[5] Later in the 16th and 17th centuries, the town flourished as an important hub for trading spices with various European powers including the Dutch and the Portuguese.

Under the rule of Raja Kesavadas, a port was constructed and canals for transport were laid throughout the city, and the town experienced rapid development.

However, by the late 18th century, the region had come under British rule and experienced a decline in its status as a centre for commerce and culture.

The town is famous for its waterways and backwaters, and has been described as the "Venice of the East" for the small canals winding through its historic centre.

Its also known as the Tarshish land of Kerala[7] It plays a role as one of the primary access points for the annual Nehru Trophy Boat Race during the festival of Onam.

[12] The present Alappuzha district comprises six taluks, namely Cherthala, Ambalappuzha, Kuttanad, Karthikappally, Chengannur and Mavelikkara.

Kuttanad, the rice bowl of Kerala, with its paddy fields, small streams and canals with lush green coconut palms, was well known even from the early periods of the Sangam age.

It is generally believed that he landed at Maliankara in Muziris Port, presently known as Cranganore or Kodungallur, in 52 AD and preached Christianity in South India.

The literary work `Ascharya Choodamani`, a Sanskrit drama written by Sakthibhadran, a scholar of Chengannur, enables us to know many pertinent facts.

They built many factories and warehouses for storing pepper and ginger, relying on several treaties signed between the Dutch and the Rajas of Purakkad, Kayamkulam and Karappuram.

His Nair consort was given gifts and presents and special allowances from the Travancore government in recognition of his services to the state while his own descendants were bestowed with the honorific title of Dalawa.

One of the five subordinate courts opened in the state in connection with the reorganization of the judicial system by Colonel George Monro was located at Mavelikkara.

He constructed two parallel canals for bringing goods to port from backwaters and offered infrastructural facilities to merchants and traders from Surat, Mumbai and Kutch to start industrial enterprises, trading, and cargo centres.

Kesavadas built three ships for trade with Calcutta and Bombay, and alleppey afforded a convenient depot for the storage and disposal of goods produce in the east.

This annual shifting of sandbank appears during the post-monsoon period and contributes to the local economy and is a festive season for the people of Kerala.

The annual floods rejuvenate and cleanse the soil and water due to which there is abundance of marine life like prawns, lobsters, fishes, turtles and other flora in the sea.

The backwaters and wetlands host thousands of migrant common teal, ducks and cormorants every year who reach here from long distances.

[14] Owing to its proximity to the sea, the climate of Alappuzha is humid and hot during the summer, although it remains fairly cool and pleasant during the months of October and November.

The City spreads over Alappuzha municipality and the outgrowths of Punnapra and Kalarcode villages with an area of 65.57 km2 (25.32 sq mi) and population density of 3,675 persons per square kilometre.

During the Portuguese and Dutch invasions of the 16th and 18th centuries, many Konkanis migrated southwards to Thuravoor, Cherthala and Alappuzha in the state of Travancore as well as other places in Kerala like Cochin, Kodungalloor, and Kollam.

[33] The availability of raw materials and the existence of backwaters and canals suitable for the getting of green husk and accessibility of transportation are the main factors of the development of this industry.

Coir is the most important commodity manufactured in Alappuzha, Kayamkulam, Kokkothamangalam, Komalapuram, Mannancherry, Muhamma and Vayalar.

In earlier times, the reclamation was done mainly from the shallow part of the Vembanad Lake or from the periphery of river Pamba.

The Pattom Proclamation, made by the Travancore Kingdom in the year 1865, gave a great boost to the reclamation activities between 1865 and 1890.

During this period, in order to increase the agricultural output, government initiated a Grow More Food campaign and provided incentives to encourage new reclamations.

KSRTC buses connect Alappuzha with, among other places, Banglore, Mysore, Kollur, Mangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Thiruvananthapuram, and Thiruvalla.

Alappuzha is linked by Ernakulam–Kayamkulam coastal railway line and connects to cities like Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kochi, Coimbatore, Chennai, Delhi, Bokaro and Mumbai.

Since Alappuzha is a prime destination, trains from important cities like Delhi, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Mangalore, Kozhikode and Amritsar pass through this station.

[citation needed] Under the local self-government system, the district is divided into five statutory towns and development blocks consisting of 71 panchayats.

In 1952, when Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, visited Kerala, the people of Alleppey decided to give a special entertainment for their prestigious guest and conducted a snake boat race.