A rain-kissed morning was the perfect premise to set foot at Mudapuram. Scores of Reels and shorts on social media were reason enough to land up at this sleepy village near Chirayinkeezhu, located about 30 kilometres from Thiruvananthapuram city. People have been flocking here to watch and click photos at the tree house, named Mudapurathe Onakkudil (Onam hut of Mudapuram), erected at the centre of the paddy field that stretches as far as eyes could see. To complement the setting, there are marigold plants with yellow and orange blooms grown on two sides of the canal that runs through the field.

The tree house has a backstory to it, says Ajeesh Ramdas, president of Mudapuram Residents’ Association (MUDRA), which maintains the structure. “Last year, a month before Onam, a group of youngsters from here had put up a hut made of bamboo and thatched with palm leaves in the middle of the field. They had planned it as a setting to take photographs during Onam. But the same night it was destroyed by someone. Anti-social elements had been causing troubles for quite sometime and that incident was the last straw. So we decided to revive the then-defunct residents’ association and construct a permanent structure,” says Ajeesh, who runs a construction company, Iron Mode.

His company sponsored the construction of a permanent structure with metal frame and tiled roof. “We opened it on Atham (first day of 10-day Onam festival) day last year itself. Social media gave us a lot of traction. This year, we have gone a step ahead and planted marigold plants to attract more people,” says Sumesh MS, joint secretary of MUDRA.

Subin S, secretary of MUDRA, who led the effort to plant marigolds on a half kilometre stretch using mulching sheets, says, “We got around 3000 saplings via Kudumbashree and the planting started in June. Since we residents were finding it difficult to do it alone, we sought the help of women who work under Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission. But the real challenge was when we lost a lot of plants because of a pest attack, which we are still fighting.”

Meanwhile, on the paddy field, covering around eight acres, farming is carried out by different people, who have formed a collective called Thengumvila Padasekhara Samithi, comprising 30-plus members. “The field was lying unused for quite some time. A few of us came together, took it on lease from the owners and started cultivation. The harvest was so good that the owners themselves evinced interest to take up farming the following year,” Ajeesh says.

However, the paddy plants you see now were not planted by the Samithi. “They have come up from the grains that fell off the stalks during harvest,” Sumesh says.

Thengumvila Bhagavathy Temple, located close to the field, also cultivates paddy on a few cents. As has been the practice, the Temple gets to harvest the produce first. Also, during Onam, the first swing in the region is put up at the temple.

MUDRA office-bearers unanimously say that there has been tremendous support and encouragement from several quarters to put Mudapuram on tourism map. Eight park benches installed by the roadside close to the field have been sponsored by eight people. Ajeesh adds, “We have been planning to install CCTV cameras and when I put forward the budget required, we collected the amount within a couple of days.”

Among those who support the initiative are Thengumvila Temple Trust, SNDP Yogam, Government UP School, Thengumvila Padasekhara Samithi and the residents from in and around Mudapuram who work or live abroad. Kizhuvalam panchayat and agriculture office have also extended helping hand, they say.

Plans are in place to start flower cultivation on permanent basis. The residents are also exploring the possibility of removing the wild growth and cleaning the deep chira (bund) at one end of the field and launch a country boat. “We hope to bring in more development and increase tourist footfall by next year,” the office bearers say.

How to reach: Follow Google Map by typing Mudapuram Onakkudil.

Published - August 20, 2026 09:57 am IST