The
houseboats of today - huge, slow moving, exotic barge used for leisure trips
- are the reworked kettuvalloms of olden times. The original kettuvalloms were
used to carry tonnes of rice and spices - a standard kettuvallom can hold up
to 30 tonnes - from Kuttanad to the Kochi port.
The kettuvallam or 'boat with knots'- was so called because the entire boat
was held together with coir knots only - not even a single nail is used during
the construction. The boat is made of planks of jack-wood joined together with
coir. This is then coated with a caustic black resin made from boiled cashew
kernels. With careful maintenance, a kettuvallom can last for generations.
A portion of the
kettuvallom was covered with bamboo and coir to serve
as a restroom and kitchen for the crew. Meals would be cooked on board and supplemented
with fresh fish from the backwaters. Today, the tradition is still continued
and the food from the local cuisine is served by the Kuttanad localites, on
board.
When the modern trucks replaced this system of transport, some one found a new
way that would keep these boats, almost all of which were more than 100 years
old, in the market. By constructing special rooms to accommodate travelers,
these boats cruised forward from near- extinction to enjoy their present great
popularity.
Now these are a familiar sight on the backwaters and in Alleppey alone, there
are as many as 120 houseboats. While converting kettuvallams into houseboats,
care is taken to use only natural products. Bamboo mats, sticks and wood of
the aracanut tree are used for roofing, coir mats and wooden planks for the
flooring and wood of coconut trees and coir for beds. For lighting though, solar
panels are used.
Today, the houseboats have all the creature comforts of a good hotel including
furnished bedrooms, modern toilets, cozy living rooms, a kitchen and even a
balcony for angling. Parts of the curved roof of wood or plaited palm open out
to provide shade and allow uninterrupted views. While most boats are poled by
local oarsmen, some are powered by a 40 HP engine. Boat-trains - formed by joining
two or more houseboats together - are also used by large groups of sight-seers.
What is truly magical about a houseboat ride is the breathtaking view of the
untouched and otherwise inaccessible rural Kerala that it offers - while you
float! Now, wouldn't that be something?
Houseboats ( Kettuvalloms ) of Kerala
The
Houseboats of Kerala are giant country crafts, measuring up to 80 feet in length,
retrieved from being lost to the State altogether. Once they ruled the backwaters,
poled along by one or two men, heavily loaded with rice, coconut and other commodities.
But in the recent times, the kettuvalloms have been replaced by more and modern
modes of transport, relegating them to neglect and decay.
It takes great skill and meticulousness to construct these giant Houseboats
by tying huge planks of jack wood together. Curiously enough, not a single nail
is used in their making of a houseboat. There used to be an entire clan of artisans
who were involved in kettuvallom construction. Today, an innovative holiday
idea has restored these majestic representatives of a unique culture and with
them their makers.
The Kerala houseboats that cruise these emerald waterways are an improvisation
on the large country barges which were an essential part of the land's ethos
in days gone by. Modified to meet a novel concept of holidaying, the kettuvalloms
( houseboats ) are comfortably furnished with an open lounge, one or two bath
attached bedrooms and a kitchenette, and are extremely eco friendly, merging
smoothly into the panorama. Every houseboat is manned by a crew - usually a
cook, guide and oarsman.
