Tuesday, January 30, 2018

One Thousand Places to visit in Kerala : Part I Ten amazing spots in Trivandrum

Most of the travelers prefer spots around City. But most of the scenic beauty lies away from city in small villages and hillocks. Whenever we'r gone to visit a place we use to ask your local friends to give details about spot to visit. Most of this are not that much known to outside world. Now I going to give you some information about some such spot in Thiruvananthapuram dist of Kerala.



1 Poovar

   Its a small village with is almost the southern tip of Kerala. With its rich history and excellent landscape has made it into this list.Its an ideal location for a quiet holiday in spectacular natural surrounding with sea, backwaters and  island. 
sky - sea - sand - backwaters - boat - bird - trees - island floating homes

2 Peppara Dam & Wildlife Sanctuary

   Its a fascinating spot with its dam, thick forest, rocky terrain and crystal clear water which make its an ideal spot for adventure expedition.  Herds of elephants, gaurs,sambar,barking deer, and wild boar can be seen here. Peppara dam is where the sanctuary got  its name and trek gives one a gorgeous panoramic view of entire valley. 
Peppara dam


3 Ajengo/Anchuthengu Fort
   Constructed in 1699 for signaling ship from England by British East India Company. This fort has a great history of a gift consisting of coconut tree and opposing colonial powers. Locals said the place got its name because of the five coconut trees that were originally on it when the property was gifted to the British by the Queen of Attingal. 
Fort Anjengo


4 Agasthyakoodam
   Second highest peak in Kerala has long been known as a bird watcher's paradise and may gather here to catch sight of exotic birds. The mountain is revered by both Buddhists and Hindus, as it is believed to be the abode of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara as well as of the sage Agastya, a disciple of Shiva.
Agasthyakoodam അഗസ്ത്യകൂടം മലനിരകള്‍

5 Aruvi Waterfalls
   Located 60 KMs away from Thiruvananthapuram near Bonecaud estate. Falls is situated in thick forest of in the Peppara forest range. This four feet cascade is one of the most verdant and untouched spots in Kerala. Assessable only on foot the location of this waterfall is a trekkers' paradise provides and there are several trekking trails.


Green Flow Paal aruvi

6 Akkulam Tourist Village
    Akkulam Tourist Village is constructed where the native lagoon amalgamates with the Arabian Sea and the area is dotted with fish ponds, wading pools and beautiful landscaped garden.It is a picnic spot that is set along the banks of the lake Akkulam. Village has a boat club, a well-equipped children's park, snack bar and a paddle pool and a swimming. 
Akkulam Tourist Village


7 Thiruvallam
   Famous for its canoe ride this backwater destination location is really a beauty in all means. The backwaters are formed by Killi and Karamana rivers that come together at Thiruvallam. There is also a beautiful beach. Here we find one of the most ancient temples of South India and the only temple in Kerala dedicated to Lord Parasurama, Thiruvallam Sree Parasurama Swami Temple.


Sunset at Thiruvallam

8 Meenmutty Falls, Thiruvananthapuram
   The falls are located near the Neyyar Reservoir area. Visitors have to trek nearly 2 Kms through dense forest in order to reach this falls. This is also one of the untouched spots in Kerala.A very beautiful fall with wonderful surroundings.
MeenMutty FallsPristine waters..





Now lets some places which are much more visited and explores than this places. Before going further you must known that Thiruvananthapuram or trivandrum was the capital of princely state of Thrivithamkoor from 1745. It has a history dating back from 1000BCE. So there are lots of Palace, Place of Workship and Museums. Lets see some of those and some outside the dist: mainly in Kanayakumari Dist of Tamil Nadu which is adjacent to Trivandrum.

1 Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple
   A famous Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu, located in the Fort Area of City. Sree Padmanabhaswamy is the tutelary deity of the royal family of Travancore. The temple is built in an intricate fusion of the indigenous Kerala style and the Tamil style of architecture. The temple is famous for having a secret vault that no human can ever open easily.
Outside of Hindu Temple in Trivandrum   Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple, Thiruvananthapuram

2 Ponmudi
   Its a hill station at an altitude of 1100m north-east of Thrivananthapuram city. Ponmudi,  Golden Crown in Malayalam, is part of the Western Ghats mountain range. Ponmudi surrounded by scenic beauty of  hills, winding streamsnatural springstea estates and spice plantations
ponmudi_view    Ponmudi

3  Neyyar Dam and Wildlife Sanctuary
    Neyyar Dam built over Neyyar River is located within the Wildlife Sanctuary. Famous for its Lion and Deer Safari, Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary is a treat for nature enthusiasts. The dam creates a huge lake and dense growth of plants around, there is a crocodile reserve, deer and elephant rehab, etc

Neyyar Dam 1Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary

4 Kovalam
   This is one of the famous beach in Kerala, even in south India. Literally filled with endless sight of coconut trees beyond the beach area and e route to beach. At the southern end of beach there is a lighthouse with a viewing platform which offers a spectacular view of Kovalam.  

Beach 4into the deep blue sea.... Vizhinjam Mosque.

Monday, January 29, 2018

Mesmerizing Kerala:Five things to see


What is so peculiar about Kerala? Many have asked me. In this post I am giving you 5 mesmerizing things you will never want to miss in Kerala.
1.Elephants
Elephants are seen in many places in the world. But Kerala is peculiar with people loving elephants,giving names and even religions to elephants.For a brief idea of famous elephants of Kerala see the nice article, Also any festival of Kerala is incomplete without elephants.See this video of a festival in kerala.
2.Beaches Kerala has a vast coastal line and hence many enchanting beaches.You can enjoy the the tantalizing beauty of the setting sun in the shore of these beaches. photo by the famous photographer Ryan used under a creative commons licence.


Kovalam beach scene Azhikode Beach 3.Backwaters Kerala has very beautiful backwater rides. You can enjoy the mesmarizing beauty of this state booking a boat and Riding. see below some beautiful photos of Kerala Backwaters. Alleppey Backwaters Kerala 2013 4. hills and mountain rides Any visitor in Kerala is thrilled by the scenic beauty of the mountains of western Ghat.You can have many places like Munnar , Vagamon,Ponmudi ,Idukki etc. to enjoy these. See the photos below. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Ponmudi 5.Temples Kerala has a very rich spiritual tradition. From north to south,east to west,Many divine temples adore kerala. The art on the temple walls as well as the architectural beauty of these temples are excellent. Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple, Thiruvananthapuram Anantha-Sayanam In my next post we will explore kerala further.