Well, in contrast to all of the other travelogues that I have written these days, this one may additionally sound like a fragment of my emotional fancies. And for that count number, whosoever on earth told to recount his/her honeymooning ventures/escapades would love to explicit to you how a great deal beauty, tranquility, and lust for lifestyles become anticipating them to be explored. In their honeymoon haven, a ways from the madding crowd! As for me, it changed into a revel in so preciously non-public that I couldn’t have determined the eloquence of words to describe it for years had it now not been for my husband’s regular insistence to pen down my thoughts on it. So I commit this one to none apart from my sweetheart and to the regular love and affection that has held us tight towards every difference amidst all odds of existence!
The die-hard romantic that I used to be in my teenybopper university days, I had constantly dreamt of an ideal date through the facet of a pristine beach, with the sands flirting with our ft, with the waves gushing to proclaim the start of a brand new, interesting togetherness, with silence intertwined with soft whisperings. And trust me or no longer, it all simply got here genuine in my existence, now not on my first date, but on my honeymoon, in Kovalam seaside, Kerala!! How can I ever forget about the date? It became a new sunrise for me, the 3rd of December, the day we set out for our flight to Trivandrum in the midst of a foggy early iciness morning in Kolkata!
Seaside websites throughout India have surely involved me considering that my youth. Moreover, because both of us had decided upon traveling a few regions that would no longer be crowded (quite a common standards for honeymooners!) and on the identical time would be extraordinary sufficient to be remembered for a lifetime, we unanimously agreed upon visiting the beach websites of Kovalam in addition to exploring the awesome splendor of the Alleppey backwaters. And while I have heard a few human beings say that beaches are the same anywhere, I instinctively felt that it isn’t so in Kerala. And why now not? Bound using the special Arabian Sea on its western facet, with its sizeable shoreline extending up to six hundred kilometers, we will accurately say the tiny country of Kerala houses some of the first-class seashores u. S ., or instead, of the sector!
Speaking of the seashores, I do not personally recognize why the Kerala seashores have taken a backseat when Indian vacationers are worried. Most of us blame the remarkable popularity of the Kerala backwaters for it. Still, in case you inquire from me, nicely, wherein else can you locate such mild surf and crystal clear blue waters topped with an excellent coastline that is embellished by way of sandy seashores, rocky promontories, and coconut palms? And the beauty of maximum of the Kerala beaches lies in the fact that each one of them is exceptionally picturesque websites even as at the identical time is quiet and serene, much less infested with the seasonal crowd.
And in all the three days we spent on the Kerala beaches, which include Kovalam, we just celebrated their tranquility, seclusion, and virgin splendor, at the side of sharing some of the maximum divine moments, watching the small, old-fashioned local fishing villages, a few antique piers that amplify into the sea, lagoons, considerable lakes, and several clean water rivers. At the Kovalam seaside web page, we enjoyed the sight of a small village down the shoreline, the terrific Lighthouse beach. At the Shanmugam seashore, however, we have been fortunate to enjoy one of the most breathtaking sundown views ever amidst the picturesque surroundings of a fave hangout of sundown watchers.
Another charming seashore, the Thirumullavaram Beach, changed into a perfect morning retreat, where we started our day searching at the swaying coconut palm bushes and watching nearby fishers who set out into the ocean searching for their catch! On the one hand, we had been getting more and more awed via the untarnished splendor of all the seashores, whilst on the other hand; we have been just relishing our sheer sense of pride searching on the assessment between the blue colors of the water and the sky! Everywhere around us, there has been a bit of paradise, which was getting more serene with the nectar of our sweet togetherness!
Our prayers in the Padmanabhaswamy temple:
As I had already heard and read a few splendid testimonies about the hoary temple lifestyle at the Southern State of Kerala, we had pretty determined that our visit could be incomplete without seeing as a minimum a couple of them. Moreover, like a maximum of the newly married Hindu brides, I too had some sentimental leanings toward imparting prayers and ‘puja’ to the Lords for each of our lives, our destiny, and our extended togetherness! Well, I can nevertheless truly do not forget the day we paid a brief visit to the exquisite Padmanabhaswamy temple. Simultaneously, we have been simply inquisitive about its precise temple architecture and the quiet serenity in the huge temple obstacles! To be in sync with the mood, I dressed completely in a traditional south Indian ensemble, bought plant life from the nearby market, and hanged them around my hair as a demure Keralite bride, and I loved every second of it! The day began off with our sheer surprise in exploring the awe-inspiring structure of the Padmanabhaswamy temple and the serene surroundings of divinity inner it.
One of the grandest and one of Kerala’s maximum historical temples has been vibrant with culture, having been related for years with the humanities and track. Needless to say, the maximum awe-inspiring sight within the temple becomes its shrine, showcasing an implementing photograph of Vishnu inside the Anantasayanam posture, a photo which we regarded via three doorways in front of the shrine. It became a sunny Sunday morning, and the large accumulation in front of the shrine became sufficient to inform us of the people’s spiritual fervor!
However, beyond the sheer spiritual pursuits of humans, we were getting increasingly awed through the temple architecture’s Dravidian style, its 100 ft excessive ‘gopuram’ (additionally built-in historic Dravidian fashion), and its incredible mural artwork and stone carvings! No surprise then, that with a colorful calendar of festivities, the amalgamation of stonework, timber paintings, work of art, and sculpture- harmoniously combined right into a structure colorful with traditions of the place, the Padmanabhaswamy temple is highly regarded as one a few of the 108 temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu in India. To me, the temple became fascinating, to mention the least (notwithstanding its strict worship protocols), emphasizing absolutely the sanctity, simplicity, and prevailing naturalism that marked the worship of Lord Padmanabhaswamy.
The day was the sixth of December, and the morning has been made into an auspicious one via the triumphing serenity of the temple. Now, we had very little time at our disposal in Tiruvanandapuram, the temple site, as we had to set out for some other gorgeous adventure, a night at a candy, picturesque houseboat, exploring the great beauty of the Alleppey backwaters (now named Alappuzha Backwaters) and the cluster of lovely little islands inside the location. We had already booked a one-night time cruise on a houseboat that would allow us to discover the splendor of Alappuzha, and we would spend the night time within the quiet tranquility of the backwaters.
The concept itself was so romantic that when we had been trying to reach the coastal township of Alleppey, we did not even word that our motive force got careworn with the route, and we have been getting pretty late than our scheduled time! However, after much strife and tribulations, we reached the coast from wherein we could see our small, romantic houseboat amidst the drizzling raindrops, seated on a community of lakes and lagoons and canals that have been crisscrossing each other! Never earlier than had I seen a greater heavenly sight anywhere! Visitors all across the globe have named the Alappuzha as the Venice of the East. Rightly so, as it has been home to the photograph-best waterways and canals unequaled by way of some other web page within the Orient.
Enjoying the extremely romantic nightfall with the sight of the enchanting backwaters and the raindrops which had made the placing even greater out of this international, we stepped internal our small, cozy houseboat for our backwater journey after nightfall. Sailing alongside the “kettuvallam” (houseboat) thru the captivating backwaters of Alappuzha became the revel in of a lifetime. However, the journey had to forestall after a while due to rough winds and heavy rainfall. Our boat was then anchored someplace close to the shore, and we were to live within the boat for the night and again begin our journey the subsequent morning if the hurricane cooled down.
Ours becomes a one-room houseboat that includes a picturesque sundeck, a comfortable bedroom, and an attached non-public tub, with exceptional production and steeply-priced furnishing featuring excellent flooring, hull, and Calavera (canopy). The purpose I am describing the interiors of the houseboat is that it became a totally soothing enjoy to me, is unique in its uncooked, naturalistic appeal in the midst of an image-ideal situation of lakes, lagoons, canals, and rivers. And though the houseboat operators had their percentage of flaws, they made up for it with some thoughts-blowing proper Keralite cuisines consisting of a few interesting cuisines made with the nearby fish!
