Pathiramanal Fest turns out to be a big draw

The five-day fest, which began on April 21, involves leisure trips to the island, cultural programmes, seminars, tourism workshops, food fest, music festival, exhibition-cum-sale among other events.

Youngsters taking a selfie at Pathiramanal island. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Pathiramanal Fest is drawing a large number of visitors to the picturesque island in the middle of Vembanad Lake. The Muhamma grama panchayat is organising the fest to promote the destination and support the local economy.

The five-day fest, which began on April 21, involves leisure trips to the island, cultural programmes, seminars, tourism workshops, food fest, music festival, exhibition-cum-sale among other events. In view of the tourist rush, the State Water Transport department is conducting additional boat services to Pathiramanal from Muhamma, Kayippuram and Kumarakom. People can visit the island from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. In view of the fest, various facilities have been arranged on the island for visiting tourists.

On Monday, a workshop on tapping the tourism potential of Muhamma was held. It was inaugurated by K. Rupesh Kumar, coordinator, Responsible Tourism Mission Kerala. The meeting discussed ways to make Muhamma a responsible tourism destination.

People visiting Pathiramanal island in connection with the tourism fest. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Officials said the fest was being organised with the ultimate aim of making Pathiramanal a major tourist attraction. “The place is visited by several domestic and foreign tourists every day. We want to further enhance visitors’ experiences. As part of it, the local body will implement various projects without disturbing the island’s ecological balance,” says Swapna Shabu, president, Muhamma panchayat.

Biodiversity heritage site

Pathiramanal was declared a Local Biodiversity Heritage Site in 2020. However, no major steps have been taken to conserve the place. As per a report prepared by the district-level technical support group of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board, the island is home to a large number of mangroves belonging to four species. Besides, there are 160 types of flowering plants and nine types of ferns. It is home to 21 species of shrubs, 72 small plants, and 13 creeper plant species. As many as 106 types of butterflies, 89 bird species, 18 types of dragonflies, 18 amphibians, 12 types of reptiles, and five mammal species, are found on the island.

The fest will conclude on Tuesday.