Manju's Blog

Kerala Travel Guide is updated at Zonkerala.com. This section will have information about all the places we have visited in Kerala and photos of all those tourist places. The recent updates in the travel guide are Thenmala, Pathimoonnu Kannara Bridge near Punalur, Ernakulam, Kumarakom and photos of Thenmala dam, Thenmala Adventure Zone, Palaruvi, Kumarakom and Kavanattingara photos etc.

Information about Ernakulam Marine Drive, Bolgatty Island and Palace, Cherai Beach, Alappuzha Beach, Alappuzha house boats, Kodanad and Kaprikkad, Haripad Subrahmanya Swami Temple, Mannarasala Nagaraja Temple are also available under Kerala Travel Guide.

Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple is a very famous temple near Haripad in Alappuzha District of Kerala. The temple is dedicate to Serpant Gods, Nagaraja, Nagayakshi and Sarpayakshi.

Haripad Subrahmanya Swami Temple is one of the famous temples in Alappuzha District. The presiding deity is Lord Subrahmanya. The temple is built in the ancient Kerala architectural style.

Read more about Haripad Subrahmanya Swami Temple
Haripad Subrahmanya Swami Temple Photos
Haripad Temple Peacock Photos

Kerala is aptly called as “God’s own country”. She is a beauty queen. When you travel from Ernakulam to Alappuzha by the National Highway, you can see Arabian Sea very close to the roads. Beauty of Kuttanad is breathtaking. One can see many Valloms and boats in the lakes and the lagoons.

Again another district Kottayam also has a many lakes and lagoons. Kumarakom Resorts offer great luxuries for the tourists. Kavanattinkara Bird Sanctury also attracts many tourists.

Changanassery and Kottayam are the main towns in Kottayam district. Changanassery has some famous colleges like NSS Hindu College, SB College, and Assumption College. Changanassery is also the headquarters of Nair Service Society (NSS).

Kottayam is the ‘City of Letters’. The town has the credit of being the headoffice of many Kerala daily Newspapers like Malayala Manorama and Mangalam.

55th Nehru Trophy Boat Race held in Punnamada lake in Alapuzha, Kerala, on August 11, 2007. ‘Paippad Chundan’, rowed by ‘Town Boat Club, Kumarakom’ emerged victorious in the race and won the Nehru Trophy signed by the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit. Jawaharlal Nehru.

Honourable Chief Justice of India, Sri. K.G. BalaKrishnan inaugurated the Boat Race. Minister of Home affairs of the State of Kerala, Sri. Kodiyeri BalaKrishnan and Ministers, Sri. M.K.Prema Chandran and Sri. Vijaya Kumar also attended the Nehru Trophy Race. After the inauguration, the Snake Boats and the boat clubs were introduced to the Chief Justice. Mass Drill by the Snake Boats followed. It was a beautiful sight for the guests and the tourists.

There were 16 Snake Boats for the competition. They were :
1. Nadu Bhagam Chundan 2. Vellamkulangara Chundan 3. Jawahar Thayankari 4. ShreeGaneshan
5. Anari Chundan 6. Karuvatta Chundan 7. Pattara Chundan 8. St.George
9. Valiya Diwanji 10. Chambakkulam Chundan 11. Karichal Chundan 12. Kallupparamban
13. Alappadu Chundan 14. Payippad Chundan 15. Ayaparambu Pandy 16. Cheruthana Chundan

Apart from the Snake boats, other small boats also had competitions. ‘Veppu Valloms – Grade A and B’, ‘Iruttu kuthi boats’ and other small boats participated in the race. There were boats with foreign ladies also for the race.

In the first heats of the Snake Boats, Nadu Bhagam Chundan, Vellamkulangara Chundan, Jawahar Thayankari and ShreeGaneshan, were the competitors. ‘ShreeGanesh’ rowed by ‘Kollam Jesus Boat Club’, emerged victorious. In the second heats, ‘Pattara Chundan’ rowed by ‘Kumarakom Boat Club’ emerged victorious from the four participating boats Anari Chundan, Karuvatta Chundan, Pattara Chundan and St.George. Pattara Chundan is a new Snake Boat and is participating in Nehru Trophy for the first time. The third heats saw the victory of ‘Karichal Chundan’ rowed by ‘St.George Boat Club, Kollam’, from among Valiya Diwanji, Chambakkulam Chundan, Karichal Chundan and Kallupparamban. Alappadu Chundan, Payippad Chundan, Ayaparambu Pandy and Cheruthana Chundan were the participants in the last heats. ‘Payippad Chundan’ rowed by ‘Town Boat Club, Kumarakom’ was the victorious boat.

The final of the Snake Boats were held as the closing event of the Nehru Trophy. The competition was between Shree Ganesh, Pattara Chundan, Karichal Chundan and Payippad Chundan. ‘Payippad Chundan’ emerged as the winners of the Nehru Trophy – 2007 for the third time in a row(Hatrick), that too, by the same Boat Club. The second place has gone to ‘Karichal Chundan’, third place to ‘Shree Ganesh’ and the fourth place was for ‘Pattara Chundan’. The third loosers final competition was also held and ‘Kalluparamban’ emerged victorious. ‘Vellamkulangara Chundan’ won the second looser’s final. ‘Cheruthana Chundan’ rowed by ‘United Boat Club, Kainakary’ won the Chundan looser’s final.