Malampuzha- Oct 2000

 In 2000 during the Onam Holidays I visited Malampuzha, Kerala India. It was my first travelling in my life. i visited here with my parents. At that time i was doing my higher secondary studies.

 About Malambuzha:

Being nurtured by Kerala's longest river, the Bharathappuzha, Malampuzha is blessed with lush green foliage and has been acclaimed as one of the most attractive tourist spots in the district of Palakkad, Kerala, India. It offers a variety of amusements with its natural and artificial amalgamation. The charm of the natural beauty and the creativity of the human mind make the people admire its wonderful works and mould ones' mind rosy.

Malampuzha, a little township on the foothills of the Western Ghats, is located 10 km from Palakkad town and has in store a large number of amusement options - The Malampuzha Gardens - A fresh water aquarium( fish-shaped )- A snake park - A children's park - A Reservoir - A Garden House - A Japanese Garden - Hanging Bridge - Sculpture of Yakshi - Ropeway - Road Train - Telescopic Tower - Rock Garden - Fantasy Park etc.

Malampuzha is a mini hydoro-electric project built across Malampuzha river (a tributary of Bharathapuzha) in Palakkad district of Kerala, South India. It is also the biggest irrigation project in Kerala with a large network of canal systems. It is also one of Kerala's major tourist spots. Malampuzha dam, the biggest irrigation reservoir in Kerala, is celebrating its Golden Jubilee year in October, starting with Tourism Week and Onam celebrations in September.

Malampuzha Dam has brought prosperity to the district, making Palakkad the `rice bowl of Kerala'. Paddy is cultivated in 50,000 acres (200 km2) in two seasons each using waters from the Malampuzha dam.
The Malampuzha Garden and reservoir have a scenic setting with the forested hills of Western Ghats forming the backdrop, making it one of the foremost tourism centres in the State.

Tourist Attractions

Note: The dams and gardens are illuminated on Saturdays, Sundays and National Holidays from 19.00 - 20.00 hrs. On other days they are illuminated on request for a fee.

The Malampuzha Garden (Open 10.00 - 18.00 hrs) The Malampuzha Garden known as the Vrindavan of Kerala, exudes the charm and harmony of nature with a perfect synchronization of the grandeur of the mountains blending with the serenity of rivers. The lush green lawns, innumerable flower beds, glittering pools, fountains and avenues spur the rosyness of one's mind.   The reservoir & The Garden House (Open 10.00 -18.00 hrs) The reservoir offers amusement facilities for boating and fishing. The Garden House has a unit of water sports. Pedalboats, rowboats, water scooters and motorboats can be hired from 10.00 -18.00 hrs. The well maintained swimming pool is closed on Tuesdays. Aquarium & Snake Park : Aquarium (Open 12.00 -20.00 hrs) on holidays (Open 13.00 - 21.00 hrs) Snake Park( 08.00 - 18.00 hrs) A fresh water aquarium -fish shaped, a snake park and a children's park with a toy train, waits to amuse and delight the children.   The Road Train (Open 08.00 - 20.00 hrs) The Road Train for amusement ride on wheels takes one to the vast expanse of the Malampuzha Garden and its vicinity. The Japanese Garden (Open 10.00 - 13.00hrs & 14.30 - 20.00 hrs) A small garden in the Japanese style gives a touch of exotic charm to the landscape. So does the hanging bridge across the river.   The Passenger Ropeway (Open 10.00 - 13.00hrs & 14.30 - 20.00 hrs) The Passenger ROPEWAY, the first of its kind in South India, offers adventurous and delightful air journey of 20 minutes across the gardens, giving a soul stirring view of---the gardens--the distant hills that kiss the heavens and-- the blue strip of the reservoir. The Telescopic Tower (Open 10.00 - 17.00 hrs) The TELESCOPIC TOWER in the garden provides a terrestrial view up to 40 miles.   THREAD GARDEN This is a marvellous and astounding work of art created by years of hard work by several labourers, using only embroidery colour threads without the aid of needles or any special devices. Designed by Mr. Antony Joseph, the Thread Garden has an abundant collection of charming life-like models of plants and flowers exquisitely arranged and housed in a large indoor glass chamber built very close to Fantasy Park, Malampuzha. The Rock Garden (Open 10.00 - 18.00hrs) The first ROCKGARDEN that emerged from the Master creator Padmashree Nek Chand of Chandigarh, in South India is at Malampuzha.The most interesting feature in the making of this wonder garden is that the whole place is made of unwanted and broken pieces of bangles, tiles, used plastic cans, tins and other waste materials. The Fantasy Park Open 14.00 - 21.00hrs - On week days 11.00 - 21.00 hrs- On Saturdays, Sundays and National Holidays The Fantasy Park at Malampuzha modelled after Appu Ghar of Delhi and Essel World of Bombay is the first Amusement Park of Kerala . The Park has modern thrilling Rides over 8 acres of beautiful landscape with Garden and Fountains. There is a hygienic restaurant and ice cream parlour within the park. The water merry-go-round, striking car, paratrooper, pirate boat, dragon coaster, tora tora, mini tele combat, jumping horse, scooter ride, caterpillar, etc are a few among the entertainment options at this fun world. The park is located in the enchanting backdrop of the mountain ranges of Malampuzha with the majestic mountain peaks of the Western Ghats overlooking it. The park, developed by Neo Tech Amusements and Resorts (P) Ltd bagged the award for "Best Innovative Tourism Product in the State - 1998" instituted by Kerala Tourism. The park is said to entertain on an average one thousand visitors a day. The Sculpture of Yakshi Another item of interest in the park is the imposing concrete sculpture of YAKSHI, done by the renowned Kanai Kunhiraman. Noted sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman has been awared the Raja Ravi Varma Puraskaram for the year 2005, instituted by the State Government for Malayali artists for their contributions to painting and sculpture. Mr. Kunhiraman is the first sculptor to be presented with this award. His works include the famous `Yakshi' and `Nandi' statues at Malampuzha in Palakkad, `Sagar Kanyaka' at Shankhumukhom in Thiruvananthapuram, `Tamil Woman' in Artist Village, Cholamandalam, Chennai, and statues at Veli Tourist Village, Thiruvananthapuram. He is also credited with designing a majority of statuettes for well-known awards in the State. He also had given shape to bronze statues of numerous leading personalities of history including Sri Narayana Guru, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Sri Chitra Tirunal, Pattom Thanu Pillai, Mannathu Padmanabhan, Vikram Sarabhai, Dr. Palpu, Maman Mappila, E.M.S. Namboodiripad and Rabindranath Tagore. I collected these details from : www.malampuzha.com/