Backwaters of Kottayam
Temperature : Maximum : 33 C, Minimum : 15.5 C
Clothing : Winter: Woolen Summer: Cotton
Altitude : 800 to1200 meters above Sea Level
Area : 2204 square kilometers
Rainfall : 2200 mm
Kottayam, among the state’s more mountainous districts, provides some of Kerala’s finest natural scenes, sandwiched as it is between serene palm-fringed backwaters on the west and the Western ghats on the east. Much of this beauty is laid out in all its glory along the road which winds from Kottayam to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Thekkady through plantations of rubber, tea, coffee and pepper. Kottayam is a land of unique characteristics, bordered by the lofty Western Chats on the east, the Vembanad Lake and the paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. Panoramic backwater stretches, lush paddy fields, highlands, extensive rubber plantations and a totally literate people have given this district the title: the land of letters, latex and lakes.
Kottayam is equally known for its cultural achievements. It was the first town in India to attain total literacy, an event which triggered a mass movement to make Kerala the country’s first totally literate state. Kottayam is also the mecca of Kerala’s publishing scene, home to dozens of Malayalam newspapers and magazines, including the state’s earliest, The Deepika (founded in 1887) as well as the country’s largest selling daily and weekly from the Malayala Manoram group.
Kottayam is also the birthplace of a unique institution, the Sahitya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sangham, perhaps the first-ever co-operative of writers. Kottayam is also an important commercial centre, thanks to its strength as a producer of cash crops. Most of India’s natural rubber originates from the acres of well-kept plantations of Kottayam, also home to the Rubber Board, one of the country’s primary commodities board. As the headquarters of several ecclesiastical heads of Christian churches like those of the Syrian Christian community, Kottayam is proof of the cultural and religious plurality of Kerala.
Today, as reminders of this facet can be found ancient churches like the Valia Palli, the Cheria Palli (1579) and the St. Mary’s Church at Manarcad (1585).
How to reach
- Rail
Kottayam Railway Station, 2 km from the town centre, is linked to most major Indian cities.
- Road
Motorable roads connect Kottayam to important south India cities. There are two bus stations– the central KSRTC station which operates most long-distance services, and the private bus station near the railway station.
- Ferry
The main ferry station is about 3 km from the railway station and offers ferry services that pass through the scenic backwaters to the following places: Alleppey, Mannar, Champakulam, Kavalam, Mankombu and Ambalapuzha.
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