The 'Kerala Yatra' lead by veteran politician, ex-minister and Member of Kerala Legislative Assembly Sri. P J Joseph, demanding for 'Mumbai-Kanyakumari High Speed Rail Corridor' arrived at Thiruvananthapuram on 30-01-2008. "The arrival of high speed trains will decrease the travel time by 1/5. Kanyakumari, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangalore and Goa can attract thousands of tourists every year. Besides, such a corridor could be of great help to thousands of south bound passengers", said Sri. P J Joseph, after reciving the reception at Gandhi Park, Thiruvananthapuram. It is very interesting to say that various leaders from different political parties like Sri. O. Rajagopal (BJP), Sri. Pannian Raveendran MP (CPI), Minister Sri. M Vijayakumar (CPM), Sri. K Muraleedharan (NCP), Sri. Kadnnapally Ramachnadra MLA (Congress-S), Sri. V.Sivankutty MLA (CPM), Sri. V. Gangadharan Nadar, Convenor, LDF District Committee (Janatadal) are attended the reception. It is also noted that nobody from the opposition parties of Kerala State Legislative Assembly are attended. Adv. Antony Raju, Ex-MLA chaired the meeting. The 'Kerala Yatra' started from Mumbai on January 12th will be ended at Kanyakumari on January 31st .
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Kuttanad - Alappuzha
Kuttanad, called the rice bowl of Kerala because of its wealth of paddy crops, is at the very heart of the backwaters. The scenic countryside of Kuttanad with its shimmering waterways also has a rich crop of banana, cassava and yam. This is perhaps the only region in the world where farming is done 1.5 to 2 m below sea level. Inland waterways which flow above land level are an amazing feature of this region.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Accessing Idukki
Telephone access code:
Thekkady, Kumily, Peermede: +91-4869 Munnar: +91-4865 Chinnakanal: +91-4868
Air:
Nearest Airport: Madurai (Tamil Nadu): 140 km Thiruvananthapuram : 265 km Kochi: 190 km Kozhikode: 315 km Chennai (Tamil Nadu): 570 km
Rail:
Kottayam: 114 km (4 hrs) Madurai: 136 km (31/2 hrs) Changanacherry: 93 km (4 hrs) Theni: 60 km (11/2 hrs)
Road:
Kottayam - Kumily 110 km (4 hrs) Munnar - Kumily 110 km (4 hrs) Madurai - Kumily 136 km (3 hrs) Thiruvananthapuram - Kumily 265 km (8 hrs) Thekkady - Kumily 4 km (10 min) Kodaikanal - Kumily 149 km (5 hrs) Idukki - Kumily 65 km (21/2 hrs) Alleppey - Kumily 160 km (51/2 hrs) Ooty - Kumily 390 km (11 hrs)
Bus timings from Idukki:
Thodupuzha, Ernakulam and Kottayam: frequent busesMunnar: 1015, 1515 hrs Thekkady/Kumily: 0730, 0930, 1400, 1550, 1750 hrsThiruvananthapuram: 1300, 1915 hrs
Tourist information offices:
DTPC Information Centre, Munnar Telefax: 04865 231516 Email: munnar@sancharnet.in www.munnartourism.com District Tourist Information Office, Department of Tourism, Thekkady Jn., Kumily Ph: 04869-222620
Idukki
A landlocked district, Idukki is one of the most nature rich areas of Kerala. High ranges and wooded valleys are girded by three main rivers - Periyar, Thalayar and Thodupuzhayar - and their tributaries. The river Pamba also has its origin here. As a tourist destination, Idukki offers diverse attractions like wildlife sanctuaries, hill stations, spice plantation tours, mountain treks, elephant rides etc.
Idukki has a large population of tribals, the main tribes being Muthuvan, Malayarayan, Mannan, Paliyan, Urali, Ulladan, Malavedan and Malampandaram. The tribes of Kerala have unique customs and beliefs and maintain an ethos which is distinctly different from that of the mainstream culture.
