Editing Alappuzha district (section)

===Tourism===
[[File:Alleppey canal 3.jpg|thumb|Commercial canal walkway in Alleppey west]]
[[File:Sunrise Beauty of Nature.jpg|thumb|A sunrise from the [[Aroor]] bridge]]

The name Alappuzha is derived from ''Aal'' ([[Sea]])+ ''puzha'' ([[River]]-mouth) ("The joining place of a river and the sea") ([[Malayalam]]). Alappuzha is one of the most important tourist centres in the state, with a large network of inland canals, earning it the [[sobriquet]] "Venice of the East". These large networks of canals are Alleppey's lifeline. Alappuzha was one of the busiest centers of trade in the past, with one of the best-known ports along the [[Malabar Coast|Malabar coast]]. Even today it retains its charm as the center for the [[Coir]] carpet industry and [[prawn]] farming.

Alappuzha, the ideal headquarters for backwater tourism, as well as for visits to the church-filled town of [[Kottayam]] and the town of [[Aranmula]], which are known for their historic annual Aranmula Snake Boat Race. [[Chengannur]], in Alappuzha, is the nearest railway station to [[Sabarimala]]. 

The [[Krishnapuram Palace]] is in [[Kayamkulam]]. 

The [[Buddha]] idol and Saradha Mandiram are the main attractions of [[Mavelikkara]]. The Buddha statue is in a seated posture, resembling [[Lotus position|Padmasana]]. A feature common to the idols is that hair has not been engraved on the head. Studies by the archaeology department have not been able to explain the absence of hair, which is common to Buddha statues of the Gandhara and Mathura traditions. The head has markings resembling headgear. Although the department has made a [[pagoda]]-like structure for the statue, no information on the idol is available to tourists who visit the area. Local people in the area light lamps before the idol. The idol at Mavelikara is {{convert|4|ft}} high and is perhaps the biggest. The engravings on the head resemble a helmet of Greek statues. The mark of a sacred thread is visible on the body. Another feature is the marking of a [[shawl]] on one shoulder. Here the archaeological department has put up a sign specifying the age of the statue. Saradha Mandiram was the residence of [[A. R. Raja Raja Varma|Kerala Panini]].

Alappuzha is also known for its snake-boat races held on the second Saturday of August, every year. This competition; the Nehru boat race takes its name from India's first prime minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], which was inaugurated in 1952. It is excitement all around as snake-boats, each manned by over a hundred oarsmen, cut through the waters like wind. 

The Revi Karunakaran Memorial Museum features displays of art and artifacts. [[Revi Karunakaran]] was the architect of a modernized [[Coir]] industry that still employs more than 500,000 people in the state of Kerala. The objects displayed at the Museum were collected by his family over three generations and feature unique artistic pieces from all parts of the world.

[[Alappuzha]], the district headquarters, is a town with picturesque [[canal]]s, [[Kerala Backwaters|backwaters]] and [[lagoon]]s, was described as the "Venice of the East" by [[Lord Curzon]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://alappuzha.nic.in/|title=Official Website of Alappuzha District, Kerala State, India|website=alappuzha.nic.in|access-date=24 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110629084130/http://alappuzha.nic.in/|archive-date=29 June 2011}}</ref>