Amba Vilas, Palace of
Mysore, is trimmed with thousands of lightbulbs.
A boatman poles his kettuvallam —
“rice boat” — on Vembanadu Lake in
Kerala, South India.
Bas relief temple detail at Mahabalipuram,
Tamil Nadu, India.
Chinese Fishing
It was ages ago that the Chinese brought their dipnet style of fishing to the Malabar Coast. Yet the now-indigenous method is still called “Chinese fishing.” The practice can be seen not far from downtown Kochi (Cochin), at the north end of the peninsula in the Fort Cochin area.
This style of fishing is also practiced in the backwaters south of Kochi — Kayankulam and Asthamudi Lakes. The boatman poled our kettuvallam through the lakes as the sun set. Fishermen worked on their dipnet rigs until dark.
Waters here are heavily fished, as their often meager catches show. The fishing practice goes on, nonetheless.
