The Glory of Houseboats
Have
you ever gone houseboat cruising on the backwaters of Kerala? If you haven’t,
make sure you do. This one’s really an absolutely wonderful, unforgettable
experience!
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.
Houseboats in Kerala
The Glory
of House Boats || Features
of Houseboats || Kettuvallam
Houseboats
