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South India
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With
foreign influences as disparate as Chinese and Portuguese, Arab and Dutch,
Kerala is the spice coast of India. Edged by a thread of unbroken beachline, the
state’s heart is composed of intensely green paddy fields and a unique network
of rivers and lagoons. Upland Kerala, relatively little visited, is composed of
hills thickly wooded with teak and rubber. It is here that Kerala’s most
precious spices are grown in carefully nurtured plantations: cardamom, pepper
and nutmeg. Trivandrum, the state
capital, an international airport, has an exceptionally fine museum set in an
amusement park. 16 km away is Kovalam,
one of the most popular beaches in the country. Many visitors stay at Kovalam,
driving into Trivandrum for sightseeing trips, rather than the other way round.
Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Trivandrum, and Padmanabhapuram Palace, a short
drive away, are important monuments.
Cochin, with a fine natural harbour, has been Kerala’s center of maritime
trade for innumerable centuries. Along the harbour, rows of antediluvian Chinese
fishing nets indicate Kerala’s trade with China, just as buildings along the
water’s edge testify to the erstwhile presence of Dutch and Portuguese
colonisers. Jewtown, complete with an immaculately preserved synagogue, has a
flavour all its own, while Tripunathura, at the other end of the city, has many
traditional houses with central courtyards. Kerala’s multitude of faiths –
Islam, Judaism, and a host of sects of Christianity and Hinduism – all coexist
harmoniously in a state that is known for its Marxist inclinations! Kerala’s
traditions of dance forms, which originated from temple worship, can be
witnessed at regularly held performances. Lecture-demonstrations of the most
spectacular of these – Kathakali – are held daily at many centres in Cochin.
Teyyam, at once an act of worship and visual feast; temple festivals complete
with caparisoned elephants; Kalaripayata, the indigenous art of self defence;
all are a part of Kerala’s remarkable heritage of performing arts, and can be
witnessed at various centres in Cochin and Trivandrum. A five hour drive from
Cochin leads into thickly forested hills, past rubber and spice plantations, and
into southern India’s tea growing district headquartered at the charmingly old
world Munnar. From
Kottayam to Alleppey is a world
of palm fringed waterways, a route which is covered by motor launch. Elderly
sailboats, long barges transporting tons of coconuts and tiny skiffs used to
transport children to school are common sights on these backwaters.
Kerala, der südwestlichste Bundesstaat Indiens, ist ein fruchtbarer Küstenstreifen am westlichen Steilabfall der Ghats. Kerala bietet hochgelegene, ausgedehnte Waldgebiete, einschließlich großer Naturschutzgebiete mit reichem Wildtierbestand, palmenbesäumte Kanäle im Küstenbereich, den Backwaters, und die beliebten Badestrände um die Hauptstadt Trivandrum. Die wehenden Palmen, die Vasco da Gama einst mit winkenden und willkommenheißenden Menschen verwechselte, wiegen sich wie eh und jeh im sanften Wind, der sein Lied von den Küsten Arabiens und Afrikas herüberträgt. Auch hier sind Mythos und Geschichte eng miteinander verbunden. Das "schwarze Gold" (Pfeffer) und Gewürze waren Keralas wichtigste Handelsgüter, die sogar Handelskriege mit anderen Nationen auslösten.
Gegen den Widerstand der lokalen Machthaber mußte Kerala zu verschiedenen Zeitpunkten mit der Vereinnahmung durch Portugiesen, Holländer, Franzosen und Briten fertigwerden. Diese Mächte hinterließen denn auch ihre heute noch sichtbaren Spuren in der Geschichte und Kultur Keralas, von der sie jedoch landestypisch miteinbezogen und eng mit den traditionellen Strukturen verwoben wurden. Weitere Merkmale Keralas sind seine aktive politische Szene, die generell gutgebildeten Bürger und eine warmherzige Offenheit und Freundlichkeit Fremden gegenüber. Wer von hier zurückkehrt, weiß nicht nur die natürlichen Schönheiten Keralas zu schätzen, sondern trägt auch ein wenig Sonnenschein im Herzen.
Las
palmeras que una vez Vasco de Gama confundió con un gentío dándole la
bienvenida" todavía se inclinan su camino desde las costas de Arabia y de
Africa. Y,
como el viento, otras influencias se funden con el mito y el recuerdo, para
formar una realidad a la que mejor caracteriza
Cochin, el aeropuerto principal de Kerala. Conocida como la Reina del
Mar de Arabia, Cochin es puerto de escala para las embarcaciones desde el siglo
VI a.C., lo que, quizá, explique que sea un mosaico de culturas hindú, judia,
portuguesa, holandesa, china e islámica.
Su Sinagoga judía, situada en Mattancherry, fue construida en 1568 d.C. Todavia guarda las bandejas de cobre en las que se registraban las concesiones de privilegios de los rajás de Cochin. La Iglesia de San Francisco, en el Fuerte Cochin, se cree que es el primer templo erigido por los europeos en la India. Vasco de Gama, el intrépido portugués que descubrió la ruta maritima a las «Indias Orientales», Fue enterrado aqui originalmente. También los holandeses dejaron sus huellas en las arenas del tiempo – y de Cochin – en forma de Palacio Bolghatty del siglo XVII. Pero, quizá, la vista más fascinante de Cochin sean las redes de pesca chinas. Vistas a la entrada del puerto son como frágiles alas de mariposa. Igualmente fascinante es el puerto maritimo de Alleppey. 64 kilómetros abajo por la carretera costera de Trivandrum, es conocido como la Venecia de Oriente. Y, una vez al año, las represas de sus canales se atestan de animadas muchedumbres, porque las pulidas embarcaciones-serpiente de Kerala compiten entre sí para ganar el Trofeo del Prirner Ministro.
Para unas vacaciones más
tranquilas siempre está Alwaye. Es
un lugar ideal para nadar en el rio, o simplemente para sentarse en soledad, en
las dunas de arena. Kalady, a 23 kilómetros
de Alwaye, es un centro de peregrinaje situado sobre las orillas del rio Periyar.
Debe su santidad al hecho de que fue allí donde Sri Shankaracharya, el gran filósofo
indio, nació en el siglo Vlll. En cierto sentido, tal como ahora se la conoce,
Kerala nació en la antigua ciudad de
Quilon, porque la era Malayalam se calcula desde la fecha de la fundación
de esta ciudad en el siglo IX. A 148 kilómetros de Cochin, Quilón tiene un
floreciente comercio de anacardo. A 3 kilómetros de distancia pueden
contemplarse los antiguos cementerios holandés, portugués e inglés, así como
los restos de una fortaleza.
Lo Stato del Kerala si trova nell’India
sud-occidentale; con i suoi 575 chilometri di costa bagnata dal Mare Arabico, è
un “paradiso tropicale“ che prende il nome da “Kera“, la palma da cocco
che qui cresce ovunque. Il Kerala è una sottile striscia di terra fertile a
ridosso dei Gati Occidentali, che per anni lo protessero dalle invasioni da
terra. Trovandosi tuttavia sul mare, si possono ancora trovare resti di diverse
influenze straniere, dagli antichi Fenici ed Egizi agli Arabi e ai Cinesi, fino
ai più recenti Olandesi, Portoghesi e Inglesi. Qui approdarono, migliaia di
anni fa, le navi del Re Salomone e poi vennero i Greci e i Romani nelle loro
galee. Nel Kerala arrivarono commercianti di tutto il mondo attratti dalla sua
ricchezza di legno di sandalo, avorio, tek, legname e, naturalmente, spezie
orientali come zenzero, cannella, cardamomo e pepe.
Oggi, oltre ai commercianti, migliaia di turisti
vengono a godersi una vacanza indimenticabile, attratti dal caldo mare blu,
dalle spiagge dorate incorniciate dalle palme, dalle verdi risaie, dai tipici
villaggi di case con i tetti di paglia, dalle fresche lagune costiere, dai
massaggi a base di oli ottenuti da erbe medicinali, dalle forme di arte e di
danza proprie del Kerala. “Kathakali“, l’antica pantomima classica
eseguita con maschere, ha avuto origine qui e si ispira ai temi dei poemi epici
indiani “Ramayana“ e “Mahabharata“ e persino, su base sperimentale, alla
vita di Gesu Cristo e del Budda. Nelle palestre di tutto lo Stato viene ancora
praticata l’antica arte marziale chiamata KALARIPAYATTU.
Poiché il Kerala non èsoltanto la patria degli Indù, ma anche di molte comunità cristiane, mussulmane ed ebraiche, ovunque sorgono templi, chiese, moschee e un’importante sinagoga a Cochin. Tutte le feste locali vengono celebrate con larga partecipazione e fervore. Le piú importanti città turistiche del Kerala sono Kochi e Trichur nel centro, Thiruvananthapuram con Kovalam Beach all’estremita meridionale, il Parco Nazionale Periyar e Thekkady all’est e Calicut (Kozikhode) al nord.
Ancient Churches (Kottayam)
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Kottayam Kurissupally Vimalagiri Cathedral-Kottayam
ADVENTURE TRAVEL & ECO-TOURISM (Special feature)
Cochin(Kochi)
Chinese fishing nets along Cochin harbour. Chinese Fishing Nets - Lined along the sea-front, these fishing nets exhibit a mechanical method of catching fish, introduced by Chinese traders from the court of Kublai Khan. These nets are also seen along the backwaters between Cochin and Kottayam, and between Alleppey (Alappuzha) and Quilon (Kollam). They are mainly used at high tide.
Set on a cluster of islands and narrow peninsulas, the port city of Cochin (Kochi) reflects the eclecticism of Kerala perfectly. With a rich past and a bustling present, it has been the business hub of the region from the very early days.
Cochin consists of mainland Ernakulam, the islands of Willington, Bolgatty and Gundu in the harbour, Fort Cochin and Mattancherry on the southern peninsula, and Vypeen Island north of Fort Cochin, all linked by ferry.
The influence of Chinese, Jews, Arabs and Europeans is evident in Cochin and its people. The oldest church in India, 500-year-old Portugese houses, old tiled houses built in the Chinese pagoda style, the famous Chinese fishing nets, a Jewish community whose roots go back to the Diaspora, synagogues and mosques all tell the fascinating story of this harbour town. The harbour is still at the heart of the city and pepper, sea food, rubber and coir are exported from here. Despite this, Cochin is an attractive city with serene back-waters, lagoons overhung with feathery coconut palms and picturesque islands. The older parts of Fort Cochin and Mattanchery are an unlikely blend of medieval Portugal, Holland and an English country village grafted onto the troppical Malabar coast. Cochin is one of India's largest ports and a major naval base.
Bolghatty Palace - Once a mansion of the British Resident and now a hotel, is in palm fringed Bolghatty Island.
Mattancherry Palace - The palace (Dutch Palace) was built by the Portuguese in 1557 and presented to the Cochin Raja, Veera Kerala Varma. The Dutch renovated it after 1663, and hence the palace has another name, 'Dutch Palace'. The most important feature of Mattanchery Palace is the murals in the bedchambers and other rooms, which depict scenes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranic legends connected with Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, Kumara and Durga. These murals are some of the most beautiful and extensive, and are one of the wonders of India.
The Land of Ayurveda
The
art of long life starts from good health. This is attributed to the ancient
method of purifying your body which is called – Ayurveda. All Ayurveda
remedies will be given to purify and revitalise your body. This treatment gives
you the boost for renewed health. The choice of Ayurvedhic treatments has
self-healing powers and keeps you relaxed and gives you longevity.
Body massage
Regulates and clears energy channels of the body. Very effective method of achieving deep relaxation from rheumatism, muscular stiffness and tension.
Dhara – Neck and back message
Cleans and regulates spinal energy pathways. It relaxes and relives tension.
Royal Bath
Comfortable warm bath, rich in natural minerals which is effective as a natural healing bath.
Facial Cosmetic Treatment
The gentle way of taking care of your beauty with natural herbs.
Though the Science of Ayurveda has been in recorded practice as the standard health care system for over 5,000 years, Americans have been mostly unaware of this wise and clinically-documented science. For centuries, literally billions of people have been treated successfully using the time-tested practices of Ayurveda. Ayurveda looks at health in a wholistic way by understanding and impacting the different physical forces that are in balance in health and out of balance in disease. Ayurvedic health care focus on rebalacing the body, mind and spirit to allow the body's own healing forces to maintain good health, as nature intended.
The living body is a mini-universe governed by the same forces that govern the external world. The universe is comprised of five components: ether, air, fire, water & earth. As life enters our material body, three vital catalysts (Doshas)--Vata (air & ether), Pitta (fire) and Kapha (water and earth)--work in harmony to maintain health. Disharmony of these doshas create disease. A good diet, exercise and proper deeds will help keep the body and its three doshas balanced, enhancing our opportunities for physical and spiritual harmony.
Ayurveda defines health as:
The Science of Ayurveda is not a regional healing art. Ayurveda is much larger than a particular set of herbs from a particular part of the world. Ingredients used in Ayurvedic formulations can be varieties grown around the world, and are not limited to specific varieties or species. Authentic Ayurveda is the application of synergistic formulas that properly balance the body to strengthen its natural abilities to cleanse itself and maintain good health. For this reason, VedaHealth has meticulously chosen its ingredients from various parts of the world, focusing on the best available.
These ingredients must undergo rigorous testing and specification by experienced Ayurvedic physicians before they are used in VedaHealth products. Clinical laboratory testing is done on all products, assuring the highest quality and consistent potencies.
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