The Kettuvallam (House Boat) is a large floating structure with high loading carrying capacity was a part of Kerala's culture and heritage over the past years. Kettuvallam could sail harnessing wild energy. A journey through the lagoon is interesting, passing through sleepy villages, busy boat jetties and vibrant celebrations. The boat glides across the shimmering blue waters with gorgeous green and fringed edges.
For centuries Kettuvallam have been roaming in the backwaters transporting men and materials to different destinations. Due to its sheer size and shape, Kettuvallam can carry load, which is more than thrice that of a cargo truck. It was the important mode of transportation in coastal Kerala just because of its accessibility to the most remote areas.
As time passed the scene changed gradually. Motorized road, rail and air transportation scored over the slow and staid country boat, with people opting for speed over charm. With Kerala becoming an increasing popular destination for tourists Kettuvallam have been given a new lease of life. A cruise in the backwaters of Kerala is a remarkable experience, an opportunity to enjoy and contain an unhurried pace of life. Floating along on cool tranquil water one can experience at hand the unusual representation of Kerala life. Nowadays environment friendliness has become the yardstick gauging the efficiency of transportation. Kettuvallam is not only economical but also non-polluting and environment friendly. It thus became imperative that this mode of transportation be developed further and encouraged. The tourist demand for an experience to get a feel of the Kerala shores brought the Kettuvallam back to the waters. They were attracted by the simplicity and the originality of the form. The tourist loved the slow and leisurely movement more than the monotonous motion of the mechanized ones. These were non-luxurious, non-mechanized simple traditional boats.
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 Kettuvallams of olden times. The original Kettuvallams were used to carry tones of rice and spices - a standard Kettuvallam can hold up to 30 tones - 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 Kettuvallam can last for generations.
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