Saturday, February 21, 2015

A TRIP TO ALLEPEY: VENICE OF THE EAST

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

Alapuzha or Allepey is sometimes called Venice of the East. It was an important port from where spices were exported to all parts of the world in the medieval period. To facilitate the movement of spices, canals were constructed on which the typical long boats of Kerala used to ply. The beautiful Vembanar Lake, a large water body forms a breath taking and a scenic backdrop to this beautiful city. I had reasons to visit this city recently as I was invited by a student of mine to deliver the keynote address for a National Seminar in a College there. We spent three wonderful days and I want to share my experience with my readers> Here goes:                                                    
Norton Church
The Lighthouse
The Spice Warehouse
A House by the Canal
The Rajarajesvari Temple
A Beautiful Lamp
The Mullaly Market
The Sunset on the beach
Saint Joseph's College for Women which is doing a splendid job in educating girls
The Ambalapuzha Temple
The same Temple
An excellent place to get snacks by the Boat Jetty

The first Protestant Church built in 1816
The Altar of the Church
A view of the canal

Our trip to Allepey was wonderful and will remain in our mind for a long long time. Well worth a visit.

1 comment:

Devasangeetham said...

Alleppey is of course a place worth visiting. The land of backwaters and beautiful lagoons with a large network of canals and bridges make this region a truly important historic town. The trading activities of the medieval and early modern days have created a significant place for this town in the commercial map of the world. The sea pier, the old port office there, the light house, triple bridge 200 years old, the CSI church of 1816A.D, the coir factories of late 19th century, the jain community who settled in the town in the late 1780s all are historic landmarks of this little town