Kerala temples as iconic as beaches but who will tell the tourism industry
Just as the snow capped peaks, valleys, meadows of J&K go together with Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine and Shri Amarnath Yatra, similarly the extra ordinarily fulfilling experience of visiting temples in Kerala can go together with the pristine beach and backwaters' holidays.
Kerala tourism's tag line 'God's Own Country' was coined several years ago. Since then the travel industry has been growing by leaps and bounds. Even the prolonged COVID hiatus could not do much damage as the tourists are thronging back, almost with a vengeance. Among the many states known to be preferred tourist destinations, Kerala is one of the more aggressive campaigners.
Take a walk around any of the popular tourism websites and you find a host of tours fighting for attention. There are exotic tours and family fun tours, adventure tours, Ayurveda packages, relaxation and rejuvenation packages. Then there are honeymoon packages and houseboat stays promising out of the world experiences.
Of late, the aggressive tourism sites have started hard-selling Kerala as the most preferred tourist destination in the whole of Asia. That may be a disputed claim but Kerala being one of India's favourite tourist destinations is an undisputed fact.
And why would it not? Nature has bestowed this southern-most state of India with everything one would wish for. Pristine beaches, unending expanse of backwaters, thick, lush vegetation and despite all the rush, a quiet, peaceful environment one yearns for all the time. The very atmosphere is meditative so to say.
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But all the countless websites put together have no place for Kerala's most beautiful, spiritually elevating temples spread across districts. These temples are as iconic as the beaches if not more. They are unique in architecture, historic in value, have extraordinary stories for the curious and for the devout, the spiritual experience is beyond words. Forget the North, these temples are totally distinct even compared to the other states of the South such as adjoining Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Just a small district town of Thrissur has more than a dozen historic temples dedicated to various deities. And Guruvayoor Shri Krishna Temple should ideally be placed at the top of anything associated with Kerala. It finds scant mention anywhere. The people who go to pray there are devotees living in Kerala or those who have their roots in the state. Of course, devotees do come from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu but that is more out of family tradition.
And this is where the state government falters as much as the private tourism industry players. Kerala Tourism loves to advertise the beaches, the backwaters and Ayurveda but not the fascinating temples. The only temple that finds some mention is the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. And even the 'festivals' section plays down the temples and talks about the fun and festivities. It is almost as if there is a reluctance to showcase the spiritual power.
But this cannot and should not be an either/or situation. Just as the snow capped peaks, valleys, meadows and apple orchards of Jammu and Kashmir go together with Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine and Shri Amarnath Yatra, similarly the extra ordinarily fulfilling experience of visiting temples in Kerala can go very well together with the pristine beach and backwaters' holidays.
The state has no business to play down one aspect of its rich, glorious tradition whether or grounds of secularism or anything else. From Badrinath/Kedarnath in Uttarakhand to Ma Kamakhya temple in Assam to the historic monasteries in Sikkim, religious sites have their unique place and the world must be told about it. Even if successive governments in Kerala do not find any merit in promoting these temples, they should at least do it for the sake of revenue. It is worth remembering that all the revenue will not go into the Dewaswom Board coffers alone. More pilgrims means a spurt in the income of all sections of traders and workmen, including the poorest.
And perhaps the government's inclination could also prompt the private tour industry to open their eyes. Hopefully.
(Smita Mishra writes on politics and current affairs)
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