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Kerala Houseboats
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 kettuvallom can last for generations.
A portion of the kettuvallom was covered with bamboo and coir
to serve as a restroom and kitchen for the crew. Meals would be cooked
on board and supplemented with fresh fish from the backwaters. Today,
the tradition is still continued and the food from the local cuisine
is served by the Kuttanad  localites,
on board.
When the modern trucks replaced this system of transport, some
one found a new way that would keep these boats, almost all of which were more
than 100 years old, in the market. By constructing special rooms to accommodate
travelers, these boats cruised forward from near- extinction to enjoy their present
great popularity.
Now these are a familiar sight on the backwaters and
in Alleppey alone, there are as many as 120 houseboats. While converting kettuvallams
into houseboats, care is taken to use only natural products. Bamboo mats, sticks
and wood of the aracanut tree are used for roofing, coir mats and wooden planks
for the flooring and wood of coconut trees and coir for beds. For lighting though,
solar panels are used.
Today, the houseboats have all the creature comforts
of a good hotel including furnished bedrooms, modern toilets, cozy living rooms,
a kitchen and even a balcony for angling. Parts of the curved roof of wood or
plaited palm open out to provide shade and allow uninterrupted views. While most
boats are poled by local oarsmen, some are powered by a 40 HP engine. Boat-trains
- formed by joining two or more houseboats together - are also used by large groups
of sight-seers.
What is truly magical about a houseboat ride is the
breathtaking view of the untouched and otherwise inaccessible rural Kerala that
it offers - while you float! Now, wouldn’t that be something?
Houseboats
( Kettuvalloms ) of Kerala
The Houseboats of Kerala are giant country
crafts, measuring up to 80 feet in length, retrieved from being lost to the State
altogether. Once they ruled the backwaters, poled along by one or two men, heavily
loaded with rice, coconut and other commodities. But in the recent times, the
kettuvalloms have been replaced by more and modern modes of transport, relegating
them to neglect and decay.
It takes great skill and meticulousness to
construct these giant Houseboats by tying huge planks of jack wood together. Curiously
enough, not a single nail is used in their making of a houseboat. There used to
be an entire clan of artisans who were involved in kettuvallom construction. Today,
an innovative holiday idea has restored these majestic representatives of a unique
culture and with them their makers.
Kerala History || Kerala
Beaches || Kerala Art & Culture
|| Kerala Hill Stations || Kerala
Backwaters || Kerala Houseboats
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