The Layman’s Guide to book Kerala bus tickets online

Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is the pioneer organisation in the state in the public transport industry. Launched during the 1938, KSRTC has been serving the citizens relentlessly with high quality service in terms of number of vehicles and comfort. With the internet wave sweeping across the transport sector, KSRTC too started its online ticketing service for the benefit of thousands of its registered users. It takes just minutes to book Kerala bus tickets online, which is why most of the passengers prefer this mode as compared to the earlier method of getting their tickets booked at the reservation counters of the KSRTC office.

KSRTC tickets online can be done on buses plying to and fro from important locations like Palakkad, Kannur, Kozhikode, Trissur, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram Central, Bangalore Majestic, Bangalore Satellite and Kottarakkara. While doing an online booking, passengers must be ready to shell out additional 20 INR per ticket towards transaction charges in addition to the reservation charges of 10 INR per ticket. In order to book Kerala bus tickets online, one needs to enter into the official portal, www.keralartc.com. From here, one must choose the ticket booking option, which will lead to the page, where users can enter their user id and password. New users can register themselves by providing basic information like name, contact address, mobile number, etc. 

The next page will then ask the user to choose from the source and destination stations. After entering the same, the user should click on the ‘find buses’ option to get a list of buses plying between the two stations and the seat availability for that particular day plus the following 21 days. KSRTC tickets online booking is indeed beneficial because the user is presented with a host of bus options to choose from depending on his comfortable timings. This screen shows other important details as well like the departure time, type of bus, via route, bus fare, etc.

Users can choose the particular bus that they want and click on the same, after which they will be directed to the page where they can book the number of seats they want. A picture showing the seat position in the bus is available to the user here. After selecting the seats, users should proceed to book ticket option, where he has to enter the passenger details and select the station where they would board from. The next is the payment screen where VISA or MasterCard Credit/Debit cards can be used for making payment. The confirmed ticket is then displayed in a PDF format on the screen, which the user can save on his system.

The amazing Kerala boat race - a bewitching experience guaranteed.

Kerala, God’s own Country, is a land of boundless beauty. It is well bestowed with natural beauty that makes it heaven on Earth. Be it a rich culture, various forms of art, literature, history, unique architecture, Ayurveda or traditions that have been passed on for ages, Kerala has it all. Apart from this, Kerala is also famous for its various festivals and their celebrations. Boat race in Kerala attracts a lot of tourists from all over the worlds each year. The splendid and breathtakingly beautiful backwaters serve as venue for the boat races. Every year, participants gather in huge numbers from all over the state to participate in the boat race. It not only provides wonderful entertainment but also brings people closer, integrates them and strengthens the team spirit.

History

The history related to boat races in Kerala dates back over 400 years. Kings of Alleppey (Alappuzha) used to fight battles with neighboring regions in boats along the canals. Then, these kings started getting their boats designed to win wars. This was the beginning of boat races. Today, boat races are a huge event in Kerala and forms an integral part of Kerala attractions.

Famous Boat races

•    The famous Nehru Boat race is held every year on Alleppey's Punnamda Lake.
•    Champakkulam Moolam, the oldest and also the most famous race is held along the river at Champakkulam.
•    Payippad Jalotsavam is organized at Payippad Lake.
•    Aranmula Boat Race is held at River Pampa.
The boat races are generally held between the months of July to September. The exact dates of these races vary depending upon the moon’s phase. The Nehru Trophy Boat race, however, is held each year on the second Saturday of August. These boat races are the main attractions of the Onam festival. Held mostly with temple festivals of Kerala, the boat races also hold a lot of religious importance.

For a few months every year, Kerala is brought to life with brightly colored boats that are decorated elaborately and beautifully. The participation in the boat races is beyond compare and the enthusiasm of participants as well as the audience is worth watching. The captivating music, the traditions, the religious ceremonies and the sense of healthy competition transcends time. It is a completely different world altogether. The experience is magical, beautiful and captivating.

Kerala with exotic beaches and backwater is a perfect holiday destination

Kerala has a vast coast line which influences the culture, tradition and heritage of the people. For fun lovers, adventure enthusiasts and people fond of water sports there cannot be a better place than Kerala. The tourism department has taken excellent initiative to enhance the water sports and backwater tourism in the state.

Kerala backwaters

The state has numerous beaches spread across the entire length of the state and some of the popular ones are:

Varkala beach located fifty one km from the capital city Thiruvananthapuram is the most visited beach. The beach which lies in the quiet village has numerous site seeing places in and around. Apart from the beach there is a two thousand years old Vishnu Temple and the Sivagiri Mutt as major attractions.

Kovalam beach is a den of foreign tourists and has three adjoining crescent beaches. The elaborate arrangements for water sports and availability of excellent restaurants serving authentic sea foods have made this beach very popular. The availability of a massive rocky cape in the beach facilitates sea bathing in the beautiful bay of calm waters.

Bekal beach is located in Kasaragod region which is in the extreme north of Kerala. The district is popular for its forts, hills, rivers and beautiful beaches. The nearest attraction is the Bekal fort which is a striking structure well preserved by the state Govt. The shallow beach near the fort is visited by tourists and fun lovers with great enthusiasm.

Some of the other prominent beaches in the state are at Alappuzha, Trivandrum, Kollam and Thiruvambadi in southern region. In the Northern Kerala Kozhikode, Vadakara, Kasargod and Kannur have few beaches and when it comes to the central part we can find beautiful beaches at Ernakulam, Malappuram, Kochi and Thrissur. 

Kerala backwaters

Kerala backwaters or black lagoons are the chain of lakes that lie along the Arabian Sea. They offer excellent tourism and are a source of livelihood for the people. The houseboats which are popularly called kettuvallams in native language are a prominent attraction of backwater. Honeymoon package, family gathering and picnics can be organized in these houseboats, which present an excellent feel of the nature. They offer all sorts of comforts to the visitors. There are also regular ferries service for frequent travelers to reach various destinations and these ferries are the cheapest mode of transport through backwaters. Kumarakom has numerous resorts around the popular Vembanad Kayal and the backwaters.

Kerala visit is incomplete without a journey through the backwaters and experiencing the beautiful beaches.

Boat Race in Kerala Gives You a Feel of the Grandiose of Tradition and Culture

Significance of boat race in Kerala is strengthened by the commemoration of the harvest festival of Onam in Kerala. Whenever you are in Kerala during the Onam festival, it will be clearly evident that this festival scores as an important event in the life of people, mostly in the village setting. It is marked with variety of celebrations in Kerala. A major form of the celebration is the arrangement of boat race which marks an historical event and showcases the strength and unity among different community members in Kerala villages. 

boat race in Kerala

 During this event, you will surely be transcended into historical days, probably more than 500 years ago. Origin of the boat race in Kerala is said to be around the backwaters of Alleppey or Alappuzha. In the older days, these were said to be conducted for the entertainment of the local rulers as well as the general public. Presently also, it is a form of Kerala attractions, but the historical values and established traditions make these boat races a much talked about event. 

Plenty of boat races organised in and around the backwaters of Alleppey

In the present day scenario, the boat race in Kerala is said to be conducted in different places, all of them being around the backwaters and rivers of Alleppey. You can choose to become a part of these events which are primarily four in number, while there are about 15 such minor races. If you visit Kerala attractions during the month of Onam, which is the time for people to celebrate the wholesome harvesting season, then you can be a part of these events. This means that you have to plan your trips between the months of July and September, the exact dates of each varying according to different phases of the moon. Nehru Trophy Boat Race is one of the major Kerala attractions among these races which are having a fixed timing during the second Saturday of August every year. 

•    Nehru Trophy boat Race in Kerala is considered to be the most exciting among all the races. As the name suggests, it is held in memory of the Late Prime Minister of India, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, commemorating the event of 1952, when he was welcomed in Alleppey by the impromptu boat race in his honour. The trophy at stake in this boat race in Kerala is the one which was donated by Nehru.
•    Aranmula Boat Race is a two day occasion which is more concerned with religious sentiments of the local people and devotees of Aranmula Parthasarathi Temple, which is held in reverence to the practices of transporting offerings to the temple from nearby villages.
•    Champakkulam Moolam Boat Race is another snake boat race event in Kerala and is also associated with temple rituals.

Boat race in Kerala is an annual affair. For best enjoyment of different Kerala attractions, you need to plan your vacations accordingly. Your trip itinerary should comprise of villages around the town of Alleppey and its backwaters. These are the locations where local communities prepare for their show of reverence for the local gods and the event is marked with show of unity among these communities.