"Neither Science nor Religion beyond beauty..."

Photo page is a perfect place to display photos of my native village-Prakkulam, Sambranikodi tourist spot, Kollam and peninsular Indian grasses. A title or brief description of each photo in the caption beneath it.

ASHTAMUDI   WETLAND   MAP (AWM) 

A panoramic view of Ashtamudi lake from Prakkulam. 

Prakkulam, the picturesque peninsula of Thrikkaruva, lies in extreme west to the Kollam district in Kerala. Sambranikodi kadavu, Manalil Temple, Ippuzha Church, Mukkathu kadavu etc are the important places of the village. Administratively, it is included in Thrikkaruva Grama Panchayathu which comprises eight wards of Prakkulam village, Inchavila village and Ashtamudi village. Veerabhadra Swami Temple is the main attraction of Ashtamudi. Thrikkaruva is part of the new backwater tourism route designed with financial assistance from the Central Government. Main township in Thrikkaruva is Kanjavely--the junction of Ashtamudi & Prakkulam. 

The 8 Peninsulas: Prakkulam is one among the eight peninsula of Ashtamudi Lake, and the other being Perumon , Vellimon, Ashtamudi, Kadavoor, Munroe Islands, Thekkumbhagam and Padappakkara. These eight villages lie as the eight 'peninsulas' in to the lake, and hence the name, 'Ashtamudi kayal' (~ eight armed lake).

Ashtamudi Wetland, an ecosystem of international importance

Area: 61,400 ha.; Location: 08°57'N 076°35'E.; Ramsar site no. 1204.

An extensive estuarine system, the second largest wetland in Kerala State, which is of extraordinary importance for its hydrological functions, its biodiversity, and its support for fish. The site supports 43 species of marshy and mangrove associates including two endangered species Syzygium travancoricum (endangered species according to the Red Data Book of Indian Plants) and Calamus rotang, and 57 species of birds have been observed, including six that are migratory. Nearly 100 species of fish sustain a lively fishing industry, with thousands of fishermen depending directly upon the estuary for their livelihood. Population density and urban pressures pose threats to the site, including pollution from oil spills from thousands of fishing boats and from industries in the surrounding area and conversion of natural habitat for development purposes. Kallada River is a major river discharging into the Ashtamudi Lake. The Kallada river, which originates near Ponmudi from the Kulathupuzha hills of Western Ghats. 

Ashtamudi-Vembanadu Water way: The daily Kollam -Alappuzha Boat service (KSWTC) starts from Kollam at 10.30 a.m and ends at 6.30 p.m. in Alappuzha, which passes through the backwaters of Ashramum, Sambranikodi, Ashtamudi, Amruthapuri, Alumkadavu, Kayamkulam lake, Thrikkunnappuzha, Thottapally, Kumarakodi, Pampa river, Kuttanadu, Karumadi etc. There are also some services like Kollam-Guhanandapuram, Kollam-Kadapuzha & Kollam- Muthiraparambu operates from the Kollam Boatjetty.

'Sambranikodi', the scenic spot of Prakkulam 

Sambranikodi lies in the lap of Ashtamudi lake, as the extreme tip of Prakkulam! It is the first destination point of Ashtamudi Backwaters Tourism.The daily 'kadathu' (canoe service), starts from this beautiful place and ends at Kavanadu, a land shore near the National Highway (NH-47). It is one of the must-to-be-seen tourist spot in the Ashtamudi wetland system and is one among the jetty of Kollam-Alappuzha boat Cruise (This eight hour trip is the longest backwater cruise in Kerala).   Sambranicodi is located 15 km away from the Kollam town (near the upcoming bypass-Phase 4, which will connects Kavanadu and Kadavoor), and can be reached by both road and waterway.

In 2008, it is recognised as an important place in ASHTAMUDI TOURIST MAP. The State Government has accorded administrative sanction for the Rs 5.38-crore Ashtamudi Backwaters Tourism Development Project. The project will benefit to Kollam boat jetty, Thoppilkadavu, Sambranikodi, Veerabhadra Temple, Pattamthuruthu, Palliyathuruthu and Monroethuruthu.

The establishment of ‘Samranikodi Eco-tourist Centre’ is the long cherished dream of Mr Prakkulam Muraleedharan (1935--). His painstaking efforts highly helped Sambranikodi came into light in the Ashtamudi Tourist destinations.   In 1976, he raised the first voice on Sambranokodi Development Programme.  He devoted his major social life in this dream project. He has made discussions with higher authorities and organize some public meetings with regard to this issue.

See Prakkulam Muraleedharan in http://kollam-prakkulam.blogspot.com

Kollam, the land of 'Kayar'(Coir), 'Karimeen' (a fish), & Kashuandi (cashew nut). 

Name of the District is orginated from the Chinese word for 'market', (~ 'Kolam' or 'Kolamba'). Kollam was one of the main seaport town of South India from A.D. 6 to A.D. 12 and had been extensively visited by Chinese, Dutchs, Portugese and English men. However, Chinese culture was deeply rooted during this period. The remnants of these great memories can be seen in things like 'Cheena vala'(Chinese fishing net), 'Cheena vedi'(a fire work), 'Cheena bharani' (Chinese clay jar), 'Cheena kottaram' (Palace), 'Chinnakkada' etc. Kollam is the southern gateway to the Backwaters of Kerala.

Formally, Kollam was known as 'Desinga Nadu', a small country under 'Venad' (?) , which lied between the countries, Kayamkulam and Thiruvathamkoor. 'Elayadathu Swarupam' was the last monarchy, and they were defeated by Marthanda Varma, the King of Thiruvathaamkoor. Later, it becomes united with Thiruvathamkoor.

Kollam & Kollavarsham: The Malayalam Era (ME) known as 'Kollavarsham' was began in A.D. 825 and it was believed that the King Udaya Marthanda Varma of Venad, convened a great assembly of learned men in order to introduce a new era with 'Chingam' as the first month of the Malayalam year.

An enigmatic genus; diversity mainly concentrated in Peninsular India

(World revision of Dimeria R. Br. has been carried out by M. S. Kiran Raj, under the IAPT Research Grant in 2007)

Visit http://grassnest.wordpress.com, the official blog of GRASSNEST. It has been recognised as one of the multimedia resource of the United Nations-Convention on Biological Diversity in 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity