Alappuzha, the smallest district of Kerala, known as the Venice of the East

Background

Alappuzha is the smallest district of Kerala and has a contiguous coastline of 82 km.
The place is called the 'Venice of the East', an expression credited to Lord Curzon, the then Viceroy.
The present town owes its existence to Diwan Rajakesavadas in the second half of the 18th century.
Kuttanad, the rice bowl of Kerala, lies below sea level.
Water bodies make up 13% of the district, and it has no high land or forest area.