Discovering God's own country

MANILA, Philippines - Twelve days in Kerala. A perfect opportunity to stay away from the hustle and bustle of pre-Christmas crowds and horrendous Manila traffic. I did Internet research on the place and became more intrigued each time I read about it from various websites and blogs. Location: southwest tip of India. Weather: tropical, i.e. hot and humid. Destinations: temples, beaches, mountains, lakes, backwaters. Fastest way to go: Singapore Airlines to Singapore, connect via Silkair to Kerala.

I drew up an itinerary that I thought would give me a good sense of Kerala – Trivandrum for its arts, culture and religion; Varkala for its tropical beach; Kochi for its heritage and history and Munnar for its mountain environment.

First stop, Trivandrum, the capital city of Kerala. Actually Trivandrum is a nickname for Thiruvananthapuram or “Holy City of Anantha,” the sacred Hindu god in the form of a mythological serpent on which Lord Vishnu reclines. The name is obviously too long and too hard to pronounce, hence Trivandrum it is.

The capital city is small by Indian standards with a population of only a million. It has very few tall buildings and is in many ways an intimate place with small alleys and pockets of greenery and parks. There was an ongoing international film festival so I had the chance to see some Malayalam film.

These are films from the region, very different from the typical Bollywood films that we know. I was also thrilled to learn that the festival had a Filipino cinema section featuring independent films that have won international awards. Trivandrum does not have malls so movies were shown in stand-alone theaters rather than cineplexes. But what amazed me most was the enthusiasm of the local crowds who packed the screenings and applauded well done sequences.

To culture scholars, Trivandrum is an ideal place to study the history and culture of the region. It has kept many of its temples and colonial structures intact. Kerala was under European colonial rule from the late 15th century to the early 20th century, first under the Portuguese, then the Dutch and later the British. The city’s architecture is therefore an amalgamation of Indian, European colonial and modern structures.

I visited the Sree Padmanabhaswamy, a 16th century Hindu temple dedicated to the Lord Vishnu and located in the heart of the city. It isn’t an imposing structure and its gopuram (a monumental tower that serves as a gateway into the temple) only stands 100 feet high. The gopuram has the usual bas relief sculptures of Hindu mythology but its apex contains gold sculptures of Hindu gods. Outside of being one of South India’s principal centers of worship, the temple was recently discovered to have six huge underground vaults full of gold, silver, precious stones, jewelry and other treasures held in trust by the temple keepers for the royal family of Travancore. Visitors are not allowed in the vaults but my imagination ran wild and gave me a vision of treasure troves a la Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The treasures were interred in the temple vaults by the Maharajahs of Travancore over the centuries as offerings to the Lord Vishnu. A government panel took an inventory of the contents of four of the vaults in June 2011 and they estimated a total value of $22.8 billion. If the antique factor is considered and the contents of the other two vaults are inventoried, the market value of the treasures could reach $250 billion, making it the richest temple in the world. Certainly a lot richer than the Philippines which has total gold, dollars and other foreign exchange reserves of only $44 billion.

I also visited two of the more popular museums in Trivandrum – the Puthen Maliga Palace Museum and the Napier Museum. Both museums are situated in the central part of the city and are therefore quite accessible.

The Puthen Maliga Palace Museum contains historical and cultural artifacts particular to the past ruling kingdoms of Kerala. The building is famous for its 122 wooden pillars carved in the shape of galloping horses.

The Napier Museum, built in the 19th century, is an exceptional piece of architecture in the Indo-Saracenic style. Also known as the Government Art Museum, it contains a rare collection of archaeological and historical artifacts, bronze idols, ancient ornaments and ivory carvings.

Second stop: Varkala, north of Trivandrum, known for its beautiful beach and coastline community along the Arabian Sea. I was fortunate to have visited during a perfectly clear day and had a nice time on the beach. Along with local fishermen who still use traditional boats made of solid logs tied together, there were numerous tourists sunbathing, swimming or lounging on the long white beach. The tourism facilities are located on the edge of a cliff overlooking the beach and sea. I liked the orderly way the cafés, restaurants, bars, hostels, handicraft stores, minimarts, and tourism offices are laid out on the cliff, giving each one of them a fantastic view of the sea.

My third stop was the famous city of Kochi, also known as Cochin. It is an old port city but is now the business center of Kerala with tall buildings, commercial centers, shopping malls and busy streets. However, it has retained its old-world charm and its colonial legacy of catholic churches, beautiful monuments, Jewish enclaves, Dutch palaces and charming hotels.

My first destination was the St. Francis church which dates back to 1503 and is the oldest church built by the Europeans in India. The noted Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama was buried in the church when he died in Kochi in 1524. His remains was transferred to Lisbon 14 years later but his tombstone still remains on the site.

Surprisingly, Kerala is home to many Catholic churches, one of the most important of which is the Santa Cruz Basilica in Kochi. Built by the Portuguese in 1505, the church became a cathedral in 1558 and in 1984 was elevated to the status of a basilica by Pope John Paul II.

The main tourist destination in the city is the famous Fort Kochi which for centuries has been the main port not only of Kerala but also of the Indian Peninsula. The unique features of the fort are the ancient Chinese fishing nets, the picturesque promenade and colonial buildings that line the shore. Introduced by Chinese explorer Zheng He, the Chinese fishing nets are fixed installations that have gracefully lined the shores of Fort Kochi through the ages. The nets are operated by four to six fishermen who lower and raise the nets using a counterweight system of rocks.

Another attraction is the Mattancherry Palace or Dutch Palace. Originally built by the Portuguese and later reconstructed by the Dutch, it is now a museum with a fine collection of murals depicting scenes from the Hindu epics Mahabharatha and Ramayana.

Last destination: Munnar. One of the most popular hill stations in India, Munnar is located in the mid-eastern part of Kerala on the high ranges of the Western Ghats. At 1,600 meters above sea level it enjoys cool weather most of the year and has served as the summer resort of the erstwhile British government in South India. Nowadays, Munnar and its surrounding destinations are visited by thousands of local and foreign tourists not only because of the weather but also for their varied natural beauty.

The drive from Kochi to Munnar took three hours of mountainous travel which was quite picturesque but sometimes perilous, as some mountain passes were narrow one-lane roads. I stopped when the view was scenic or when there was an herb farm to be explored or an elephant ride to be experienced. Once, I stopped to feed some wild macaques which were friendly enough to accept the cookies I offered.

Munnar is basically a tea town. The moment you approach the Munnar district you are greeted with miles and miles of well-manicured and beautifully laid out tea plantations that blanket most of the mountain slopes. I trekked up the highest peak in South India, the Anamudi, located in the Eravikulam National Park a few miles from the town proper. Along the way I chanced upon several wild mountain goats grazing nonchalantly on the slopes. Another surprise was seeing a huge tree laden with hundreds of bee hives in the middle of the forest.

There are numerous waterfalls and mountain lakes that add stunning accents to the landscape. I visited the panoramic Mattupetty Lake and the serene Kundala Lake, and sat by the edge of the lake enjoying the quietude that one rarely finds these days.

Kerala has indeed many varied things to offer. In all of these wonderful attractions, there’s an obvious spirituality that pervades the atmosphere, one that draws you inward and gives you the chance to introspect. I now think that Kerala deserves the title it has been bestowed – God’s own country.