Pathiramanal Island

Remember to stop at the charming island of Pathiramanal during your Kumarakom tour package. Rare migrating birds love to visit the small island noted for its natural beauty.

The place is one of the must places to visit in Kumarakom. A tiny island named Pathiramanal is located in the backwaters of Vembanad Lake. It serves as a favoured resting place for a vast number of migratory birds. The phrase "pathiramanal" in Malayalam means "the sand of midnight". Tourists can go to Pathiramanal in an hour by motor vehicle or auto. The natural beauty they may encounter on the way there may leave a lasting imprint on their memories.

More than 50 migratory bird species and 100 different types of avian life call the island's 28 505 hectares home. Tourists are drawn to the island by its lush vegetation and ferocious landscape. It makes an excellent pit stop after taking a backwater tour in Kumarakom. The island also serves as a fish and prawn nursery. Since there are no accommodations on the island, visitors must depart at the appointed hour by the administration.

History

Prior to that, Chevalier ACM Anthraper bought Pathiramanal Island, and it remained in his private hands until the late 1970s. After the Land Reforms Act was passed in 1979, the property was once again owned by the government. Later, the Department of Tourism received it.

At that time, there were 14 families of labourers living on the island. The property came under government administration with the passage of the Land Reforms Act in the second half of the 20th century. Muhamma Panchayat's 14 homes had new beginnings. Then, the island progressively turned into a refuge for migratory birds.

Flora

This island is home to unusual flora, such as the Aponogeton appendiculatus. The Red Data Book of Indian Plants, published by The Botanical Survey of India, lists this plant as a threatened species. Though in lesser quantities, other unusual plants are also present, including the Macuna gigantean, Flagellaria indica, and mangrove species, including Bruguiera gymnorhiza, Soniratia apetala, and Exoecaria agallocha.

Birdlife at Pathiramanal Island

Tourists can find about 90 different bird species and 30 different butterfly species on the island. On the island, there are roughly 160 plant species, 55 fish species, and 20 types of spiders.

Water birds, primarily members of the cormorant family, now use the island as a roosting location because there are few human disturbances there. The island is also home to Common Teals, Bronze-winged and Pheasant-tailed Jacanas, Stork-billed Kingfishers, Watercocks, Whistling Ducks, Cotton Pygmy Goose, and Whiskered Terns.

Migratory birds from Siberia and Europe love to hang out in the backwaters between the island and the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary.