Kannur – a tryst with history and nature

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Weekend journeys are interesting – they are short yet entertaining, especially after a hectic week at work and interestingly, works as a rejuvenation therapy too. And thus came along another weekend holiday.

On a beautiful Friday evening we set for a two day weekend journey from Bangalore to discover ‘Kannur’, with big plans ranging from visiting the magnificent Bekel fort that still stood with its military might overlooking the sea, a house boat cruise through the enchanting back waters, bird watching atop a boat, to a glorious private beach and watch “Theyyam” – Theyyattam or Thira, a tradition and a popular Hindu ritual of worship practiced across ages in North Malabar region of Kerala.
Reaching by early morning, we were greeted by the serenity of the resort, surrounded by water, coconut palms and built as a theme village of Northern Malabar.

Colorful boat

Cottages

With enough time at the lap, our stomach lay waiting for food, the main ‘highlight’ of the trip being tasting the famous Kerala cuisines. We went about hunting with our cameras around the place as our breakfasts were getting ready, the splendid ambience almost impossible to resist from cranking the camera. Traditional “Puttu & kadalla” and “Appam & thenga paal” (coconut milk) that came didn’t disappoint us for our expectations with Kerala cookery.

It’s time for breakfast…

After breakfast, we boarded the ‘changadam’, two country boats tied together, often used for heavy transporting like ferrying cars driven by long poles touching the lake bottom. It was a 45-minute ride to the Sandwich beach, spotting birds as we moved along the backwaters. We were delighted to find a number of Cormorants, Bee eaters, One Pied kingfisher, White breasted Kingfishers and Brahminy kites.

The beach, part of the mile long coastline of Kerala preserved its beauty for us travelers who travel long distances to be a part of nature, away from our daily rituals of work. The Deep blue sky falling over the sea and the coconut palms lined over the shore, the very tidy beach was just ‘picture perfect’.

We left the beach by lunch to take over the famous Kerala Sea food – karimeen pollichathu, fish curry made from coconut milk, roasted prawns, squid fry.
Energized with the evening tea, we headed for Bekkal Fort, the largest fort in Kerala spread over an area of 40 acres that served as military station for many Royal kings – even the legendary Tipu Sultan of Mysore.

Sunset in Bekkal Fort.

The fort overlooks areas of Kanhangad, Pallikare, Bekal, Kottikkulam, Uduma etc, playing the part of strategic importance in detecting enemy movements. With sea waves thrashing over the sides, the fort silently tells us long stories of splendidness, war and power. The gates of Bekkal fort closes by 6.30 pm. So, we had to move out leaving behind the fort that just caught our imagination and the sunset which was illustriously painting the evening sky.

At night we had programmed to watch ‘Theyyam’ at the nearby temple. Theyyam carry years-old culture and rituals are performed by people from particular cult, dressed uniquely with paints over the body and colorful costume. The day’s heavy schedule had made everyone in our travel group tired crushing us to sleep in the cottages of the resort.

Theyyam, The Temple and the crowd.

House boats, a beautiful blend of modernity and culture were our destiny for the next day. Wooden boats covered by bamboo streaks, with bedrooms, kitchen and toilets and cruising through the calm waters are a big attraction for every tourist. Riding the house boat is ever memorable, one can see a whole life running along the shores, women washing cloths, people engaged in churning coir, children playing and chirping birds to give company. We knew it was too short to feel the ride, every mind longed and wished we would have spend a night in the houseboat, laying across the deck watching the stars in the sky.

With never fading memories about a small journey, we were ready to move to Bangalore – back to the luxuries of a city life.

Date of Travel : 17th Dec 2010
Group size : 16 adults + 3 kids
Mode of Transport : Tempo travellor + Qualis
Per head package cost : Rs.4000.00 (including travel,food,stay,sightseeing and all entry fees)
* Free for kids below 12 years.