From Wikitravel

Muvattupuzha is a medium sized town located 40 km north east of Cochin city in Ernakulam district, Kerala,India.

[edit] 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. It is an important town in central Kerala, India. It lies between the districts of Thrissur and Kottayam on the Main Central (MC) Road which runs along the length of the old Travancore, from 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.

The main attraction for Muvattupuzha is the Muvattupuzhayaar or Muvattupuzha river which is very calm and cleanly flowing.The old concrete bridge in Muvattupuzha is the first one of its kind built in India. 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. Thus it is called Thriveni Sangamam in Malayalam. If you are coming to Cochin, it is easy to and definitely worth visting this town,as it is the major route to eastern parts of Kerala like Munnar.

[edit] Get in

[edit] 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.

[edit] By train

You can reach Muvattupuzha from other cities Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Kozhikode (Calicut), Chennai, Bangalore, Bombay, New Delhi, Kolkata by train upto the near by town Aluva or Kochi. 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 mere 45 minutes by car you can reach Muvattupuzha.

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

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 technically unauthorised, but it is the driver's responsibility to pay the relevant bribes.

[edit] Get around

Nearby towns are also calm and safe for a traveller, with lots of things to explore for yourself. You can hire an AutoRickshaw - 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 AutoRickshaws!

[edit][add listing] See

• Thriveni or centre point of three rivers joining to form Muvattupuzha.

• Check Dam at Rakkad six Kilometres 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 situated in rackad,rackad is a beautiful villege.Nice to watch

• Maniyanthram hills 22 km from Muvattupuzha near to Vazhakulam

• A waterfall Thomman Kutthu lies 37 km east in Idukki district.

• Puzhakkarakavu Devi Temple.

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

• St. Mary's Church Nagapuzha near Muvattupuzha

• Thattekad Bird sanctuary near Kothamangalam

• Rubber Estates and more for exploring.

• Bhoothathaan Kettu Dam near Kothamangalam.

• Vellorkunnam Siva Temple is the Venue of Muvattupuzha Pooram. A great festival in Central Kerala with, Elephants show. Pakkamelam, etc.

• Kaaranattukavu Temple - 2 ancient temples situated in the middle of small forest near Kadathy bridge enroute to Kochi through NH 49. You can see lots of ancient stone sculptures.

• Vellattu Bhagavathy Temple - An ancient snake temple (sarpakaavu) modified into a new temple complex with 5 deities in the middle of nice natural ambience near St. Thomas School, Vellorkkunnam, Muvattupuzha.

• Panieli Poru Waterfalls near Perumbavoor.

• Kodanad Elephant breeding Centre near Perumbavoor.

• Veegaland Amusement Park lies just 24 km away.

• Kadamattom St.George's Church

• Paittingattilkadavu a very nice place to have bath and sight seeing.

• River-side Park with rare butterflies near Latha Theatre. Boating through river also available.
• St. Mary's Syrian Cathedral Nerchappalli, Rackad (St. Mary's church Rackad), (near Muvattupuzha). A famous church with a history of more than 300 years built by H G Hidayathulla Mar Ivanious a disciple of H H Mar Baselious Eldho Maphrian of Kothamangalam. it is a pligrim center also.  edit

[edit][add listing] Do

• Ferry through the river by country boat known as Vallom.
• Have a bath at smooth flowing Muvattupuzha or Thodupuzha rivers! Now that's two options!

[edit][add listing] Buy

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

[edit][add listing] Eat

In most hotels/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 in the earth. 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, etc, and ends up in many varieties of fish.

[edit][add listing] Drink

• 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.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

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

• Haritha Farms, [1]. A good resort to stay in.
• Paray Hotel which is in the town centre is also a good hotel.
• Hotel Sahari, [2]. A good place to stay with optimum rent.

[edit] Get out

• Munnar - lies 90 km away.

• Elaveezha poonchira (valley where leaves don't fall) - a hill station near Melukavu Mattom via Thodupuzha,with gigantic hills around 3200 ft high. Beautiful hillocks Mankunnu, Kudayathoormala and Thonippara, Poonchira. Famous for the legend that says the pool here was a bathing place for Panchali the legendary heroine of the Mahabharata.

• Vazhachall-Athirapilly waterfalls which is one the biggest in Kerala in both height and the volume of water is just 45 km away from Muvattupuzha and is easily accessible by train and taxi.

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