Alleppey Backwaters
A Journey Through Time: The History of Alappuzha
The history of Alappuzha (historically known as Alleppey) is deeply intertwined with its spectacular, labyrinthine network of rivers, canals, and lagoons that sit parallel to the Arabian Sea.
Ancient Maritime Trade & The Sangam Era
Long before it became a globally renowned leisure destination, Alappuzha was a bustling economic hub. Historical texts from the Sangam era (dating back to the 1st to 3rd centuries AD) reference the region’s prominent position in trade. The famous Roman and Greek travelers, Pliny the Elder and Ptolemy, wrote about Purakkad (referred to in classical texts as Barace), a flourishing coastal trading center in ancient Alappuzha. Merchants from Rome, Greece, Arabia, and China traveled across the seas to trade for spices, pepper, and local goods.
The Architect of Modern Alappuzha: Raja Kesavadas
The Alappuzha town we recognize today owes its existence to the brilliant vision of Diwan Raja Kesavadas, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Travancore in the late 18th century. Around 1762, recognizing the unique oceanic and geographical advantages of the area, he established a well-planned port city.
To connect the inner backwaters directly to the Arabian Sea port, he constructed two parallel canals. He invited leading traders and industrialists from Kutch, Mumbai, and Surat to set up business houses here. This infrastructure transformed Alappuzha into the commercial capital and financial nerve center of Travancore, primarily driven by the export of coir (coconut fiber matting) and spices.
The “Venice of the East”
In the early 20th century, Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of the Indian Empire, visited the state. Utterly fascinated by the intricate maze of canals and the vibrant water-bound lifestyle, he famously exclaimed that nature had spent upon the land her richest bounties, dubbing Alleppey the “Venice of the East.”
Evolution of the Kettuvallam (Houseboat)
The modern luxury houseboats that glide across the backwaters today have humble, practical origins. Known originally as Kettuvallams (literally meaning “boats tied with ropes”), these massive wooden vessels were engineered entirely without metal nails. Instead, artisans used planks of jackfruit wood held together tightly by coir ropes and sealed with black caustic resin extracted from boiled cashew shells.
Historically, these were the cargo ships of Kerala, used to transport tons of harvested rice from the low-lying fields of Kuttanad, along with heavy bundles of spices, down to the Alappuzha port. When modern road networks and railways took over freight transport in the late 20th century, the traditional Kettuvallams were creatively reimagined into the floating luxury villas seen today.