Watching the Periyar flow is soothing. All that remains of the previous night’s rain is the tip-tap of drops of water — on the grass and the awnings. It makes the morning air crisp as the lukewarm sunlight slowly spreads over the River Lodge: Cranganor History Cafe and Riverside Chateau at Puthenvelikkara, a village near Chendamangalam in North Paravur.
You can see the river from wherever you are you are on the property listed on Airbnb — lounging or having a meal or simply taking in the sights. The rooms face the Periyar too; leave your door open and you can watch the river as you listen to it flow and the birds. The River Lodge| Photo Credit:Special Arrangement This area of Puthenvelikkara forms a part of the region that comprises the old, once-thriving port city of Muziris, which extends from North Paravur to Kodungallur.
For someone who lives in nearby Kochi, this place with its quiet feels a world apart despite being only 30-odd kilometres away. Fort Kochi usually gets all the attention, but there are parts in and around Kochi such as Chendamangalam which are historically significant. Chendamangalam because it was the seat of the Paliath Achans, prime ministers to the Maharajas of the erstwhile kingdom of Kochi.
And Chendamangalam is fodder for the imagination. While the rest of the country would remember it with reference to the 2018 flood and the handloom sector that took a hit because of it, there is much more to this place with its crisscrossing river channels .