Kettuvallam
Encyclopedia
Kettuvallam is a house boat widely used in the India
n state
of Kerala
. These have thatched roof covers over wooden hulls. The traditional kettuvallam is mainly used for promoting Kerala tourism.
"kettu" means "to tie" and “vallam” means boat – the two together make the local name "kettuvallam”. Each houseboat is constructed using the ancient principles and techniques of boat building by the local carpenters using 'Anjili' wood. Coir
ropes are used for fastening the wooden planks together.
since olden days. In particular, the house boats were used to ship rice and spices and other goods between Kuttanad
and the Cochin port. It was a three-day affair in those days. A standard house boat, which could be about 100 feet long, can hold up to 30 tons, about as much as three big lorries can carry. For the royalty these boats even became comfortable living quarters. It was the important mode of transportation in coastal Kerala just because of its accessibility to the most remote areas. However, the scenario changed. Motorized road, rail and air transportation scored over the slow and staid country boat, with people opting for speed.
The hull is a series of wooden planks, long cut and carved, tied together using coir with coconut fibers stuffed in between. The hull which is made of hundreds of fine but heavy-duty planks of jack-wood is held together absolutely by coir knots (not a single nail is used). This framework is then coated with a caustic black resin extracted from boiled cashew kernels. And it lasts for generations. The kettuvallam is motorised and is steered in deep waters by means of oars. Long bamboo poles or 'punts' are used to propel in shallow areas. Bamboo beams sprouting off on the sides are used as foot holds for the same. Bamboo is used for the framework of the roof and splits of bamboo are used for weaving mat for roofing.
Basically the kettuvallam was designed to transport cargo and as such many design changes had to be made to make it a tourist vehicle. The height of the roof was increased to get sufficient headroom. A plank was laid all through the length to reduce the disadvantages of the curved shape of the hull for walking and comfortable seating. Windows and other openings were provided for light, airflow and view. The entrance is provided in the centre of the linear axis with a top hung panel.
Most of the latest designs have incorporated 3 bedrooms with toilets, a living space and kitchen. There, of course, are variations. Some have a lesser number of bedrooms but with a large living space and maybe a deck balcony at the roof level. Normally, the platforms that cantilever from the hull are used as balconies. Innovative changes have been made to accommodate modern fittings. For fixing the toilet seats, shower tray and ceramic floor finish a concrete slab is laid at the floor level. The soil outlets of the toilet seats are taken through the hull and let out to the flowing water beneath. The use of bio-toilette is common now a days. These toilettes are made of steel cabinets with a network of steel meshes on which beneficial bacteria were grown with the help of a catalyst named actizyme. These bacteria feeds upon human excreta and produces a harmless germ free colourless byproduct. Thus the backwater canals are not polluted. The water for use is stored in a plastic tank kept at the top portion of the main body connecting to the kitchen and toilets. The pipes, tank and other synthetic materials are covered with coir or panambu to maintain the aesthetic quality of the eco-friendly materials.
Modern house boats have been designed to meet the Green Palm/Gold Star Certifications by the Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, which has recently enacted regulations, stipulating the standards of Kerala houseboats or Kettuvallams.
, managed by his sons, has given shape to another innovative holiday idea - a traditional kettuvallam made out of fibreglass
. This is the first of its kind in India.
in a special collectors' issue released just before the turn of the millennium.
The Hindu
wrote, “A cruise along the mirror-still lagoons, picture-book lakeside, palm-fringed canals and shimmering rivulets of `God's Own Country' is the most enchanting holidaying experience in the country. With a cruise along the palm-fringed waterways turning to be part and parcel of holidayers' itinerary, the traditional kettuvallam has emerged as the mascot of Kerala Tourism.”
More than 900 kettuvallams ply the backwaters and there are various routes which are popular among the tourists.
Alappuzha
is the citadel of house boats. There are some 120 of them, well maintained and perfected as luxury liners there. The house boats have all the creature comforts of a good hotel: well-furnished bedrooms, modern hygienic toilets, cosy living rooms, a beautiful kitchen and in some cases even a balcony for angling. The crew of a kettuvallam comprises two oarsmen and a cook. Fresh food, cooked in inimitable Kuttanadan style is the rage of the international tourists..Tourists can opt for a day cruise or an overnight stay in a houseboat. Most tourists prefer to stay overnight in a houseboat as it offers a holistic backwater experience.
Tour operators have been coming out with innovative options. The Kannur
District Tourism Council has launched a `Nadi Darshan' (river viewing) programme in association with a private resort at Kattampalli as an initiative to popularise the kettuvallam for tourism promotion and as effort to let people know more about the Valapattanam River
, one of the largest rivers in the region and the life stream of the district.
A seafood eatery has been opened in a kettuvallam on Kaloor- Kadvanthra Road.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. These have thatched roof covers over wooden hulls. The traditional kettuvallam is mainly used for promoting Kerala tourism.
Etymology
In the Malayalam languageMalayalam language
Malayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people...
"kettu" means "to tie" and “vallam” means boat – the two together make the local name "kettuvallam”. Each houseboat is constructed using the ancient principles and techniques of boat building by the local carpenters using 'Anjili' wood. Coir
Coir
Coir is a natural fibre extracted from the husk of coconut and used in products such as floor mats, doormats, brushes, mattresses etc. Technically coir is the fibrous material found between the hard, internal shell and the outer coat of a coconut. Other uses of brown coir are in upholstery...
ropes are used for fastening the wooden planks together.
History
Boats in a variety of shapes and sizes have traditionally been the main means of transport of men and materials in the Kerala BackwatersKerala Backwaters
The Kerala backwaters are a chain of brackish lagoons and lakes lying parallel to the Arabian Sea coast of Kerala state in southern India. The network includes five large lakes linked by canals, both manmade and natural, fed by 38 rivers, and extending virtually half the length of Kerala state...
since olden days. In particular, the house boats were used to ship rice and spices and other goods between Kuttanad
Kuttanad
Kuttanadu is a region in the district of Alappuzha, in the state of Kerala, India, well known for its picturesque vast paddy fields and its geographical peculiarities. It's the region with the lowest altitude in India, and one of the few places in the world where farming is carried out below sea...
and the Cochin port. It was a three-day affair in those days. A standard house boat, which could be about 100 feet long, can hold up to 30 tons, about as much as three big lorries can carry. For the royalty these boats even became comfortable living quarters. It was the important mode of transportation in coastal Kerala just because of its accessibility to the most remote areas. However, the scenario changed. Motorized road, rail and air transportation scored over the slow and staid country boat, with people opting for speed.
Construction
A kettuvallam is about 67 feet in length and has a width of around 13 feet in the middle. The materials that go into the making are local and ecofriendly; bamboo poles, coconut fibre, ropes, bamboo mats, carpets etc. The main wood used is "Anjili" (Artocarpus hirsuta). There are houseboats with fully furnished single room, double room and triple rooms.The hull is a series of wooden planks, long cut and carved, tied together using coir with coconut fibers stuffed in between. The hull which is made of hundreds of fine but heavy-duty planks of jack-wood is held together absolutely by coir knots (not a single nail is used). This framework is then coated with a caustic black resin extracted from boiled cashew kernels. And it lasts for generations. The kettuvallam is motorised and is steered in deep waters by means of oars. Long bamboo poles or 'punts' are used to propel in shallow areas. Bamboo beams sprouting off on the sides are used as foot holds for the same. Bamboo is used for the framework of the roof and splits of bamboo are used for weaving mat for roofing.
Basically the kettuvallam was designed to transport cargo and as such many design changes had to be made to make it a tourist vehicle. The height of the roof was increased to get sufficient headroom. A plank was laid all through the length to reduce the disadvantages of the curved shape of the hull for walking and comfortable seating. Windows and other openings were provided for light, airflow and view. The entrance is provided in the centre of the linear axis with a top hung panel.
Most of the latest designs have incorporated 3 bedrooms with toilets, a living space and kitchen. There, of course, are variations. Some have a lesser number of bedrooms but with a large living space and maybe a deck balcony at the roof level. Normally, the platforms that cantilever from the hull are used as balconies. Innovative changes have been made to accommodate modern fittings. For fixing the toilet seats, shower tray and ceramic floor finish a concrete slab is laid at the floor level. The soil outlets of the toilet seats are taken through the hull and let out to the flowing water beneath. The use of bio-toilette is common now a days. These toilettes are made of steel cabinets with a network of steel meshes on which beneficial bacteria were grown with the help of a catalyst named actizyme. These bacteria feeds upon human excreta and produces a harmless germ free colourless byproduct. Thus the backwater canals are not polluted. The water for use is stored in a plastic tank kept at the top portion of the main body connecting to the kitchen and toilets. The pipes, tank and other synthetic materials are covered with coir or panambu to maintain the aesthetic quality of the eco-friendly materials.
Modern house boats have been designed to meet the Green Palm/Gold Star Certifications by the Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, which has recently enacted regulations, stipulating the standards of Kerala houseboats or Kettuvallams.
Fibreglass
Years ago, A. G. Sudhakaran built steel fishing and Kochi's first-ever `junkar' that plied between Fort Kochi and Vypeen. Subsequently, Samudra Shipyard (P) Limited, AroorAroor
Aroor is a census town in Alappuzha district,is a suburb of Kochi in the state of Kerala, India. It is a Sea food related industrial area south of Kochi...
, managed by his sons, has given shape to another innovative holiday idea - a traditional kettuvallam made out of fibreglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
. This is the first of its kind in India.
Tourism
Kerala was placed among the `50 destinations of a lifetime' by National Geographic TravelerNational Geographic Traveler
National Geographic Traveler is a magazine published by the National Geographic Society in the United States. It was launched in 1984. Local-language editions of National Geographic Traveler are published in Armenia, Belgium/the Netherlands, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Latin America,...
in a special collectors' issue released just before the turn of the millennium.
The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
wrote, “A cruise along the mirror-still lagoons, picture-book lakeside, palm-fringed canals and shimmering rivulets of `God's Own Country' is the most enchanting holidaying experience in the country. With a cruise along the palm-fringed waterways turning to be part and parcel of holidayers' itinerary, the traditional kettuvallam has emerged as the mascot of Kerala Tourism.”
More than 900 kettuvallams ply the backwaters and there are various routes which are popular among the tourists.
Alappuzha
Alappuzha
Alappuzha , also known as Alleppey, is a town in Alappuzha District of Kerala state of southern India. As per 2001 census Alleppey is the sixth largest city in Kerala with an urban population of 177,029. Alleppey is situated to the south of Kochi and north of Trivandrum...
is the citadel of house boats. There are some 120 of them, well maintained and perfected as luxury liners there. The house boats have all the creature comforts of a good hotel: well-furnished bedrooms, modern hygienic toilets, cosy living rooms, a beautiful kitchen and in some cases even a balcony for angling. The crew of a kettuvallam comprises two oarsmen and a cook. Fresh food, cooked in inimitable Kuttanadan style is the rage of the international tourists..Tourists can opt for a day cruise or an overnight stay in a houseboat. Most tourists prefer to stay overnight in a houseboat as it offers a holistic backwater experience.
Tour operators have been coming out with innovative options. The Kannur
Kannur district
Kannur District is one of the 14 districts in the state of Kerala, India. The town of Kannur is the district headquarters, and gives the district its name. The old name Cannanore is the anglicised form of the Malayalam name Kannur. Kannur District is bounded by Kasaragod District to the north and...
District Tourism Council has launched a `Nadi Darshan' (river viewing) programme in association with a private resort at Kattampalli as an initiative to popularise the kettuvallam for tourism promotion and as effort to let people know more about the Valapattanam River
Valapattanam River
Valapattanam River is the largest river in the Kannur district, located in the South Indian state of Kerala. Valapattam town is located on its bank...
, one of the largest rivers in the region and the life stream of the district.
A seafood eatery has been opened in a kettuvallam on Kaloor- Kadvanthra Road.