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| Ship Building
At Beypore |
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| The port at Beypore found an outlet for timber
in Kerala. The wood was the choice of many, especially the Arabs,
for their ship building. A ship building industry gradually
developed around Beypore, especially for the Arab trading 'Dhows'
and 'Urus'. the teak even went into the making of Lord Nelson's
fleet at Trafalgar and this practice continued till the first
World War, after which steel ships & boats took over. However,
recent times have seen a revival of the building of wooden cabin
cruisers & pleasure boats, mainly for export. |
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Where the state of the art hydraulic crains fail,
the 37 men team work wonders with little more than a wodden
pole fashioned into a 'dower' or winch, leveraged by hawsers
and pulleys. Originally employed in launching of the 400 tonnes
Arab Dhows built for trading, they now specialise in hauling
heavy wrecks. They were involved in completing huge projects
like the Idukki Dam, bridge at Feroke, Vadakkumbadu & Kallai,
the Mahanadi bridge at Orissa & the Manganese factory at
Goa. |
| Makara
Jyothi |
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| On this particular day at Sabarimala, when the
Sreekovil opens for 'deeparadhana' , the Lord is seen in all
His divine splendor, adorned with the jeweled gold ornaments.
At the distant eastern hilly horizon, a light (jyothi) appears
to the immense satisfaction of the thousands of devotees who
have thronged to the temple to pay obeisance to the Lord. The
occasion is also marked by the divine appearance of the 'star'
in the eastern sky and the hovering 'krishnapparunthu' (eagle)
far above the temple. . |
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Cheraman Perumal, the last of the Perumals who
were the earlier rulers of Kerala, embraced Islam in 826 AD.
After renouncing Hinduism and partitioning his kingdom among
his companions and relatives, he left on a pilgrimage to Mecca.
This king's conversion is believed to have taken place during
the lifetime of the Prophet. Since then Islam made significant
headway in kerala. The first Mosque in India is situated at
Kodungalloor, Kerala. |
| Edakkal
Caves |
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| Located 12 kms south of Sulthan Bethery on the
Ambukuthi hills, world famous as one of the earliest centers
of human habitation. The walls of the caves are decorated with
pictorial writings of the new stone age. The caves can be accessed
only after an adventurous trek of 5 Kms from Ambalavayal. At
Ambalavayal, you get a chance to see one of the best heritage
museums, the exhibits include rare 2nd century artefacts and
other curios. |
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The only place in kerala with natural sandalwood
forests. Relics of the Megalithic Age have been unearthed here.
The children's park extending over a hectare of land, under
the canopy of a single Banyan tree, is an interesting sight.
The sandalwood factory run by the Forest Department is of tourist
interest. The 'Muniyaras'(tombs) found in Marayoor, are believed
to date from 200 AD to 1000 BC. Also famous for it's cave paintings. |
| Kodanad |
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| Kerala, is famous for its elephants and at Kodanad,
is one of the largest elephant capturing camps and training
centers in India, it is on the southern banks of Periyar river,
amid the beautiful high ranges. The wild elephants captured
from the forest are trained and prepared for domestic use. Huge
cages have been set up for this purpose. It will be a pleasure
to watch an elephant get trained by other elephants. Facility
for elephant ride has been arranged to promote tourism. |
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