Kerala's
backwaters is the most popular tourist attraction of Kerala. The
palm-fringed, tranquil backwaters were once just the state's trade
highways. Kerala is her backwaters and lakes. They have dictated
her history, shaped her present and promise a future by virtue of
offering incomparable beauty and unique experiences.
The
state's palm-fringed backwaters are inland lakes connected by a
network of canals. With 41 west-flowing rivers, the backwaters stretch
to almost 1,900 kilometers. The backwater routes date back over
the centuries and have been long used for all transportation needs,
in particular trade in coconut, rubber, rice and spices. Today,
these waterways link remote villages and islands to the mainland
and nerve centers of the coastal area.
The
most interesting area in the backwaters is the Kuttanad region,
called the rice bowl of Kerala. The area is probably the only place
in the continent where farming is done below sea level, using a
system of dykes and bunds.
The largest backwater stretch
is the Vembanad Lake, which opens out into the sea at the Kochi
port and flows through three districts-Alappuzha, Kottayam and Kochi.
The Ashtamudi Lake has eight 'arms' covering a major portion of
Kollam district in the south, and is the second largest lake in
the state.
