Kettuvallam Tourism

Kettuvallam is a house boat widely used in the Indian state of Kerala. These have thatched roof covers over wooden hulls. In the Malayalam language "kettu" means "to tie" and “vallam” means boat – the two together make the local name "kettuvallam”. Each houseboat is constructed using the ancient principles and techniques of boat building by the local carpenters using 'Anjili' wood. Coir ropes are used for fastening the wooden planks together.Kettuvallams are huge, slow moving, exotic barges designed for sheer leisure trips. Formerly, Kettuvallams were used to ship rice and spices and other goods between Kuttanad and the Cochin port. It was a three-day affair those days. A standard Kettuvallams, which could be about 100 feet long, can hold up to 30 tons, and that is as much as three big lorries can.A Kettuvallams (which is made of hundreds of fine but heavy-duty planks of jack-wood) is held together absolutely by coir knots (not a single nail is used). KETTU means knot. This framework is then coated with a caustic black resin extracted from boiled cashew kernels. And it lasts for generations. All these "Kettuvalloms" are being made of wood, bamboo mats, bamboo poles, coir ropes and coir mats etc