Places to visit in Alleppey

You can take them Kayaking or Bungee jumping at the Alleppey beach. Safety measures are taken and trained guides ensure you enjoy these facilities. There are also the famous backwater cruises for those who want their children to learn more about nature. Do enjoy fresh coconut water during the cruise as the boats stop near the numerous villages which dot the way. 

The AmbAlleppeyKrishnaTemple is devoted to Lord Parthasarathy or Krishna, the charioteer of Arjuna. This temple was built between the 15th to 17th centuries. Having the AmbalapuzzhabPalpayasam or sweet milk porridge is considered very auspicious by many visitors. Paintings of the Dashavatharamor the ten avatars of Vishnu are found on the walls of the temple. It is located only 14.6 km away from Alleppey.

ChettikulangaraBhagavathyTemple has its main deity as Bhadrakali and is supposed to possess miraculous powers. The main festival here is the annual festival of the templeKettukazhcha. It is well known for the procession of well-decorated structures in chariots in which effigies of horses, bullocks and epic heroes like the Pandavas and various scenes from the Puranas are displayed. This festival is celebrated during February or March every year.

The Kottam kulangara Mahavishnu and Devi Temple is the oldest temple in Alleppey. It is situated at the centre of a pond which has now been covered fully with sand. It is also the only major temple in Alleppey, located in the same compound with two flag masts and having two festival seasons. The festival season of Mahavishnu temple is in January and that of the Devi temple in March.

MannarasalaSree Nagaraja Temple, Haripad is dedicated to the King of Serpents. It is located in the midst of a 16-acre forest area and has some 30,000 images of snake-gods. All the rituals are presided over by a priestess, which is a little unusual in India. The temple has two main idols, Nagaraja and his consort Sarpayakshini.

Mullackal Rajarajeswari Temple is in the heart of the city. It is dedicated to goddess Rajarajeswari. A two-day Navarathri festival is celebrated there with rituals including an elephant procession.

Also worth seeing are the Arthukal Basilica, Edathna Church, etc. The Basilica was built by the Portuguese and is famous for the St. Sebastian’s Feast, which is held from 10th to 26th January with the main feast on 20th January.

Karumadi is known for the famous black granite statue of Lord Buddha in a sitting posture. It was made between the 9th and the 14th centuries and is located 16.9 km from Alleppey.  

Alleppey has a network of lakes and lagoons and also rivers like the Manimala, Pamba, Achankovil and lakes like the Vembanad and Kayamkulam.  It has a lot of marine life like prawns, lobsters, turtles and fishes. In the backwaters and lagoons, one finds a lot of birds like the teal ducks and cormorants.

The Nehru Trophy Boat race is another attraction since it began in 1952. It is held on the second Saturday of August and snake boat race against each other in the Punnamada Backwaters. It is so named after the first Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who visited this area. This race is held in August every year and snake boats are made by each village in the vicinity. Everyone takes it very seriously and village boys train for it. The boats are beautifully decorated. They move in a synchronized way and huge crowds come to watch the race.

A large number of foreign and domestic tourists come to watch this race. The snake boats are called chundanvallams locally. The villagers also use smaller boats, take out processions and floats. This is planned like a modern-day regatta.

If you are a nature lover, who loves to indulge and want to experience the real tranquility and serenity of nature, then this beautiful island, Pathiramanal will be the perfect location for you. This island is the ideal venue to watch hundreds of migratory birds from different parts of the world. Surrounded by the VembanadLake, the island is very easily accessible from Alleppey by motorboat or speedboat. 

Pathiramanal is actually a small island of 28 hectares. Its name in Malayalam Rathriyile Manal means Sands of Night. The scenic beauty of this island is considered unique by tourists who visit it.

This island is also called AnanthaPadmanabhanThoppu. It has over 90 local and 50 migratory species of birds. It is a paradise for nature lovers as you can spot different varieties of herons, terns, egrets, kingfishers, cormorants, goose and ducks. This island was earlier privately owned but is owned by the Tourism Department. At present, it seems this island is not inhabited by humans, only birds rule the roost.