Cruising at a leisurely pace is a thatched Houseboat known locally as a Kettuvallam on the picturesque and peaceful backwaters of Kerala State in south

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Cruising at a leisurely pace is a thatched Houseboat known locally as a Kettuvallam on the picturesque and peaceful backwaters of Kerala State in southwest India. There are around a thousand of these former rice-carrying boats, some converted from single beth to 12 berths. All are air-conditioned houseboats, equipped with modern facilities that western tourists are used to. The boats are built of teak or Anjili wood, held together with wooden pegs. No nails or metals are used. The roof is thatched and it takes a boat builder on average, seven months to restore a boat.

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Size: 6016px × 4016px
Location: Kerala State, Southern India
Photo credit: © richard sowersby / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: anjili, backwaters, boat, farm, houseboat, india, indian, karala, kerala, kettuvallam, kottayam, landscape, philipkuttys, rice-carrying, roof, state, teak, thatch, thatched, tourism, travel, wood