Kerala Fair & Festival Tour
In kerala, life is a celebration. A close look at the kerala calendar will reveal that this is a land where the festivals never end, adding to the magnificance of the festivals of kerala are fleets of caparisoned elephants, mounted by men holding white plumes swaying in the air the - most breathtaking of kerals's visual wonders. While there is no dearth of festivals in the state, the excitement speaks during the season of onam, exemplified in the legendary boat races and the week - long festivities, understandably, all these celebrations take place with a lot of fanfare.
Onam
Onam is the annual harvest festival of kerala. Celebrations are on for ten days, beginning with the atham day of the malayalam month chingam.
Alleppey Boat Race - Alleppey
Alleppey, the centre for backwater cruises in Kerala, offers an out-of-this world experience. Supporting its claim as the 'Venice of the East', is an extensive network of canals which, passing through the town, provides its lifeline.
Alleppey is also known for its spectacular snake - boat races held on the second Saturday of August, each year. This competition - the Nehru Boat Race - takes its name from India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru who inaugurated it in 1952. It is excitement all around as snake-boats, each manned by over a hundered oarsmen, cut through the waters like wind. The event is a tremendous draw with the tourists and the local population alike.
How to reach: Alleppey is 64 kms from Cochin & 154 kms from Trivandrum-Cochin is connected on air route with Bombay, Madras, Bangalore & Delhi, Trivandrum is connected with Bombay, Delhi, Madras & Colombo.
The Great Elephant - March - Kerala
A delightful blend of Onam, Trichur Pooram and all that is gracious and ceremonial in Kerala the land of mysterious backwaters and swaying palms, the Elephant March is an absolutely unique and magnificent extravaganza never to be found anywhere else in the world.
The Elephant March, organised by the Tourism Department of Kerala, is a package tour created especially with the foreign tourist in mind.
The activities start right at Cochin, the nearest airport 74 km away from Trichur. The stars of the show, the gentle disciplined elephants welcome each visitor with a garland as one alights from the aircraft.
After the night's rest, the party moves to Trichur early in the morning. There, the festivities start at the Thekkinkad maidan where the 101 participating caparisoned elephants decked out in their ceremonial regalia and topped by gay parasols line up in restless anticipation. The elephants are worshipped in a 'Gaja Pooja', accompanied by the distinctive temple music of bugles and conch shells.
In the afternoon the tourists are taken on an elephant ride through the beautiful Kerala countryside.
After a day's sightseeing and shopping at Cochin, the activities move to Alleppey. The fourth day is spent in watching the snake boat race and cruises to Quilon.
The venue of the fifth day is Trivandrum. Another elephant show is held here with a smaller number of elephants and traditional music of five instruments, much like the Trichur Pooram festival.
Much merriment is garnered from features like feeding the elephants, being garlanded by them, tug of war with an elephant, elephant race, elephant acrobatics, etc. Displays of Kalaripayattu the traditional Kerala martial art and performance of Indian dances. The grand finale is a seaside barbecue dinner and fireworks display.
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