You might need to wait for a week more to make that boat ride to witness the stunning array of water lilies at Malarikkal, a quaint little village in Kottayam. This natural phenomenon in the paddy fields turns the entire landscape into a luscious pink carpet that is a mesmerizing sight to behold. Thousands are said to assemble at the site of the blooming, situated near Thiruvarppu in Kottayam. With the easing of Covid restrictions, tourists have started arriving to witness the spectacular sight. Currently, the visitors are enjoying the water lilies from the shoreline and happily Instagramming them. They haven’t yet started ferrying people on boats to witness the lilies.
The panchayath district administration has requested the govt to vaccinate the boatmen. It’s in the morning when the lilies are flowering that the visitors start coming. Spread over acres of land, it is a mesmerizing sight. The best part is to ferry on a boat in knee-deep water to photograph the lilies. There used to be over 150 boats for this service. The water lilies will only be there for a month and a half.
When they remove the water for cultivating paddy the lilies will perish. The lily seeds will be under the soil waiting to bloom next year. The village has an estimated 600-700 acres of paddy fields where pink water lilies bloom, this time of the year. Also, the sunset point at Malarikkal is considered one of the ideal spots to enjoy the sunset as well as sunrise.
