Ilveezhapoonchira

Ilaveezhapoonchira

It is one of the comparatively virginal tourist destinations in Kerala and it is located at distance of 55 km from Kottayam and 20 km from Thodupuzha. Many visitors have found it an ideal tourist spot, especially the trekkers. It is situated 3200 feet above sea level. November – March is the season.

At the spot you can view four hillocks and between them a verdant valley. Atop of one of these hills, Kudayathoor Vindhyan, one can view large parts of Idukki, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta and Thrissur districts; it also offers excellent views of sunrise and sunset.

According to a legend, the Pandavas had a sojourn here during their life incognito. Their wife, Draupadi, came to take a bath at a lake, which was here at that time. Some devas, bewitched by her beauty, tried to satisfy their voyeuristic itch. King of devas, Lord Indra, came to know about what was going on, and built screens or hills heaping flowers and prevented them from indulging in such a practice. And the pond thus became a dam isolated by floral hills. Since there were no trees around the bund it was always free of leaves and so it was called Ilaveezhapoonchira or the floral bund where the leaves never fall. Some say that the name comes from the fact that it is always windy at the place and hence the leaves are carried away. But today, there is no bund at the spot, although during the monsoons the valley laps up water and forms a scenic lake and unveiling another facet of the place.

Location: Only 55 km from Kottayam.