Incredible India

Sights to See

Kumarakom Backwaters
Every year, more than seven million tourists visit Kerala, a place that the National Geographic Magazine has described as one of the must-see places in a lifetime. Kumarakom is an important stopover for a majority of these tourists. This famous tourist backwater hub is a cluster of islands on the eastern banks of Lake Vembanad.

Kumarakom is an unbelievably beautiful paradise of mangrove forests, emerald green paddy fields and coconut groves interspersed with enchanting waterways and canals adorned with white lilies. Situated on the Vembanad Lake, this small water world has plenty of traditional country boats, crafts and canoes, which will take you in to the heart of scenic Kerala. The resorts near by offer comfortable accommodation and exclusive leisure options like Ayurvedic massages, Yoga and meditation besides boating, fishing, angling and swimming. In the last Century, Henry Baker, an English man, attracted by the beauty of the place, selected Kumarakom as his residence and built a bungalow, obtaining 104 acres of land from the then Maharaja of Travancore. He also made a beautiful garden. Preserving the old style, the beautiful bungalow of Baker has now been modified into the Taj Garden Retreat, a hotel with modern living facilities. The Kerala State Tourism Development Corporation (K.T.D.C.) has converted this place into a Tourist Complex. K.T.D.C. has constructed A.C. Cottages here and it runs a floating restaurant. The Corporation also provides boating facilities. Coconut lagoon is another beautiful resort here.

Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary
Located on the banks of the Vembanad Lake, the bird sanctuary is spread across 14 acres. The bird sanctuary, also known as the Vembanad Bird Sanctuary, is a favourite haunt of migratory birds like the Siberian stork, egret, darter, heron and teal. A visit to the bird sanctuary, set within the lush acres of wooded land nearby, acquaints you to the variety of migratory birds that flock in thousands, some from the Himalayas, some even from as far as Siberia.

In addition, you can get thrilled of the native kingfishers ablaze in psychedelic colours, experience a walk under rookeries of egrets and night herons or lone golden-backed woodpeckers and even delight in the acrobatics of the paradise fly-catchers.
The main attractions are local birds like the waterfowl, cuckoo, owl, egret, heron and the water duck, as well as the migratory Siberian cranes. Parrots, teal, larks, flycatchers, wood beetle, and other birds are seen here during their respective migratory seasons.

Subrahmanya Temple and Sree Dharma Sastha Temple
Both these temples have a common compound wall. It is believed that the Subrahmanya Temple, Kumarakom’s first temple, was constructed on the orders of the Vadakkumkore king, about 1800 years ago. Kumarakom is supposed to have derived its name from this temple - from the two words ‘kumara’ and ‘akam’ which in combination means ‘home of Lord Subrahmanya’.

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