Kumarakom is a popular tourism destination located near the city of Kottayam (10 kilometres (6 mi)), in Kerala, India, famous for its backwater tourism. It is set in the backdrop of the Vembanad Lake, the largest lake in the state of Kerala. In January 2023, when Kerala was chosen by the New York Times as one among the 52 must-see tourist destinations in the world, Kumarakom got a special mention for its backwater tourism.
Kumarakom was within the jurisdiction of the king of Thekkumkur while that kingdom existed, and it was usual to have fighting and competitions among local kings. Small boats called Chundan Vallam and Kettu Vallam were widely used among the local kings for their
lightning attacks and fighting in central Travancore. During those days Vembanad Lake was a dangerous area; therefore the king of Thekkumcore kept soldiers in Kumarakom and constructed a fort at the entrance of Kottathodu in Kumarakom.
Soldiers were kept in certain areas of Kumarakom for protection against enemy attacks; some of those places still have “pada”(meaning war) in their names, such as Padakkalam and Padanilam. The remains of the fort’s wall, six feet broad, can still be seen
near the village office of Kumarakom.
Kumarakom has a moderate climate throughout the year. It is a balanced tropical climate, which has two monsoons-south west and north east. Some times heavy rain and some times summer.
Main religions are Hinduism and Christianity, More than 70% of people belong to Ezhava caste under four SNDP of Sree Kumaramangalam Temple, and the rest of the people belong to Christian religion The famous church in Kumarakom is Attamangalam St John the Baptist church. The 1000-year-old Thazhathangady Juma Masjid, a mosque, is located nearby Kumarakom, almost 6 km (3.7 mi) away. The people of Kumarakom celebrate both the festivals of Temples and Churches equally without the discrimination of caste and religions.
Kumarakom has a wide variety of houseboats and is well known throughout the world for houseboat experience.[peacock prose] They are used only for tourists these days. A separate boat known as kettuvallam is used by the people to go fishing or to transport goods.
Apart from these, there are elegant special boats like Kochu-odi Vallam, Odi-Vallam, Iruttukutthi Vallam, Churulan Vallam and Chundan Vallam, which take part in the boat races around Onam time, including the Nehru Trophy boat race Alappuzha.There is a private sailing club in Kumarakom, located on the shore of the Vembanad lake.
