Kerala (CARE-a-la), the small coastal state on the southwestern tip of India, is bordered by the states of Karnataka (formerly Mysore) on the north & Tamil Nadu on the east. The long & narrow state, (it's only 30 to 120 kms wide), stretches for 580 kms along the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea & Kerala is famous for its amazing network of backwaters that snake through the state. So famous, it was included in the list of “50 destinations of a lifetime” by National Geographic Traveler in a special collectors' issue released just before the turn of the millennium.

The Kerala BACKWATERS are a network of lakes, canals, estuaries & deltas of 44 rivers that drain into the Arabian Sea. The backwaters were formed by the action of waves & shore currents which created low barrier islands across the mouths of the many rivers which flow down from the Western Ghats mountain range. The network, which extends south from the port city of Kochi (Cochin) to Alappuzha (Alleppey) & Kollam (Quilon), includes 5 large lakes linked by 900 kms of manmade & natural canals which connect the villages & are still used for local transport.

The backwaters have a unique ecosystem in that freshwater from the rivers merge with seawater from the Arabian Sea. In certain areas, barrages have been built to prevent any salty sea water from entering the interior, thereby keeping the fresh water intact which is extensively used for irrigation.

The main backwater industries today include boat building, prawn cultivation, coir* manufacturing & of course tourism. As a tourist destination, the backwaters are more beautiful than the canals in Thailand, & infinitely less crowded than those in Milan. This land of swaying palm trees & blue water & skies explains why the area is aptly called “God's own country”. Vacations in Kerala almost always include a houseboat cruise through the backwaters, a recommended & unique experience. Another popular Kerala backwaters attraction is their traditional snake boat races which feature beautiful, 130-foot long “chundan vallams” (snake boats). The most prominent among these races are the Nehru Trophy Boat Race at Alappuzha (Alleppey) & Aranmula.

*(Coir is a coarse fibre extracted from the fibrous outer shell of coconuts. Coconut palm trees grow in profusion along the Kerala coastline, in fact, the state name Kerala means "the land of coconuts". They have also become icons of Kerala’s tourism industry. More coir info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coir)

Interesting tidbit - Arundhati Roy is one prominent writer from this region. Born in 1961, she was brought up in Ayemenem near Kottayam, and her Booker Prize winning book “The God of Small Things” (which I have read) is set in Kerala. She writes in English

Good source of backwaters info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala_Backwaters

HOUSEBOAT CRUSING in Kerala’s backwaters is one of the prominent tourist attractions in Kerala. (It was the highlight of our the South India tour for me.) Kerala’s traditional “kettuvallams” (today's’ houseboats) were basically barges used to transport the local rice in the early days when road & rail transportation was expensive or unavailable. They were also used to transport other goods & heavy materials over these inland waterways. They were even used as living quarters by royalty at times.

A standard kettuvallam was 60 to 70 feet long, about 15 feet wide in the middle, & could hold up to 30 tonnes of goods. (In some areas, they are still used for transporting coconut husks, sand & other materials.) Since the journeys typically took several days, the boats were built with cooking & sleeping facilities for the boatmen & sometimes their families. Their on-board diet consisted of freshly caught backwater fish & readily available, non-perishable staples such as lentils & rice, & local spices. These boatmen were famous for the folk songs they sang while rowing the boat & also for their style of cooking which they developed for conditions on the boat.

The boats are called “kettuvallams” (‘boat with knots’) because the entire boat is held together with ‘coir’ (coconut fiber) knots only - not a single nail is used during the construction. Jackwood is normally used. The planks are joined together with coir knots, & then coated with a caustic black resin made from boiled cashew kernels which acts as a protective coating. The roof covering is made of bamboo poles & woven thatch (palm leaves). With careful maintenance, a kettuvallam can last for generations.

The exotic houseboats of today are traditional kettuvallams that have been designed & modified to accommodate tourists. The attractive curved roof is made of wood or split bamboo, covered with woven palm leaves. It provides shade while allowing uninterrupted views of village life along the canals. The houseboats have the creature comforts of a hotel complete with cozy sleeping cabins with modern, attached bathroom facilities, a cozy sitting/dining area, a modern equipped galley (the crew does the cooking), & in some cases even a balcony for angling. Most boats are powered by quiet inboard diesel engines & they use solar energy for power requirements.

They are now a familiar sight on the backwaters of Kerala. More than 400 houseboats are available, with at least 120 available in Alappuzha (Alleppey) alone. [Alappuzha, the houseboat capital, is also called the 'Venice of the East' because a large network of canals meanders through the town.] That’s where we started/ended our cruise. Most tourists spend one night on a house boat. Typically, you board in the late morning, cruise all day, stop to visit a village or two, have your meals aboard the boat (cooked by the crew), & stay on the boat overnight, then head back to the dock the next morning.

Good source for info on cruises: http://www.houseboatskerala.net/houseboatscruises001.htm

Other good sources: http://www.access-india.com/kerala-backwater.htm

http://www.thehouseboatskerala.com/

CHURCHES OF KERALA - Christianity is India's third-largest religion after Hinduism & Islam. [Hinduism is the world's oldest religion. Islam is believed to have entered India through Kerala via commercial traders from the Middle East during 7th Century AD. In fact, the Jews & Arabs of the Pre-Islamic period were among the pioneers of the spice trade with Kerala. Many of these Middle East traders later settled in Kerala’s coastal belt.] The total number of Christians in India (2001 Census) is over 24 million (2.34% of the population). More than half of them (60%) live in the states of Kerala & Tamil Nadu in South India, & Arunachal Pradesh in North-East India. The Christian churches in India are categorized as Catholic & Non-Catholic. Although it’s a small state, Kerala presently has 11 of the 23 dioceses in India, & Christians make up 19% of the population, the bulk of them Roman Catholics. Hindus make up 56.2% & Muslims 24.7%.

Christianity began as an oriental religion in Kerala when the apostle St. Thomas set ashore in 52 AD & established churches at 7 locations in Kerala. Since then, the Christian religion has flourished all over India, co-existing with other religions. In fact, Kerala has one of the most secular (non-sectarian) populations in India, although there have been signs of increasing disruptive influences from religious extremist organizations. So St Thomas, who is revered as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox & Oriental Orthodox churches, is regarded as the father of Christianity in India. He initially converted 12 families of Brahmin in Kerala to Christianity therefore the Syrian Christians of Kerala (aka St Thomas Christians) trace their origin to these Brahmin families. Several Kerala churches are dedicated to St. Thomas & a number are also dedicated to Mother Mary.

The Syrian Christians follow the Syriac (classical form of Aramaic) liturgy which was used in church services since the early days of Christianity in India. They remained an independent group & continued to get bishops from the Eastern Orthodox church in Syria until the Portuguese arrived on the Malabar Coast in 1498. They gradually established their power & eventually succeeded in making the Roman Catholic church the dominant church of the Malabar Coast. By the 17th century, however, Portuguese power had declined, the hold of the Roman Catholic church in Kerala weakened, & allegiance to the Syrian Orthodox tradition was reaffirmed in 1653. At present, Syrian tradition is still well established, although Roman Catholic church members are much more numerous.

Now there are five different offshoots of Christianity in Kerala - The main ones are the Roman Catholic Church which follows three different languages for their rites (Syriac, Latin & Malayalam); the Jacobite Syrian Church (aka Orthodox Syrian Church): & the Anglican Church.

Interesting tidbit - Kerala has one vocation (priest brother, sister) for every 70 Catholics. No other community in the world has so many vocations.

Great list of all Kerala's heritage monuments/buildings incl churches, temples, forts palaces: http://www.shubhyatra.com/kerala/monuments-in-kerala.html

The Churches list: http://www.shubhyatra.com/kerala/churches-in-kerala.html