Kerala - The God's own country - is famous for its back waters, trekking trails and enchanting beaches. There is a usual tourist circuit in Kerala, which most of the tourist follow. However, Kerala is much more vast and diverse. This article gives insights into the some of the rarely visited, yet fabulous offbeat destinations of Kerala.
Kava Village - Palakkad
Kava is a village located around 6km
from the famous Malampuzha gardens and dam in Palakkad district. Kava
is blessed with beautiful nature and surrounding mountains. However, the main attraction that set Kava apart from other
destinations is the huge cloud formations in this region. The water from
the Malampuzha dam reservoir and the western Ghats surrounding this
area make it a serene place for solo travelers to sit and relax. It is
an excellent place for photography as the huge clouds forms beautiful
patters around the hills.
Andhakaranazhy Village and Beach - Alappuzha
Andhakaranazhy
is located at 4 kilometers from the Pattanakkad in Cherthala Taluk in
Alappuzha District. "Azhy" in Malayalam means a place where the
backwaters meet the ocean. Thick sand sedimentation is formed due to
this phenomenon. Andhakaranazhy is a coastal village and there is good
beach and light house to enjoy an evening. There are also a few Chinese
fishing nets, an icon of Kerala
. The route to Andhakaranazhy via the Thanky - Andhakaranazhy - Pallithode beach road itself is a picturesque trip.
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A Sunset at the Andhakaranazhy
This photo of Andhakaranazhi Beach is courtesy of TripAdvisor |
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Andhakaranazhy Resort
This photo of Andhakaranazhi Beach is courtesy of TripAdvisor | |
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Kallil cave temple - Eranakulam
The “Kallil” temple is an ancient temple
located at the Eranakulam district of Kerala. The nearest towns are
Muvattupuzha, Kothamangalam and Perumbavoor which are located
approximately at 10km from the Kallil temple. The unique feature of
this temple is the huge rock boulder in which the temple is situated.
The name "Kallil" in Malayalam means "In Stone" and due to the rock
boulder, the temple got its name. The a
rcheology
department has estimated that the temple might have been in use from
3rd century BC, and have started as a cave for meditation for Jain
monks. Later it was converted into a Jain temple.
The temple is located at an isolated place on top of a hill. The
surroundings of the temple is quite serene and picturesque. In the
modern times the temple has been converted into the a Durga (Goddes)
temple, however the Jain roots of this temple is indicated by the Jain
deities like Parshvanath, Mahavira and Padmavati devi. Currently the
temple is managed by the Kallil Pisharody family.
Canolly's Plot -Nilambur
Nilambur, a town in Malappuram
district of Kerala houses the oldest teak plantation in the world.
Popularly known as the “Canolly’s Plot” or “Canoli Plot”, this teak
plantation is named after Mr. H.V Conolly who was the Collector of
Malabar during the period of 1841 and 1855. The Nilambur teak plantation
was the brain child of Mr. Canolly. The plantation was completed in
1846 under the supervision of Sri. Ch
athu Nair - A native of Nilambur and an official in forest department.The teak plantation is located at 2km from the Nilambur town, near a
place called Vadapuram. A hanging bridge leads us into the plantation.
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Hanging Bridge to Canoli Plot
By Dpradeepkumar (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0]via Wikimedia Commons
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The plantation spread across an area of 2.3 hectares and open for
visitors throughout the year. One of the main attractions in the
plantation is the oldest teak tree in the world, which has a height of
46meters and girth of 420cm.
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The Teak trees of Canoli Plot
By Vengolis (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
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Nilambur teak is a world renowned wood used
for the building purposes. Sadly, during the World War 2, a huge area
of the teak trees were chopped down to meet the timber requirements of
the allies. The Nilambur teak plantation is a part of the Kerala’s
eco-tourism project.
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The walkway within Canolly's plot
Photo credit: By Vengolis (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
Mattanchery Palace (Dutch Place Museum)
The Mattanchery
Palace, also known as the "Dutch Palace" is located at "Paravur" near
Cochin. The history of the Palace goes like this: Portuguese, who had
strong presence in the central Kerala around the 16th century plundered
and destroyed a temple in the vicinity of Paravur, and hence displeased
the Kochi Raja (King of Cochin). To pacify the King, and as a
compensation the Portuguese built
a
palace and gifted it to the Raja in 1545. However, the name "Dutch
Palace" has come from a later incident. In 1663, the Dutch renovated
this palace and hence known as "Dutch Palace".
The palace is built in
the traditional Kerala "Nalukettu" architecture blended with Dutch
style. Currently the Palace is converted into a museum and run by the
Archaeological survey of India. Many artifacts related to the Kings of
Cochin are displayed in the palace. However, the most striking exhibits
of the palace is a large collection of Mural paintings on the walls.
Many scenes from the Hindu mythology and religion are depicted in these
brightly colored murals. The central courtyard of the palace houses a
shrine of "Shree Pazhayannur Bhagavathi (the Goddess of Pazhayannur)" -
the tutelary deity of the royal family.
From outside the palace looks
quite simple however the interiors are very elegant with richly carved
wooden works and huge rooms. The murals add to the charm of the palace.
The palace is opened for visitors all days except Friday from 10:00am to
5:00pm
14th Century Jain Temple – Sulthan Bathery, Wayanad
Kerala
has a few Jain temples dating between 9th and 15th century AD. Jainism
got patronage from the Chera Kings of Mahodayapuram (near Kodungallur)
and Ay Kings of South Kerala. The Jain temple of Sulthan Bathery dates
back to 14th century. It is granite structure with beautifully carved
pillars and separate Namaskara Mandapa in front of the main Shrine. In
olden days Sulthan Bath
ery was known as
“Ganapathivattom” .
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Jain temple front side
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Destiny had much more in store for this Jain temple.
After the years Jainism declined in Kerala, it was converted into a
popular spot for commercial trade. Later Tipu Sultan of Mysore took
control of this temple and converted it into a storage place of
ammunition (battery) for his marching armies. Hence the town was named
“Sulthan’s Battery” and later colloquially known as Sulthan Bathery.
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Jain Temple Sulthan Bathery - Back side
By Joseph Lazer (Own work) [CC BY-SA 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons
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Meesappulimala Trekking - Idukki
Meesappulimala is located
at 33km from Munnar. Standing high at 2,640meters Meesappulimala is the
second highest peak in South India. It is a part of the Western Ghats of
India stretching from Maharashtra to Kerala. Western Ghats is a rich
bio diversity belt, which has been declared as a world heritage site by
UNESCO. There are trekking programs to Meesappulimala arranged by the
Kerala Forest Departm
ent(KFDC). There
are package treks of one and half day, including the night stays at the
picturesque Sky cottage or the Rhodo Valley cottage.
The base camp of
Meesappulimala is located at silent valley, and from Munnar one can get
Jeeps arranged to take you to the silent valley base camp. The sky
cottage located in a very secluded place however there was no issue
reported. Meesappulimala trek is a hard one, covering almost 25
kilometers in two and fro. A word of caution - be prepared for adventure
and make sure you take extreme care while ascending and descending.
Daramadam Island
Darmadam Island is a five acre wide land
visible from the famous Muzhuppilangadu beach of Thalassery, Kannur. The
view of the Darmadam island from the beach is mesmerizing especially
during the sunset.
The Darmadam island is accessible through the
Darmadam beach located at 6 km from Thalassery. The island has a single
well, which surprisingly contains drinking water. Those who seek for
adventure can also walk throu
gh the sea
towards the Darmadam Island.
However, care should be taken to walk only
during the times of low tide. Never attempt to walk to the island
without the supervision of a guide and make sure you return before the
tide gets high.
Pakshipathalam, Brahmagiri Hills – Wayanad
Pakshipathalam is
a series of caves located at 7km from Thirunelli, in the Wayanad
district of Kerala. Pakshipathalam is noted for its unique eco system
and is the bird watcher’s paradise.
Pakshipathalam is
situated at the Bramhagiri hills at an elevation of 1740m above sea
level and at a distance of 66 km from Kalpetta -the district
headquarters.
The word “Pakshipathalam” in
Malayalam means the “abyss of birds” where “Pakshi” means bird and
“Pathalam” means abyss. As the name suggests, one can sport a large
number of bird species here. There is al
so
a part where the roof of the cave is completely covered with bats. This
is an ideal place for the adventurous trekkers. One needs special permission from the authorities to trek
to Pakshipathalam. They also would assign a guide for the trek.
Anchuthengu Fort and beach (Anjego Fort)
The Anchuthengu Fort
and beach is located at just 12km from the famous Varkala beach in the
district of Thiruvananthapuram. (Trivandrum is the state capital of
Kerala). It is located around 50km from Trivandrum main city.
Anchuthengu was called by British – Anjengo. Anchu-thengu in Malayalam
means five coconut trees. This modest fort originally made of laterite
rocks has great historical value
in the
events lead to British rule in Kerala. Anchuthengu Fort was constructed
in 1695 by East India Company with the permission of the Rani of
Attingal.
It was the first ever fort built in Kerala by British. Even
though the fort is not very elaborate, it offers a 360 degree breath
taking view of the ocean at one side and the back waters on other side
with array of coconut trees. Anchuthengu beach is a non-polluted beach
which is ideal for an evening walk or water sports.
Koyikkal Palace
Koyikkal Palace is destination for architecture lovers as well as those
who are interested in archeology and Numismatics. It is an ancient palace
built in traditional Kerala style circa 1684. It is situated at 18km
from the Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum is the state capital of Kerala)
in a place called Nedumangad. The architecture style is known as
Nālukettu, where there are four blocks of the house in all the four
directions and joining
at a central and
open courtyard known as “Nadumuttom”. Koyikkal Palace is a grand double
storied Nalukettu which houses two exquisite museums.
One is the
folklore museum which houses some of the ancient and rare musical
instruments of Kerala like Chandravalayam and Nanthuni. There is also
ancient house hold items, jewelry and other artifacts used in ancient
Kerala. Another one is the Numismatics (coin) Museum. It houses some of
the rare of rarest coins from throughout the world. It has ancient
Kerala coins like “Ottaputhan”, “Erattaputhen” ,”Kaliyugarayan Panam”.
“Karsha” is an Indian coin which is around 2500 years old and has an
immeasurable archeological importance and value.
Anayirakal(Anayirangal) dam
Anayirakal(Anayirangal) dam is located at 28km from Munnar on the
way to Thekkady. Anayirankal dam is spread across the tea plantation and
ever green forests. There are many small islands in the water; some of
them only emerge during the summer season. There is a fairly good road
reaching till the dam site. One can reach near the banks of the dam
through small trails in the tea plantation. This are is particularly
picturesque with t
he clear water, green islands and the Western Ghats standing as a fort around this artificial lake.
Anayirankal dam is comparatively an offbeat destination as the regular
tourists mostly conclude their Idukki visit with Munnar and Thekkady.
There is an interesting story behind the name of this Dam.
Anayirangal(ആനയിറങ്ങല്) in Malayalam means “Elephants come down” – may
be for drinking water in the Dam. There are many tribal settlements in
the islands of Anayirangal dam.
There is no regular boat service
available to reach these islands. It is a perfect picnic spot with
serene atmosphere, fog and cool wind. One word of caution, the water may
seem inviting, but make sure you do not enter into deep waters even if
you are good at swimming. There are no sign boards indicating the depth
of water and other possible dangers.
Very good description of places to visit. I am a nature lover and definitely will visit the Canoli plot if I make my way ti kerala in two weeks time. Thank you.
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