Gorgeous water lilies have taken over the backwaters of Kottayam, throwing tourists an irresistible bait. Visitors have started trickling in to catch a glimpse of the sun rising over a sea of pink blooms. Cashing in, Malarikkal village, the epicentre of the bloom, has launched preparations to organise a tourism festival. The event, which will coincide with the upcoming Onam season, is being organised by the Meenachil-Meenanthara-Kodoor river relinking programme, in association with the Thiruvarppu panchayat, and the Malarikkal tourism society.
According to K. Anil Kumar, convenor of the river relinking programme, the festival will be held in about 1,000 acres of paddy fields in the village's interiors. Boats will be made available for ferrying tourists to the flowering locations, which are best visited before 10 a.m.
