On the Sea Shores of Kerala

Six hundred kilometers of the Kerala coast are washed by the Arabian Sea, the northwestern part of the Indian Ocean. Despite the fact that we stopped several times on the seashores, I never once bathed in the sea. On the one hand, the sea was quite stormy with large, hard rolling waves, on the other hand, a European woman in a bikini would attract (not very pleasant) attention to herself. Because the locals don’t go to the sea to swim, they only go to dip in it – in their clothes.

If you are planning to pack a swimsuit in your suitcase for your trip to Kerala, then it is better to find a deserted part of the beach or find some privacy near your hotel. You will thus protect yourself and at the same time the culture of the visited country. I myself didn’t take my swimsuit out of the suitcase at all…

One of the most famous and popular beaches is Kovalam, just 15 km from Kerala’s capital Trivandrum. Kovalam was once just a quiet fishing village, today there is an internationally renowned beach, or better to say – several beaches separated from each other by rocky outcrops.

The coast is relatively built up with hotels; diving, surfing and other water activities are offered here. Many resorts also offer authentic Ayurvedic treatments. So if like for me, the sea is rough and the currents are too strong, you can heal your body and soul through Ayurvedic treatments. The unfavourable state of the sea was probably because the monsoon season was approaching when it is absolutely not recommended to go into the sea with the intention of swimming.

The landmark of this resort is the Vizhanjam lighthouse with its typical white and red stripes at the end of the beach. For a small fee, you can go inside, climb the spiral stairs or take the elevator to the top of the lighthouse and enjoy the view of the coast. I admit that I used the second option, as we were accompanied by Sisupalan, the director of Sagara Beach Resort, where this lighthouse also belongs, and this cheerful guy not only boasted about the new elevator but also invited us to a newly opened small cafe on the ground floor of the lighthouse.

The view was beautiful – the wide blue sea, Kovalam beach (again the red flag was flying forbidding swimming in the sea) and on the other side, another shore, palm trees, sand and sea and a big white mosque with numerous tall and smaller minarets spread out in front of us.

The next stop was Marari Beach Resort, 60 km from Cochin and 17 km from Alappuzha (formerly Alleppey). In addition to the pool, the resort has access to the beach as well, and there were other Europeans here, so I could imagine swimming in the sea there.

However, we arrived here in the early evening, everywhere was already calm, the beach was almost empty of people, the sea was showing off with high waves and dark fishing boats were resting on the warm sand. The sun was about to set below the horizon. So I preferred to use the time just for a walk on the beach…

Since I could not swim in the sea, my activity on the shore was reduced to watching the fishermen.

Traditional Chinese fishing nets are an iconic symbol of the city of Cochin, they reminded me of giant spiders with thin legs. A stretched net hangs over the sea, and the counterweights at the other end are large stones attached to ropes.

The net sinks, and as it begins to be pulled out of the water, flocks of birds circle around, hoping to catch some fish too. But I was disappointed with the catch, it seemed too small. One fisherman scooped it up with a small net and the caught fish immediately went to the sales stands right at the harbour.

There was much more action at another location, where fishermen had stretched their nets far out at sea overnight. First, in the morning, six men pulled the boat out of the sea, it was not easy at all and they had to use a lot of physical strength to do it.

The others began to slowly pull the net closer to the shore. It took almost an hour. Then the five fishermen got into the water and gave instructions to their colleagues on the shore with their hands above their heads. Two groups were formed – one for each end of the net – and to rhythmic sounds, they pulled the rope with all their might, the last men running forward to take the place of the first ones and continuing in such rapid alternation while chanting to the rhythm. At the very end of the rope, an old fisherman was sitting on the sand, reeling in the loose rope.

Fishermen mingled with local rubberneckers and tourists. Some even helped and held the rope for a few pulls, but mostly these spectators just took pictures and mainly stood in the way.

Finally, the net was on land. Everyone huddled around the net and watched the silverfish still trashing around in the trap.

Again, the catch seemed small compared to the efforts of the fishermen. I don’t know if I was expecting a fuller net or just some big fish in it. But there was no sign of disappointment on the faces of the men, beaten by the sun and salt water. Someone hung a necklace of fragrant flowers on the bow of the boat, the fishing was over…

My first encounter with Kerala and its people (if I don’t count the landing at the airport and the transfer to the hotel) actually took place on the shore of the sea.

It was my first early evening in Kerala. Despite the slowly increasing darkness, I immediately understood that I found myself in a completely different world. A colourful one!

We came to the Azhimala Temple. Its outer walls were full of figures – pink, purple, blue, green, navel-gazing, slim, in elegant clothes with striking headgear, but also with bare chests, bearded, bald ones and there were even elephant-headed figures.

I’m not familiar with Hindu deities, I don’t know if their gods are strict and punish cruelly, but this whole panopticon of figurines seemed to me not only full of colours but also very cheerful.

Above all this colourful society towered the biggest (almost 18 meters) statue of Shiva in Kerala. Its author is the young artist P. S. Devadatham. It took him six years; the sculpture is made of grey concrete, but despite this, such details as muscles or veins are clearly visible.

Shiva is seated on a rock with one hand resting on his right thigh, the other holding a trident (trishula), in another hand, he has a small tamara drum for reproducing spiritual sounds, and his hair is entwined around the fourth hand. His chest is decorated with a necklace and the Vasuki snake, but his greatest adornment is his long, thick hair. Especially when I went around the statue from behind, the sight of his impressive mane was truly fascinating.

The goddess of the holiest river Ganga, which actually originates in the heavenly spheres and flows down to earth through Shiva’s hair, emerges from the hair of the statue. Indian girls with even longer and more beautiful (real) hair were taking selfies at his feet. They have been coming to this important pilgrimage site since December 2021.

Only Hindu believers can enter inside the temple. The rest of us were only allowed to move around the statue. I looked at it again. The setting sun added a golden hue to the statue.

Shiva is assigned the role of destroyer of the universe. However, from a Hindu perspective, he is not considered a fearsome apocalyptic deity. Just as death is not understood as a definitive end, the destruction of the universe is done so that it can be re-created again. The trident in Shiva’s hand symbolizes creation, maintenance and destruction. I came to Kerala at the time when the covid-pandemic had not yet ended and the war in Ukraine had already begun. I was thinking about what shape our world is currently in…

Practical information: Azhimala Shiva Temple is located 26 km from the capital Trivandrum and only 8 km from the Kovalam resort. Taking pictures with a camera is prohibited also in the outdoor areas where we were allowed to move. Only mobile phone photography is allowed. A somewhat illogical regulation in my opinion, but I have come across it also in other places in Kerala.

Special tip: if you visit Kerala and are in its southern part, you should make a trip to Kanyakumari (this is no longer Kerala state but Tamil Nadu). At first, I thought we came here for some kind of fair. Many people in colourful clothes crowded everywhere and stalls were set up along the street selling jasmine necklaces, plastic flowers, bowls full of various spices, fruit and ice cream but also teddy bears and pillows.

The sugar cane drink seller turned the wheel on the press, smilingly pushing the long stems of the plant into the press, the sticky juice flowing into the pot. Well, we didn’t get to taste it…

The most beautiful stalls were those where they offered a wide variety of seashells, although, in some of them, it was more or less kitschy seashell decorations.

The street ended and so did India. 🙂 We found ourselves at its southernmost tip. I could quite well imagine a map of the world, the characteristic shape of the Indian subcontinent on the map, and down there where India ends, myself, looking at the place where three seas meet – the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal.

On the shore, there is a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Kanya Kumari, after whom the place was named. However, the first thing that caught my eye were the Pitru and Matru rocks, half submerged in the sea, 500 meters from the shore and only 60 meters from each other.

One houses a monument to the Hindu philosopher and reformer Vivekananda, and on the other rock, there is a huge statue (40.5 m) of the poet Tiruvalluvar, a classic of Tamil literature who authored the 5th-6th century work Tirukkural, consisting of 1330 short couplets.

But the most fascinating thing was the natural spectacle, the waters of the three seas mixed in front of us, sending foamy waves crashing on the rocks to the shores. Two thousand years ago, Roman ships sailed here for rare spices and other exotic foods. Up to 200 ships went on a long voyage every year.

And part of the ashes of the great Indian thinker Mahatma Gandhi was spilt into these waters. The Gandhi Memorial Mandapam, resembling a temple in shape, was built at the site where his ashes were kept in an urn. On October 2 (Gandhi’s birthday), the first rays of the setting sun will touch this place.

Kanyakumari was heavily affected by the tsunami in December 2004. There is also a memorial on the shore dedicated to the victims of this natural disaster.

Kerala is not Mallorca! A casual stay on the beach and swimming in the sea is not the primary motive for visiting this country, at least not for me. Nevertheless, you will definitely not be bored on the shores of Kerala, many interesting places and unforgettable experiences await you there.

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