Aluva or Alwaye at its best!. Review on Aluva

ALUVA OR ALWAYE

The most significant factor of Aluva is that it is surrounded by tourist places and it may be the best place to stay and visit different places because of the easy access through road, rail, air and also through the river Periyar. I think that it may be most commonly known by its older name ''Alwaye''.

Being surrounded by Periyar means that all parts of Aluva is out of any water crisis. The water from Aluva is even taken to some of the Cochin areas. Periyar, being the second largest river in Kerala does not manage to become dry at any occasion. As me myself stay on the banks of the river, I have to say that it is quite an exiting place to be staying.

A journey through Periyar is always going to be a memorable one. I think that it is the inspiration for me as I write reviews. I do see it right now, flowing slowly, but in such a beautiful way.

Not only the river is the major factor of Aluva's development. Aluva is quite close to Cochin and surrounded by a number of towns. Aluva is now in the International aviation map as it is the nearest town to the Nedumbassery (Cochin) International Airport. I wonder if it may be called Aluva airport one day.

Aluva was also called the industrial capital of Kerala because of the large number of industries situated there. Once again, Periyar may be the major reason for that too. I have always found it a nice idea to sit one the banks of Periyar with my friends whenever we get tired after playing badminton.

THE HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE

Aluva has got some memorable places to visit, especially on the outskirts. The Uliyannur Temple, said to be built by the famous carpenter Perunthachan is one of the most historical landmarks in the town. It is said that he had an important part in Aluva's history.

The temple is located on an island called Uliyannur which was connected to Aluva with a bridge. The way to reach there is a bit twisted as it is a small one-way bridge with a large number of turns as it goes across Periyar. It is too narrow that my friend's Accent managed to hit its side and damage the bumper.

St. Joseph's Seminary at Mangalapuzha, on the outskirts of the town is a famous institution for the candidates for Priesthood under the the Syro-Malabar Church. This place also has a long history and a large number of students attend the classes here. The seminary got a large amount of area inside it and it got a fair amount of natural beauty inside along with a big, well-built church in it.

Now, coming back to the air port, it is only ten minute drive from Aluva (well, the air port area is still comes under Aluva, I think). It is one of the best international airports in India, not only because of the size, but also because of the style in which it is built.

The air port has got a special look, something different from the usual air ports which we happen to see anywhere. We can see the planes flying close to the tallest buildings in Aluva showing the fact that the terminal is not too far away.

IT IS NOT OVER YET

Another famous pilgrim centre close to Aluva is the Malayatoor St.Thomas Church situated on the top of the Malayatoor hill. There will be great celebrations on the Sunday after Easter when the pilgrims from different areas come together and climb the hill (I had been trying to climb it for a long time, but I always end up drinking soda after half the way and coming back).

It is believed that one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, St. Thomas, the only one to have visited India is believed to have spent many days in prayer on the top of this hill. Actually, this is the only shrine in India which has been given the status an international sanctuary by the Vatican. It also comes under Aluva taluk.

Who can forget the famous Aluva Shivrathri? On the banks of the river Periyar, large number of people comes from different parts of the state comes here and a lots of traders also will be there. There are large number of rumours about the temple built on the sands. But there has been some problems on the banks due to sand mining in Periyar. I think that the situation got better now.

STILL GOING ON

The Head Office of The largest old generation private sector bank is at Aluva. It is a set of eight stories buildings situated at the heart of the town which came to be called the bank junction. There is another building some metres away from the current one which is ten floored. They have also managed to build a twelve stories flat which currently is the largest building in the town.

St.Jude Church is another famous pilgrim centre. It actually is a Latin Catholic Church situated at Choondy, on the edge of Aluva. A large number of people comes to the place as a number of miracles are believed to have occured there. The shrine is now modified as it can hold a large number of people these days.

Thiruvairanikulam temple is another famous temple located south of Aluva. I had a lot of difficulties in writing that name in English! The temple is well-built and the legends behind the temple is very long and stretched. The temple adds to the heritage of Aluva and the whole country as a whole. There are many devotees as well as archeologist visiting the temple every day.

Actually, I never knew there is this much places surrounding Aluva before thinking about this review after eating a Chicken Biriyani from the nearby ''Grand Hotel'' and later a Ghee Roast from the ''Harihara Hotel''.

Atleast the food items are also the sources of some inspiration as hunger supresses any kind of ideas that comes to the mind! I wonder if I made the place a bit bigger than it used to be as it is my ''home town'', but still it got high importance in the map of Kerala.

AND THAT IS THE CONCLUSION - THANKS FOR READING THE REVIEW. DO COMMENT AS WELL AS RATE IT BEFORE YOU LEAVE