Beaches in Kerala: Difference between revisions

[[File:01KovalamBeach&Kerala.jpg|thumb|right|[[Kovalam Beach]] in [[Trivandrum]] city]]

[[File:Bekalfortbeach.JPG|right|thumb|[[Bekal]] fort beach]]

'''Beaches in the''' [[India]]n state of '''Kerala''' are spread along the 550-km [[Arabian Sea]] coastline. Kerala is an [[India]]n [[States and territories of India|state]] occupying the south-west corner of the subcontinent. The topography of the coastline is distinctive and changes abruptly as one proceeds from north to south. In the northern parts of Kerala, in places such as [[Bekal]], [[Thalassery]] and [[Kannur]], the headlands rise above the shore from the fringe of the [[beach]]es. The highlands are dotted with forts built by the [[colonialism|colonial powers]] – the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British. The view of the surrounding area is exquisite. From [[Kozhikode]], once the hub of the [[Malabar coast]], the view changes to flat lands with rocky outcroppings jutting out. One feature is common all through – the [[coconut]] tree in large numbers. Dense groves of coconut trees line the coast and extend to the interiors.<ref name = "Book">Ayub, Akber (ed), ''Kerala: Maps & More'', ''Coastal Circuit'', 2006 edition 2007 reprint, pp. 96-112, Stark World Publishing, Bangalore, {{ISBN|81-902505-2-3}}</ref>

[[File:Kappad beach kerala.jpg|left|thumb|[[Kappad]] beach]]

[[File:Payyambalam Beach Back Water.jpg|left|thumbnail|Payyambalam beach, [[Kannur]]]]

[[File:Chaliyam Harbour, Calicut.jpg|left|thumbnail|Natural Harbour at [[Chaliyam]], [[Kozhikode]]]]

The long coastline of Kerala is inextricably entwined with the culture, life and traditions of the state. Memories of early seafarers and traders have faded, but boats of various types and styles have survived. Kerala's beaches, or [[Kovalam]] to be more specific, were rediscovered by back-packers and tan-seekers in the sixties.<ref name = "Book"/><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.hinduonnet.com/mag/2005/06/19/stories/2005061900450800.htm | title = Ramparts by the Arabian Sea | access-date = 2008-01-08 | last = Govind | first = M.Harish | work = Magazine | publisher = The Hindu, 19 June 2005 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080120091323/http://www.hinduonnet.com/mag/2005/06/19/stories/2005061900450800.htm | archive-date = 20 January 2008 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Hordes of [[hippie]]s followed in the seventies. That started the transformation of the casual fishing village into a busy tourist destination.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.kovalamhotels.com/ | title = Kovalam | access-date = 2008-01-07 | publisher = kovalam.hotels.com| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080102111500/http://www.kovalamhotels.com/| archive-date= 2 January 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> In 2002, there were 66 hotels in Kovalam, and that too in a place that is just 16&nbsp;km from the state capital [[Thiruvananthapuram]].<ref name = "Hindu1">{{cite web | url = http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mag/2002/07/28/stories/2002072800010100.htm | title = It's simple… No nature, no tourism | access-date = 2008-01-08 | last = Chandrasekhar | first = Hariharan | work = Metro Plus Coimbatore | publisher = The Hindu, 28 July 2002 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071226025310/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mag/2002/07/28/stories/2002072800010100.htm | archive-date = 26 December 2007 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

The fun of sea and sun bathing or watching the wave crash are not the only attractions of beaches. There is a belief that a dip in waters of Papanasam Beach at Varkala, of Trivandrum district, 40&nbsp;km north of [[Trivandrum]] city, washes away sins (papam). Priests from the 2,000-year-old Janardhana temple are there to assist believers to perform the rituals. The main bell of the temple was presented by the Dutch captain of a sailing ship in the 17th century. Comparatively lower hotel tariffs and cheap food draw in European backpackers and domestic tourists with lower budget to the place.<ref name = "Book"/>

The Portuguese explorer [[Vasco Da Gama]] landed at [[Kappkadavu]] (Kappad), a small coastal village in the [[Kozhikode district]], on 27 May 1498, thereby marking the opening of a sea route from Europe to India. A plaque on the beach commemorates the arrival. [[Kozhikode]] was earlier visited by [[Marco Polo]] (1254-1324) and [[Ibn Battuta]] (1304-1368 or 1377).<ref>Ayub, Akber (ed), p.52</ref>