Mudaliarkuppam Boat House
Mudaliarkuppam Boat House (Tamil: முதலியார்குப்பம் படகுக் குழாம்), also known as Raindrop Boat House, is a water sport facility located on the East Coast Road, 36 km to the south of Mamallapuram and 92 km from Chennai. It was developed by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation on the Odiyur lake back waters.[1] It has rowing, cruising, speed boating, waters cooting and kayaking facilities.[2]
In 2007, Mudhaliarkuppam Boat House became the first of the eight boat houses of Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation to offer water scooters. The boat house organises motor boat trips to the beach island located in the Odiyur lake.[3]
Mudaliarkuppam attracts of tourists from all parts of the country. It is located in the district of Kanchipuram, 92 km from Chennai and 36 km down Mamallapuram on ECR (East Coast Road). Mudaliarkuppam is an incredible tourist destination. Visitors and tourists visit this place alike, to while away their time on the choicest array of row boats, pedal boats and motorboats. The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation undertakes and preserves this unusual boating house.
In fact, Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation came up with new ideas and policies to make it even more attractive. Recently, they have launched a special boat riding facility at its Raindrop Boat House in Mudaliarkuppam. It is called kayak, the one-seater boat. At present there are fifty-four varieties of boats. The Boat rides include two/Four-seater pedalling boats,Two/Four seater Rowing Boats, Speedboats, Motorboats and one-seater Kayaks(Self Rowing). Special boat races are organised every year within this vast spread of backwater. College and university students participate here with great enthusiasm and unison. There is an island approximately 4 km from the Raindrop Boat House, in the expanse of the waters in Mudaliarkuppam.
Tourists are allowed to spend some time in the island and tents are available for this purpose. There is a snackbar where one can have light refreshments,beverages. Lunch and other refreshments are prepared against orders in advance. In order to enjoy the famed boating bonanza, tourists need to pay a specific amount of money, depending on the type of boat and duration of time. At present, it is recorded that Mudaliarkuppam attracts an approximate decent crowd of five hundred to Thousand tourists on Sundays and other holidays.Two new six seater Banana Boats are expected to be put for tourists use from December onwards.
Fauna
This is a very good birding area where one can see: whitebellied seaeagle, osprey, Indian skimmer, slender billed gull, brahminy kite, brown headed gull, painted stork and stone curlew. There are also jackal, Indian hare, Bengal monitor, sea fans, turtles and Russel's viper
This Boat House could be visited throughout the year.
Mudaliarkuppam backwaters
Mudaliarkuppam backwaters is a brackish water lagoon adjacent to the Bay of Bengal on the East Coast Road. This is yet another haven for wading birds and migratory ducks.
The habitat consists of coastal water mudflats, sand banks and salt pans.
Highlights: Hundreds of greater flamingos can be spotted here throughout the year. Thousands of migratory ducks, terns and waders can also be spotted during winter months.
The resident birds seen here include little cormorant, spot-billed pelican, little grebe, common kingfisher, pied kingfisher, white-breasted kingfisher, little green or striated heron, pond heron and red-wattled lapwing.
Some of the winter migrants seen here are greater flamingo, Kentish plover, lesser sand plover, Pacific golden plover, grey plover, common sandpiper, curlew sandpiper, Eurasian curlew, osprey, little stint, Temminck's stint, black-tailed godwit, common redshank, greenshank, common tern, little tern, whiskered tern, gull-billed tern, Caspian tern, brown-headed gull, Pallas's gull, slender-billed gull, painted stork, openbill stork and grey heron. Thousands of Eurasian wigeon, northern pintail, and northern shoveller also use the backwaters.
See also
References
- ↑ "'Banana Boats' introduced at Mudaliarkuppam to woo tourists". The Hindu. 15 August 2008. Retrieved 15 Jan 2012.
- ↑ "TTDC to introduce speedboat at Mudaliarkuppam on Sunday". The Hindu. 23 January 2009. Retrieved 15 Jan 2012.
- ↑ "TTDC to strengthen boat houses". The Hindu. 1 August 2011. Retrieved 15 Jan 2012.
Coordinates: 12°21′08″N 80°03′44″E / 12.352128°N 80.062163°E
