Kumarakom - The Heavenly Backwaters

Kumarakom - An Innersight

It is in the lush green Kuttanad region of Kerala -- considered the state's "rice bowl" -- that you will find the village of Kumarakom, nestled on the banks of the awesome Vembanad Lake that stretches from cochin to kuttanadu 110 Kilometres and is 9 kilometres across.

A long, long while ago, the Kumarakam was bunch of islands. The people who lived then made the stretch of land by filling up mud from the back waters and now kumarakam has 30000 population.

Most people are into farming, and many of them supplement their incomes by fishing, especially for the famous Kumarakom Karimeen (the Kerala State Fish). The lake and the backwaters are also home to prawns, lobsters and a variety of other fish.

Kumarakom - Modern Aspect

The Casino Group was the first to arrive, then came the Taj Group, followed by several more top-end groups, catering to the moneyed tourist. As the fame of the place grew, it attracted celebrities. Then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee spent his New Year's break on the Vembanad some years back, penning his now-famous take on the state of the nation that was called 'Kumarakom Musings'. The Gandhi family has been here, so have a host of film stars and corporate bigwigs.

Mr Baker from England was staying here before India get independence his new generation left Kumarakam by giving their 400 acres of land to the kerala government. In this 400 acres of land kerala Agriculture University, Bird sanctuary and Taj Vivanta is situated.