Vaikom set to be tourist hotspot

Next time you visit Vaikom to cheer to the beats of the Chenda Melam  at the Shiva Temple festival or to partake in an elephant procession, you    might just stumble on a foreigner enjoying his vacation there. At least,     this what the tourism packages being introduced by the Vaikom Destination  Promotion Council looks to provide.

The tour packages introduced by the council will centre round the 150 or so  small and large religious and cultural festivals that take place in Vaikom every year.

As per the time and season, the festivals will be scheduled in the   itinerary. The safety, convenience and travel of the tourists will in turn  be assured by the Destination Society.

“Vaikom has a rich cultural heritage of temple festivals, traditional art  performances and other festivals. But, none of this has been tapped as a  potential tourist attraction. These packages will be a step forward in this direction. Already, there are a number of inquiries from the tourists     about such traditional festivals. But, despite the interest, most tourists  keep away owing to apprehensions about safety and the lack of information regarding these festivals,” said Vaikom Destination  Promotion Council secretary Ramesh P K.

Garudan Thookam, a festival wherein 200 or so devotees dressed up as  mythical bird Garuda, are taken on processions on a bullock cart to  conduct performances and Vadakku Purathu Pattu, a 12-day festival on the last day of which a 1500 square feet ‘Kallam’ made of natural powders, and   Attuvela Mahotsavam, where a miniature temple is constructed on two  decorated canoes and taken out on procession across the backwaters are some  of the important festivals that will be included in the package.

The package will be introduced through hotels in Ernakulam. “We will network  with the hotels in Ernakulam, especially those in tourist spots like Fort Kochi. The Tourism Destination  Promotion Council  will arrange for travel from  these places. We are looking at day-long packages with the festivals mostly falling in the latter part of the day or in the evenings, after other activities like a village tour through canoes, a traditional Kerala cuisine based lunch in a Nalukettu and so on, “ said the secretary.