It is spread over eighteen Panchayats or village groups belonging to the districts of Alapuzha, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam. But the oral history among local people, transferred from generation to generation is a blend of myths and legends. There is reference to Kuttanad in the epic Mahabharata of ancient India. During their exile, the five Pandava princes are said to have traveled through this la
nd. In those days, Kuttanad was part of a dense forest, later destroyed by a forest fire which is also mentioned in the epic. Thus came the place name Chuttanad or the burnt place. In course of time Chuttanad became Kuttanad. One can still see kari or coal if we dig deep into the soil of Kuttanad, pointing to the fact that the place was once a forest, destroyed by wild fire. In Kuttanad most of the place names end in kari. Some familiar place names are Ramankary, Oorukkary, Mitrakkary, Kainakari, and Chennamkari. During the reign of Chera dynasty that ruled over ancient Kerala, Kuttanad attained an important place in history. One of the powerful kings in the dynasty: Cheran Chenguttavan is said to have ruled his vast kingdom from Kuttanad, when it was also a famous centre of Buddhism. There is another version for its place name. The Buddhist centre Buddhanad later became Kuttanad. Kuttanad is known for its ritual extravaganza of water sports. The much celebrated snake boat races are main attractions of the region. Most of these races are scheduled in the months of July, August and September. The well known tournaments of the season are the Nehru Trophy boat race of Alapuzha, and the Chambakulam, Karuvatta, Payippad, Mannar, Kumarakom, Neerettupuram and Pulincunnu boat races. Altogether there are about 25 boat races held every year in Kuttanad. The large snake boats called Chundanvallams, each rowed by more than 100 sturdily built rowers, are an unbelievable sight to watch. Kuttanad has 18 such large snake boats in operation. In addition, there are other categories of smaller sized race boats such as Veppu , Churulan, and Iruttukuthi each rowed by thirty to fifty rowers taking part in the festivals and water sports. The boat races attract thousands of tourists and sport lovers from all over the world. How to reach there:
Kottayam is accessible by road, boat or train from Cochin the nearest airport. Climatic Conditions:
Maximum 35 degrees Celsius. Annual rainfall 250 mm.
