the backwaters to the sea where the goods were offloaded. A trip from the Kuttanad to Cochin port was about three days travel. A traditional boat might carry as much as 30 tons of goods, which is the equivalent of three modern lorries. With the backwater area of Kerala so waterlogged, other forms of transport were both inefficient and difficult.

Getting There

Nearest railway station: Thiruvananthapuram Central, about 16 km

Nearest airport: Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, about 10 km