Muvattupuzha - town in Ernakulam district, Kerala, India

Muvattupuzha is a town and municipality in Ernakulam District in Kerala in India. This town is bordered by Idukki District on the eastern side and Kottayam District on the southern side approximately 15 km from the town. It is famous as the meeting point of three rivers;hence the name Muvattupuzha in Malayalam.

Understand

It is famous for being a town with three rivers joining to form Muvattupuzha. It lies at almost sea level, with small hills across the region,common characteristics of midland. It is an important town in central Kerala, India. It lies between the cities of Thrissur in North and Kottayam in South on the Main Central (MC) Road which runs along the length of the old Travancore, from Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) to Angamaly. The town is full of greenery and decorated by the smooth-flowing Thodupuzha and Muvattupuzha rivers through the centre of the town. It was part of Vadakkumkoor Kingdom until it was captured by Travancore King.

Many non-Keralites cannot pronounce "Muvattupuzha", so commonly "Muvattupusha" is better understandable to others if you cannot pronounce "zha".

The town is separated by the Old Bridge which was supposedly the first concrete bridge in India. The main attraction for Muvattupuzha is the Muvattupuzhayaar or Muvattupuzha river which is very calm and cleanly flowing. In fact, the town is named after the river Muvattupuzha which flows through it. The name is made up of three Malayalam words 'Moo' which stands for 'three', 'aaru' - river, and 'puzha' - which also means a river. 'Aaru' is a word that is usually used to mention rivers in the southern half of Kerala, while 'puzha's are used to mention northern rivers. The three rivers in this case are the Kothamangalam river, Kaliyar and Thodupuzha, which merge to form a single river. This attribute is called Thriveni Sangamam' in Malayalam language. If you are coming to Kochi (Cochin), it is easy to and definitely worth visiting this town, as it is the major route to eastern parts of Kerala like Munnar via NH49 and towards various tourist attractions at Idukki District.

Get in

By plane

Kochi International Airport is located in Nedumbassery - approx 35 km from the town. There are flights to and from Colombo, Dubai, AbuDhabi, Singapore, Sharjah, Jeddah, Muscat, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Take a prepaid/normal taxi to Muvattupuzha.

By train

You can reach Muvattupuzha from other cities Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Kozhikode (Calicut), Chennai, Bangalore, Bombay, New Delhi, Kolkata by train up to the nearby town Aluva,Kochi or Kottayam. There are two major railway stations in Kochi (Ernakulam Town and Ernakulam Junction, locally known as North and South railway stations). The Indian Railways (http://www.indianrail.gov.in) serves Cochin with a number of train services connecting it to other parts of the state and the country. From Kochi in a little over an hour by bus or in 45 minutes by car you can reach Muvattupuzha.

Another option is to get down at Aluva Railway station and catch a bus to Muvattupuzha which is 34 km. This is closer than Cochin and since the bus station is next to the railway station you can save some money and time to reach get to the bus.

If you are coming from southern end of state,get down at Kottayam Railway Station which is 42 km away. KSTRC buses are available from Nagambadom or Kottayam bus station around the clock.It takes around 1½ hours to reach by bus via M.C. Road.

By bus

Muvattupuzha is accessible from all parts of the state via road. National Highway(NH) 49 and MC road passes through the town besides many important roads. State run Kerala Road Transport Corporation (K.S.R.T.C.) bus services and Private buses ply between towns.Ernakulam city is approximately 42 km away. There are tourist buses connecting Muvattupuzha from Mumbai,Bangalore,Chennai,Mangalore,Coimbatore etc.K.S.R.T.C runs chain services between Thrissur and Kottayam via Muvattupuzha . also, between Ernakulam and Thodupuzha via Muvattupuzha besides other long-distance services passes through the town.

If travelling as part of a large group (14+) it is better to book a tourist coach that would take you to your destination. They also would take you sightseeing and is available in most of the cities. The full rates for the trips should be negotiated prior to departure to Kochi or anywhere else for that matter.

By car and truck

There are also "parallel services" running between cities in Kerala. These are normally run parallel to the KSRTC service by private operators on the same routes and is normally a car-share or sharing a mini SUV. A tout would walk around a bus station informing people about the service. These are a bit more expensive than the normal bus service, but is marginally faster and is considered an option if you miss your bus. These are unauthorised, but it is the driver's responsibility to pay the relevant bribes.

Get around

Nearby towns are also calm and safe for a traveller, with lots of things to explore for yourself. You can hire an auto rickshaw - the three-wheeled bug like vehicle-taxi for travel. But talk and fix the fare with the driver before the ride. It seems to me like most western travellers are much curious about Auto Rickshaws!

See

• Sree Kumara Bhajana Devaswom Temple, Near SNDP Junction, Muvattupuzha (0.5 km from Post Office Junction and Kacherithazham). A temple managed by the SNDP union Muvattupuzha. Famous for the Kumbha Pooya Mahotsavam, the 8-day temple festival conducted every year in the month of February. The 6th day Kavadi and elephant possession along with pandimelam, chendamelam, sinkarimelam etc through the Muvattupuzha Town will make a festive atmosphere through out the city.
• Nettorkottu Bhagavathi Temple, Piravom Road,near IMA Hall,near housing board colony (1 km from Muvattupuzha Town through Piravom road), +91 8086030603. An ancient Kavu near Muvattupuzha Town. It is renovated and more srikovils are constructed. Non-vegetarian food is not allowed in the temple premises.
• Thriveni. The centre point of three rivers joining to form Muvattupuzha
• Puzhakkarakavu Devi Temple, Near Thriveni Sangamam, Muvattupuzha (0.5 km from Post Office Junction via Police Station). This is an ancient Devi temple situated at the confluence of 3 rivers and hence Muvattupuzha (city of 3 rivers) got its name. The annual 10-day festival (Chirappu Mahotsavam) of the temple is celebrated with great fervour and gaiety every year in December which concludes on the 26th December (Dhanu 11), that coincides with the 41st day of Mandala pooja festival, thereby adds to the sanctity and importance of this festival as the main event of the city. The final 5 days of the celebration is so colourful and eventful with 'Ezhunnallipu'( procession ) on 5 decorated elephants along with 'Pancha Vadyam ' or 'Thayambaka' by group of 20 and odd drummers and other artists lead by world renowned drummists of Kerala.
• Vellorkunnam Maha Deva Temple, Vellorkunnam, Muvattupuzha (At Nehru Park). The venue of Muvattupuzha Pakal Pooram. A great festival in Central Kerala with elephants show. Pakkamelam, etc.
• Vellattu Bhagavathy Temple. An ancient snake temple (sarpakaavu) modified into a new temple complex with 5 deities in the middle of nice natural ambience
• Kadamattom St.George's Church. Famous with the presence of Aabu father & Kadamattathu kathanar.
• Paittingattilkadavu. A very nice place to have bath and sight seeing.
• Thiruvumplavil Maha Deva Kshethram, Anicadu. An ancient temple which attracts a huge crowd on the Sivarathri and the Pithrutharpanam. Its kulambutheertham (water coming out as a stream from a hole in the shape of feet of a cow in the rock) which serves the water for the kshethrakkulam is considered holy.
• River-side Park. with rare butterflies near Latha Theatre. Boating through river also available.
• St. Mary's Jacobite Syrian Cathedral (Nerchappalli, Rackad), Mekkadampu P.O, Rackad, 9.599722°, 76.584444°, +91 485-2207413. A famous church with a history of more than 310 years built by H G Hidayathulla Mar Ivanious. It is a pilgrim center, it is partially built by Portuguese, and it is famous for its paintings with gold and natural fruit and leaf extracts.
• Holy Magi Church, PO Junction. This majestic edifice stands up with all its pride and prestige at the PO junction on the Thodupuzha road. Thodupuzhayaar (river) flows quietly very close by. This church was built by the Syrian Catholics under Kothamangalam Diocese. The church’s vast compound is home for the famous Nirmala Higher Secondary School and Little Flower primary school. Both schools are over 50 years old and are the pride of Muvattupuzha residents.

Surrounding area

• Veegaland Amusement Park lies 24 km away.
• Kaaranattukavu Temple, NH 49. 2 ancient temples in the middle of small forest near Kadathy bridge enroute to Kochi. You can see lots of ancient stone sculptures.
• Check Dam at Rakkad. 6 km from Muvattupuzha town. It is a very beautiful place with a waterfall across Muvattupuzha river. You can see Sreekrishna swami Temple near the river. The Check Dam is in Rackad, a beautiful villege.

Do

• Ferry through the river by country boat known as Vallom.
• Have a bath at smooth flowing Muvattupuzha or Thodupuzha rivers! From there you can walk parallel to the river, in some parts of the town there are casual fishing guys who can fetch you good fishes for cheap.
• Touring the town and suburbs using Royal Enfield Bullet - a classic British thumper (motorcycle) still manufactured in Madras. You can tour to Munnar Hill station and beyond (Kodaikanal).

Buy

In Muvattupuzha You can get basic shopping amenities for e.g. like white goods and other things. There are 2 or 3 shopping malls. A few curio palaces are in the town, where you can collect Kerala style curios mostly models of various houses, country boats, etc.

Eat

In most hotels and restaurants, you can get Kerala meals which consist of lots of curries. Local specialities change with places, but you can find fish fry/curry items in almost all areas in Kerala. Unlike other parts of India, Kerala people are habitually more inclined to non-vegetarian foods. Beware of very cheap class hotels for hygienic reasons, as is with any other place.

You can also have ethnic toddy called 'Kallu' from 'Kallushops' or Toddy shops where you can find wide varieties of non-veg dishes like chicken, mutton, beef. The menu goes all the way through birds fry, mongoose fry, frogs, and ends up in many varieties of fish.

Drink

• Kallu / Toddy is available in the city near 130 junction
• Karikku / ilaneer (tender coconut).
• Sambhaaram (buttermilk), especially on hot summer days.

If you don't mind a light alcohol drink, you can try kallu or toddy, a country liquor made from the coconut tree. There are lots of government licensed toddy bars throughout Kerala.For non-drinkers there is limewater,lime-soda or Sarbath along with all sorts of Milk-Shakes,Colas etc.

Sleep

There are few hotels giving high class lodging. But cheaper lodges are a plenty.

• Paray Hotel which is in the town centre is also a good hotel.
• Hotel Sahari. A good place to stay
• Kabany regency, a three-star rated hotel which offers AC and non-AC rooms. Houses a restaurant which offers wide varieties of kerala traditional dishes and other delicacies like biriyani. The hotel also has a rooftop garden .
• Hotel Narendra central (in the 130 junction). It is a four-star hotel with attached bar. It offers buffet lunch with varieties of juices shakes, Indian and Chinese dishes.

Go next

There are a lot of tourist attractions in the eastern border of Muvattupuzha Taluka Which is Idukki District like Thekkadi, Periyar Wildlife Reserve.

There are a number of waterfalls in reach from the city. The Thomman Kuth waterfalls in Idukki district is 40 km away, another set of waterfalls is the Vazhachall-Athirapilly waterfalls, one the biggest in Kerala in both height and the volume of water, 48 km away from Muvattupuzha and is easily accessible by road. A waterfall Thomman Kutthu lies 37 km east in Idukki district.

• Kallil - Kallil Temple, an ancient cave temple of Southern India (the cave is of neolithic era) is just about 15 km away near Perumbavoor (via Paipra-Methala route)

Hill stations

• Munnar - A Hill station which lies 90 km east, beyond Munnar,you can reach another Hill Station in the state of Tamilnadu called Kodaikanal which is 240 km from Muvattupuzha
• Wagamon -,another Hillstation is 72 km via Thodupuzha,Erattupetta towns. It is an untampered, less crowded Virgin Hill station in Kottayam district.
• Elaveezha Poonchira - (valley where leaves don't fall) - a hill station near Melukavu Mattom via Thodupuzha,with gigantic hills around 1000 m high. Famous for the legend that says the pool here was a bathing place for Panchali the legendary heroine of the Mahabharata.
• Nadukani - Hillstation -still another Serene Hillstation is 60 km south.