2 DAY TRIP IN ALAPPUZHA / ALLEPPEY | BEST OF ALLEPPEY

At a distance of 23 Kms from Alappuzha Railway Station, Arthunkal Church, also known as St. Andrew's Forane Church is one of the oldest churches in Kerala. It is situated on the shores of Arabian Sea

Dedicated to St.Sebastian, this church comes under the Latin order. The Arthunkal Feast is celebrated for 11days. The highlights of the concluding day of the festival include a special ritual in which the devotees crawl on their knees all the way from the nearby beach to the church.

The near by Arthunkal beach (0.5 KM) is a nice place to watch the Sunset. The beach has no commercial activity.

Arthunkal is close to NH47 (near Tiruvizha Railway Station - about 5 Kms) between Alappuzha and Kochi and the highway is connected by frequent buses. Private/Public vehicles are available from the highway to reach the Arthunkal Church.

At a distance of 16 Kms from Alappuzha Railway Station, Mararikulam Beach is a cute little known beach situated in Mararikulam village. It is one of the most scenic beaches in Kerala. This white sand beach is filled with several coconut trees providing unique appearance to the beach. This is one of the popular tourist places to visit near Alappuzha & Kochi.

The beach is about 3 Kms from NH47 junction (called Mararikulam-Kalithattu Junction) before Kanjikkunzhi, between Alappuzha and kochi. The NH47 Junction is connected by frequent buses travelling between Alappuzha and Kochi.

There are several home stay options just on the shores of the beach. This beach is safe for swimming.

Alappuzha is a magnificent destination in Kerala with mix of Backwaters and Beach. Alappuzha, also known as Alleppey is situated on the shores of Arabian Sea close to the banks of Vembanad Lake. Alappuzha or Alleppey is among the most famous destination of backwaters in Kerala and also one of the top tourist places in Kerala.

Along with Kumarakom, Alappuzha is among the most famous destination of backwaters in kerala. A houseboat cruise in these backwaters is a delightful experience. It connects Kumarakom and Cochin to the North and Kollam to the South. The never-ending panorama of lush green paddy fields, towering coconut trees, shimmering water and long canals around Alappuzha make it a delightful destination.

It is popularly known as the 'Venice of the East'. Alleppey is also known for the annual Nehru Trophy Boat .....

At a distance of 2 Kms from Alappuzha Railway Station, Alappuzha beach is a lovely white sand beach on Arabian Sea. It is one of the top places to visit in Alleppey and among the most visited Kerala Beaches while holidaying in Kerala.

The beach is lined with dense palm groves at one end. The bridge on the beach is close to 150 years old. With Arabian Sea on west and several lakes (including Vembanad Lake), lagoons and several freshwater rivers, Alappuzha is a place with breathtaking natural beauty.

The children park at northern end of the beach is a good place to hang out for kids. There are no water sports facilities at the beach. The beach has considerably less commercial activity.

At a distance of 4 Kms from Alappuzha Railway Station, Mullakkal Raja Rajeswari Temple is very famous shrine in Alappuzha dedicated to Goddess Durga.

It is believed that Goddess Raja Rajeshwari appeared at this site to take care of a Jasmine flower (Mullakkal means 'Jasmine Flower' in Malayalam). The temple celebrates two annual festivals - the Navratri festival (October/November) and the Thaipooyakavadi festival (November/December). The last two days are the most auspicious days. Colorful processions participated by nine elephants are held in the evening. It is witnessed by thousands of devotees. Also several cultural programs including Ottanthullal & Kathakali are staged in the temple.

The Thaipooyakavadi celebrated for 41 days in November/December. The whole town will be full of lights and decoration and the last ten days are celebrated with glory.

At a distance of 14 Kms from Alappuzha Railway Station, Sri Krishna Temple located in Ambalapuzha is an ancient temple built in 8th century AD. It is one of the popular places of pilgrimage in Kerala and also one of top tourist places in Kerala.

Built in typical Kerala style of temple architecture, this temple is famous for Pala Payasam (sweet pudding made of rice and milk) served to the devotees. During the raids of Tipu Sultan in 1789, the idol of Sri Krishna from the Guruvayoor Temple was brought to the Ambalappuzha Temple for safe keeping. The idol here is found with a Whip in the right hand and a Shankhu in the left. It is believed that Kunjan Nambiar was the artist who gave birth to the unique art form of this temple.

Amabalapuzha Temple Festival, known as the Champakkulam Moolam Water Festival is celebrated in remembrance of the installation of the idol of Lord Krishna in the temple.

At a distance of 13 Kms from Alappuzha Railway Station, Champakulam is a beautiful village on the banks of Pampa River in Alappuzha district, with green paddy fields, coconut groves and water fowl. It is part of Kuttanad region, the rice bowl of Kerala.

Champakulam Moolam Boat Race is the oldest snake boat races in Kerala. The race is held in Pampa River on the moolam day of the Malayalam month Midhunam (June/July), the day of the installation of the deity at the Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple.

Champakulam Church is one of the oldest churches in India, built in 427 AD. This church has seen many changes and undergone several enhancements. There are many inscriptions around the church describing its history. The annual festival is celebrated on October 3rd.

At a distance of 29 Kms from Kottayam, 35 Kms from Alappuzha & 33 kms from Pathanamthitta, Sri Vallabha Temple is located near Thiruvalla town (4 Kms) in Pathanamthitta district.

This ancient temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu is one among the 108 Diva Kshetrams in India. This temple is built in typical Kerala style of temple architecture with fine carvings and murals. The inner sanctum of the temple houses a 6 feet tall idol of Maha Vishnu. The flag staff of the temple is made out of granite and it is about 50 feet tall. A 3 feet idol of Garuda (the eagle vehicle of Lord Vishnu) is installed on top of the flagstaff.

This temple is famous for the traditional Kathakali performances almost every night and it is perhaps the only temple in Kerala where Kathakali is regularly performed as a ritual offering to a deity, after the evening Pooja

The annual festival of the temple is celebrated in Feb / Mar and the Utharaseeveli festival is celebrated for one day on Mar / Apr.

At a distance of 49 Kms from Alappuzha, Krishnapuram Palace situated on NH47 between Alappuzha and Kollam is a wonderful palace built by Kayamkulam Kings.

The palace was occupied by Marthanda Varma, the Maharaja of Travancore from Kayamkulam kings in 18th century. The origin and age of the palace are unknown. The Palace is a rare specimen of the Kerala style of architecture, with gabled roofs, narrow corridors and dormer windows.

Currently the palace houses an archaeological museum, with many wonderful exhibits of the region. The most fascinating exhibit being the 49 Sq. Meter Gajendra Moksham, the largest mural painting discovered in Kerala. The mural was placed at the entrance of this palace near the pond to help the kings to worship the deity after their bath. Other attractions of the palace include the garden with a variety of flora, Buddha mandapam, rare antique bronze sculptures and paintings.

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