BharatSangraha

Travancore & Kuttanad · Western Coastal Strip

Terrain and eco-zones

Tropical monsoon with two wet seasons. The southwest monsoon lands first on this coast in the first week of June and runs to September; the northeast monsoon returns in October and November as evening thunder. Annual rainfall runs roughly 2,500–3,000 mm on the plain and well over 4,000 mm on the Agasthyamalai slope. The lagoon districts are humid year-round and rarely drop below 22 °C at night.

Landforms

Reclaimed lake-bed polders lying 1.2 to 3.0 m below mean sea level in KuttanadVembanad lagoon, roughly 96 km long, the longest lake in IndiaKari soils — buried peat and waterlogged black clay carrying preserved wood in the Kuttanad subsoilLaterite midland of rubber, cane, cashew and pepper from Kottayam to PunalurCliffed coast at Varkala, the only sea cliffs on the Kerala shoreAgasthyakoodam, 1,868 m, the southern anchor of the Western Ghats

Rivers and waters

Pamba — the Sabarimala river, and the water the Aranmula and Champakulam boat races are rowed onAchankovil, Manimala and Meenachil — the other three feeders of the Kuttanad basinPeriyar's southern distributaries at the Vembanad headKallada — dammed at Parappar for the Kollam command areaNeyyar, Karamana and Vamanapuram in the far southVembanad Lake and Ashtamudi Lake, both Ramsar sites since 2002

Through the year

SeasonMonthsTypicalWhat it is like
Punja preparation and harvestOctober–March23–33 °CThe agricultural year that defines Kuttanad. Bunds are repaired from October, the fields are pumped out, sowing follows in November and December, and the harvest runs February to March. The Thanneermukkom shutters stay shut across most of it to keep salt water out of the crop.
SummerMarch–May26–36 °CHumid and still on the lagoon. Chettikulangara Bharani and the Padayani season fall here, and the backwater is at its lowest and saltiest before the shutters open.
Southwest monsoonJune–September23–30 °CContinuous rain, flooded fields and the whole vallam kali calendar — Champakulam in June or July, the Nehru Trophy in August, Aranmula and Payippad at Onam. Boat races exist because this is when there is enough water to row on.
Sabarimala season and the northeast monsoonNovember–mid-January22–32 °CMandala pooja runs for 41 days from mid-November, and Makaravilakku falls on 14 January. Pathanamthitta district and every road towards Pamba and Erumeli work to that calendar.

Best time to visitNovember to March for the backwaters, the coast and the Kuttanad harvest. August if the point is the snake boat races, which means accepting mid-monsoon rain. Aranmula's race falls on Uthrattadhi, the day after Thiruvonam, so it moves with the Malayalam calendar and needs checking against the year.

The climate, landforms, rivers and seasons of Travancore & Kuttanad, and the best time of year to visit. (4)