A trip to Vechoochira in God’s Own Country

Sometime back I had an opportunity to visit this small village in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala to attend a Syrian Christian wedding of a friend. I have spent a significant amount of time in Trivandrum, Kerala in 2016. But to experience the culture so closely was something I hadn’t done before and definitely didn’t want to miss. Also, it was my first time witnessing a Christian wedding and was super excited! Vechoochira is a sparsely populated area with mostly hilly terrain. The main occupation of the locals is farming, with rubber plantation being the most important one. Our hosts too, had their own rubber plantation!

View from our cottage

It was a celebratory occasion and we got to gorge on a lot of local delicacies like Appam, Idiyappam, and Kappa (tapioca) with meat curry. Tapioca, for someone who doesn’t know, is a rooted plant just like a sweet potato (but it is not sweet!). Sabudana is also made from tapioca. Since I am a vegetarian, I had to make do with Appam & Idiyappam with sambar.

But there were other things I relished eating like jackfruit, bananas and a lychee-like-fruit called Rambutan. I also got to sip on some home-made coffee, which was also a first for me!

Rambutan

Coffee seeds

Black Pepper

Places To Visit

Highlight of the trip was my visit to Konni Elephant Training Centre, which was about 35kms from where I was staying. It is among the most prominent elephant training centres in Kerala. The trainers here, using systematic methods, train the baby elephants which get separated from their herd, or are found wounded or roaming in the forest. There were about 6 elephants. Soman was the eldest one, being 75 years old. The youngest one was Krishna who was about 6 years old. Soman's big tuskers would bring a chill down anyone's spine if spotted in the wild, but here they are in all its glory enchanting the tourists. 

Spotted on the way to Konni

Soman, the oldest one at the center

The mischievous one, Krishna

The center has wooden cages for training elephants, locally known as Aanakoodu. These wooden cages are big enough to house 2-3 elephants at a time. These cages are a prime attraction of the centre!

Wooden cages for training elephants, locally known as Aanakoodu

There are a lot of other spots around Pathanamthitta, with Sabarimala Temple being the most important one which is dedicated to Lord Ayyappan revered as the Hindu God of Growth. Other places include Periyar Tiger Reserve (more about it later), Perunthenaruvi Waterfall which is within 10kms from Vechoochira, Kaviyoor Rock Temple, and Aranmula which is known for its expert craftsmanship and snake boat race organized on the final day of Onam Festival. I had a wedding to attend and couldn't go to the other places. I would really want to visit Sabrimala the next time I visit there, I have heard that a special fast needs to be followed before visiting the temple!

How To Reach

So I took a flight from Mumbai to Cochin, which had the best approach to Pathanamthitta. At Cochin, I joined my friends and went around to see the LuLu International Mall. In case you didn't know, it is the biggest mall in India (YES!).

From Cochin railway station we took a train to Kottayam. Our hosts were kind enough to send a car to ferry us from Kottayam to Vechoochira. Other options included taking a city bus from Kottayam to Erumely, and then to Vechoochira. Kottayam is well connected to Vechoochira through long curvy roads. The fresh cool breeze on the way soothes the mind. That's the best thing about being surrounded by lush green trees and vegetation, something that's missing in the hustle of Mumbai.

Time to catch the plane, on a rainy Mumbai evening!

A digger for window seats!

My Experience

The wedding was a celebration in itself with elegant amalgamation of both the traditional customs and modern grandeur! A Syrian-Christian wedding also includes several Jewish elements although they have absorbed some Hindu customs too. Having witnessed such a rich culture surely made my trip worth remembering.

Rinz & Pinky after the wedding! :)

Next morning I was on my way back to Mumbai, and I had already started missing the hospitality of Pinky's family. But there's always a next time and I am sure there would be many more visits to Kerala again.

The Cochin Airport - Fully powered by solar energy!!!

The squad..!