Beaches of Kerala
The beaches of Kerala are well known for the rich white sand and dark green coconut trees
that form exquisite background. Kappad, Kozhikode, Fort Kochi and Alappuzha are beaches
those played important roles in maritime trade from ancient past; Travelers like Marco Polo
(1254), Ibn Battuta (1304) etc have written voluminous records about these once bustled
places. The history of Kerala would not have been revealed to the present generations hadn’t
these great men paid their visits to these places. Vasco Da Gama’s landing in Kappad beach
near Kozhikode in 1498; was a historical event as that marked the beginning of colonial era. There are more than a dozen major beaches in Kerala from Bekal (at northern end) to Kovalam
(at the southern end); they from north to south goes like this; Bekal, Payyambalam, Kozhikode, Kappad, Beypore, Cherai, Fort Kochi, Marari, Alappuzha or Alleppey, Thirumullavaram,Varkala, Shankhumugham, Kovalam etc.
Bekal (Pallikere Beach) near Kasargode has historical importance for the fort (built by
King Bhaskara Ravi II of Mahodayapuram Empire during 12th century AD) that still remains
intact. The beach is rich with white sand sprawls on both sides of the fort; rocky hills on the background and lush palm trees on all sides. Off late Bekal has emerged as a very importanttourist destination in Kerala. An ancient mosque built by Tippu Sultan (the ruler of Mysore who invaded Kerala two centuries back) and an equally old Hanuman temple nearby add a touch of history devotion to the beauty of the beach.
Payyambalam Beach is just two kilometers from Kannur town northern Kerala; it is a popular
picnic spot with much potential for development as a major tourist destination. Palm trees and hillocks on the background, sandy shores and cliffs all these offer some thrill to the visitors.
Muzhappilangad Beach; is just 15 km from Kannur; it is one of the longest beach in Kerala and the only drive in beach in this state. It is about 3 km long and dotted with black natural boulders that help to tame the wild waves of the Arabian Sea waves making swimming safe. There is one small island not far from this beach called Dharmadom which is a beautiful place with thickly grown coconut trees; a privately owned island nearby the shore accessible by foot during low tide.
Kohikkode or Calicut is a very ancient port that did booming business with Arabs and
Europeans from time immemorial. Kappad the nearby place is historically important as the
Portuguese Colonizer Vasco Da Gama landed there in 1498. Kozhikode Beach is a favorite spot
for sunset watchers; casuarinas trees planted here and there have some shade in its store for love-birds to frolic during noon time. Two old and dilapidated piers still remain as mute witness to the one and a half century old history of this once majestic port. This beach is less than half a km from the hart of the town.
Kappad Beach is about 16 km from Kozhikode; there is a small platform built to commemorate the ancient mariner Vasco Da Gama who landed at this port on 27th May 1498; marking beginning of the colonial era of Asian Sub-Continent. Kappad is a sandy beach that offers cool place for sunset watchers.
Beypore Beach has a long maritime history as the Arabs got their big seagoing vessels made
and repaired at this place; this affair with Arabs lasted for centuries. This beach is in between the back waters formed by waters of Chaliyar River and the sea. Big seagoing vessels are still made here by the workers who are experts in this field; recently they completed and delivered a full fledged wooden ship made of seasoned teak wood to a Sheik of UAE. A pier made of sand stone linings and filled with sand of about 2 km in length jutting in to the sea is a rare sight that can be seen in this port.
Cherai Beach is a well maintained located at the border of Vypeen Island - the most densely
populated island on earth- just 23 km from Ernakulam Town or Kochi. Cherai is a village with
paddy fields and coconut farms; people mainly depend upon fishing and jobs at the nearby town Kochi. Cherai has recently got some facelift and recently more visitors have started to come here on weekends.
Fort Kochi town itself is a relic of the old world with many monuments that reminds colonial
era, the Jews who once lived here in plenty and left to Israel leaving a handful of followers and a synagogue that still is here as a tourist attraction. The old fort that tells a thousand tales of bygone era –Fort Kochi is one of the oldest European settlements in India. There are many buildings in this place that is built in exact British architectural style. Cochin Carnival held on New Year eve etc make this place exclusive. Fort Kochi Beach is sandy and is located on the mouth of Vembanad Lake that opens in to the Arabian Sea. Here a visitor can see huge ships of different nations destined to the Kochi port being tugged by boats. Nearby towns like Ernakulam and Kochi offers good shopping experience.
Marari Beach is about 15 km from Alappuzha and less than 60 km from Kochi; it is a sleepy
fishing village; but tourism has brought new developments that have placed Marari (short form for Mararikulam; the village where the beach is located) as a leading tourism center. The twenty acre wide Marari Resort has all the trappings of a modern resort but looks mere thatched villas from outside.
Alappuzha or Alleppey Beach has been given a face-lift at present seems like a modern beach
got grafted in to this old sleepy serene location. The crumbling old pier that is twice a century old, the light house built by the British, an already crumbled grand flag-mast (at present only the stump is in position and the pieces rest beneath), a port office with the bust of one old king of the land (he must have been a real handsome guy); and old rail track emerging from the pier; that lies half submerged, new trappings like beer parlor, ice-cream cafes, numerous peddlers selling groundnuts to Chinese toys etc all make this beach a real experience. Alleppey is perhaps the most beautiful of all the beaches of Kerala. Sundays and other holidays make this beach a bit crowded.
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View of the old pier at Alappuzha Beach during Sunset |
Foreigners walking through the Alappuzha beach in the morning |
Thirumulla varam near Kollam (six km) is between Ashtamudi Lake and the Arabian Sea like
Alappuzha that lies sand-witched between Lake Vembanad and sea. It is less explored and
hence offers a serene atmosphere ideal for getting fresh air and swimming in the sea. There
are boulders placed in the shore to prevent coastal erosion which has taken away the sandy
beach’s beauty.
Varkala Beach has been famous far before than the development of other ones in Kerala
and domestic as well as foreign tourists used to visit it regularly. It is just 50 km away from Trivandrum the State Capital. Varkala beach and its surroundings are scattered with many nature-cure centers as the mineral water that is collected from various springs of the beach used for the therapies done in these centers. It is a very secluded beach as there are no cities in the nearest vicinities huge crowds are absent and random visitors to the nearby Sri Janardhana Swamy Temple pay a visit to the water in this beach is considered ‘Papanasini’ destroyer of sins. By performing puja at the temple and having a bath is considered to be ideal for eliminating the bad effects of sins done by our forefathers and they get moksha or salvation. This beach is a favorite spot for foreign tourists as well for the spas and other rejuvenating centers located nearby. Many home-stay facilities make a visit to Varkala economical and pleasure giving.
Shankumukham Beach is very near to Trivandrum City the capital of Kerala; it is often crowded in the evening as city dwellers come here to relax. The Trivandrum International Airport also is nearby this beach. There are many star hotels which await for the tourists who have the money to flaunt; a Jalakanyaka or Mermaid (built by famous architect Kanayi Kunhiraman), a very old sand-stone pavilion with many pillars is a real sight no one knows who built it and for what purpose. Sankumukham Beach is sandy, wide and windy; ideal for sun-set watchers. The Christ the King Church (known as the Vettukad Church) located nearby this beach is a famous pilgrim point.
Kovalam; Kovalam beach is the most glamorous among all beaches of Kerala; just 13 km from
Trivandrum the capital of the state. Kovalam which was a sleepy fisherman’s village has
become a small township due to this beach. During seventies as flocks of hippies from Europe
and America somehow discovered this sleepy beach and decided to camp there; the weird
presence of white people with uncut hair wearing rags and flowers arose the curiosity of the
world and Kovalam gained this popularity; now that hippies are gone but the beach still remains as a wonderland.
Kovalam is in fact a cluster of three different crescent shaped beaches all separated by rocky outgrowths; the rocky terrain has formed many shallow; small to medium sized lagoons giving safe place for frolickers. These particular landscapes have made Kovalam unique among other beaches of Kerala. The largest one is the Light-house Beach which is located at the southern most part and it has the status of being the most visited beach. There is a 35 meter tall light-house constructed above a nearby hillock called Kurumkal Kunnu; it is this light house that earned this beach itsname. The medium sized Howah Beach (meaning Eve’s beach) is that comes in the middle and it is
the most favorite spot for tourists from Europe –the presence of scantily clad blondes would
have made some quick witted person to name this beach so! The northern most is known as the Samudra Beach is not for tourists; it is for local fishermen to spread their fishing nets and do repairing works. Kovalam is dotted with many star hotels of which Leela Kempinsky is a marvelously built one that merges well with the cliff. Rocks, rough terrain, lagoons, at times violent waves, many health clubs, nature-therapy centers, ayurvedic massaging centers etc offer all sorts thrills a traveler desires and all these together made Kovalam a big business center. |
