
ABOUT OUR RIVERSIDE CHÂTEAU
“Cranganor History Café & Riverside Château”is a labour of love. Rasmi, Vineeth & their daughters Tanvi & Tia moved to Kerala in 2017 to give shape to the place they had been dreaming about for years. Rasmi & Vineeth are MBA’s from IIM Bangalore and XLRI Jamshedpur respectively and between them have almost three decades of experience working at large corporations in various metros in India. Rasmi’s connection with the region began in 2011 when her work in the area of conserving and revitalizing the traditional craft of handloom in Kerala brought her to the village across the river, Chendamangalam, one of the traditional centres of excellence of a craft that is now quickly perishing. For Vineeth, this is the region of his ancerstral village and he has fond memories of numerous summer vacations spent here as a kid back in the 70’s & 80's and etched in his mind are the picturesque rivers & backwaters, the serene beauty of temples, the games kids played, fishing & food. As a child, he remembers hearing adults talk about Vanchinaad, the old Chera capital that existed here two millennia ago and of the legend of the ancient port city of Muziris. Cranganor History Café & Riverside Château is located in the region of this old port city, which historians and archaeologists are now uncovering to be ancient India’s gateway to civilizations with a history dating back more than 3 millennia. By the 1st Century BC, the Chinese, Arabs, Jews, Greeks and Romans were already trading spices here. In the 2nd Century AD, the Portuguese, Dutch and the British arrived, initially to trade and soon were part of the internal power struggles between Travancore, Kochi, Calicut and the Mysore kingdoms. All of them have left their imprints on the region.
WHEN TO VISIT
Kerala has something to offer all year-round. However, the highest tourist traffic begins as the main monsoons subside and the climate is cooler from September till February. The summer season from March to May and the main monsoons from June to August see relatively lower tourist traffic; but the monsoon is also when the rivers are full, nature bountiful and the views most enchanting. Monsoon is also the cheapest season to visit Kerala and get Ayurvedic treatments. We provide lower rates and discounts during this period and you can save on air tickets too.
