Edakkal Caves

The caves contain drawings that range over periods from as early as 5000 BC to 1000 BC. Recently the youngest group of paintings were in the news for a possible connection to the Indus Valley Civilization^[6][7][8].
Historian M.R. Raghava Varier of the Kerala state archaeology department identified a sign “a man with jar cup” that is the most distinct motif of the Indus valley civilization^[9]. The finding made in 2009 September indicates that the Harappan civilization was active in the region. Interestingly, the “a man with jar cup” symbol from Edakkal seems to be more similar to the Indus motif than those already known from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Mr. Varier said “The discovery of the symbols are akin to that of the Harappan civilisation having predominantly Dravidian culture and testimony to the fact that cultural diffusion could take place. It is wrong to presume that the Indus culture disappeared into thin air.” The scholar of Indus and the Tamil Brahmi scripts, Mr. Iravatham Mahadevan said the findings were very significant called it a "major discovery".

Silent Valley National Park

The area is locally known as "Sairandhrivanam" literally, in Malayalam: Sairandhri's Forest. In local Hindu legend, Sairandhri is Draupadi, the polyandrous wife of the five Pandavas, who disguised herself as Sairandhri, queen Sudeshna's assistant, while they were in exile.[4] The Pandavas, deprived of their kingdom, set out on a 14-year exile. They wandered south, into what is now Kerala, until one day they came upon a magical valley where rolling grasslands met wooded ravines, a deep green river bubbled its course through impenetrable forest, where at dawn and twilight the tiger and elephant would drink together at the water's edge, where all was harmonious and man unknown. Beside that river, in a cave on a hill slope, the Pandavas halted.

The first English investigation of the watersheds of the Silent Valley area was in 1847 by the botanist Robert Wight.[1] The British named the area Silent Valley because of a perceived absence of noisy Cicadas. Another story attributes the name to the anglicisation of Sairandhri. A third story, refers to the presence there of many Lion-Tailed Macaques Macaca silenus.[5] In 1914 the forest of the Silent Valley area was declared a Reserve Forest, however, from 1927 to 1976 portions of the Silent Valley forest area were subjected to forestry operations. In 1928 the location on the Kunthipuzha River at Sairandhri was identified as an ideal site for electricity generation and in 1958 a study and survey of the area was conducted and a hydroelectric project of 120 MV costing Rs. 17 Crore was proposed by the Kerala State Electricity Board.

Vega Land Amusement Park in kerala

Step into Veega Land, South India's unique amusement park, and you are into a world of non-stop fun and adventure. Situated on the top of a hill, this amusement park is veritably designed to give ultimate fun extravaganza for all ages. The amusement park is located at Pallikara, a beautiful hilly area just 12 Kms away from Kochi city. The park offers a perfect get away for unwinding oneself at a cost that is affordable for all sections. The natural beauty, panoramic view of the surroundings, fresh air and fun-filled adventure makes a

good formula for transforming one?s leisure into an unforgettable experience. The park has now become the most sought after fun destination for youngsters in Kerala and neighboring states. The park also offers special rates for students.

So, don't delay in reaching this exciting amusement park of Kerala..enjoy the variety of its land and water rides, featuring state-of-the-art technology that brings you world-class facilities and options for fun and adventure. Be it the Wave Pool, Wonder Splash, Fun Glides, Rapid River, Bullet Rides, Magic Carpet, Dragon Twister, Caterpillar Ride, Musical Fountain or Ammu Kids naughty elephant friend each and every aspect of Veega Land is an experience of its own. Ideally tucked away from the mad rush and alarming levels of traffic noise and situated on a hill, Veega Land offers a blanket of fresh air with lots of green environs, just perfect for your spirits to soar high.

Ponmudi Hill Station

The salubrious hill station of Ponmudi is at a distance of 61 kms from Thiruvananthapuram. The enchanting bounty of nature can be witnessed here in the quiet surroundings.
Perched at an altitude of over 100 m above sea level on the Western Ghats, the shimmering green waters of the winding streams and verdant woods of Ponmudi do not spare anybody. Trekking is a passion with the visitors to Ponmudi, lying within easy driving distance from Thiruvananthapuram.

One will find oneself compulsively pausing every now and then to drink in deep the spectacular sweep of the hill ranges, tea-estates and the mist-covered valleys, peppered with little toy-like stone cottages painted a pretty violet, pink, or white with pointed and peaked roofs.

How To Get There - Ponmudi
It takes 2 hours by road, driving 65 kms northeast from Thiruvananthapuram, to get to Ponmudi. Bus services are frequent.

Places To Stay - Ponmudi
Accommodation can be availed at Government Tourist Complex. The Complex consists of a guesthouse with 24 rooms, and ten small stone cottages sitting on the hillside named after famous Himalayan peaks.

Prime Attractions of Ponmudi
Varkala Beach
Aaranmula Boat Race

Varkala beach in kerala

Varkala (Malayalam  is a coastal town and municipality in Thiruvananthapuram district situated in the Indian state of Kerala. It is located 50 kilometres (approx. 32 miles) north-west of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) and 37 km south-west of Kollam city.

Varkala is the only place in southern Kerala where cliffs are found adjacent to the Arabian Sea.[1] These tertiary sedimentary formation cliffs are a unique geological feature on the otherwise flat Kerala coast, and is known among geologists as Varkala Formation and a geological monument as declared by the Geological Survey of India. There are numerous water spouts and spas on the sides of these cliffs.

Varkala is also famous for the 2,000-year old Janardana Swami Temple which is an important Vaishnavaite shrine in India and is often referred to as Dakshin Kashi (Benares of the South). The temple is located close to the Papanasam beach, which is considered to have holy waters which wash away sins, and is also an important Ayurveda treatment centre. The temple has an ancient bell removed from a shipwreck, donated by the captain of the Dutch vessel which sank near Varkala without causing any casualties.

Another major landmark in Varkala is the Sivagiri Mutt, established by the social reformer Sree Narayana Guru. The hill-top mausoleum of Sree Narayana Guru is one of the most famous monuments in Kerala. The adjacent hills house the East-West University of Brahmavidya and Sree Narayana Gurukulam.

It is believed that a Pandyan King was instructed by Lord Brahma to build a temple at this very place to redeem him of his sins. But several other myths abound on the birth of Varkala. Another legend goes like this - when a group of pilgrims approached Saint Narada and told him that they had sinned, Narada threw his valkalam ( a loin cloth made from the bark of a tree) and it landed at this scenic village and hence, the place came to be known as Varkala. Narada told the pilgrims to pray for their redemption at Papanasam, which literally means redemption from sins.[2]

Paradesi Synagogue in kerala

The Paradesi Synagogue is the oldest active[1] synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations,[2] located in Kochi, Kerala, in South India. It was built in 1568 by the Malabar Yehudan people or Cochin Jewish community in the Kingdom of Cochin. Paradesi is a word used in several Indian languages, and the literal meaning of the term is "foreigners", applied to the synagogue because it was historically used by "White Jews", a mixture of Jews from Cranganore, the Middle East, and European exiles. It is also referred to as the Cochin Jewish Synagogue or the Mattancherry Synagogue. The synagogue is located in the quarter of Old Cochin known as Jew Town,[2] and is the only one of the seven synagogues in the area still in use. The complex has four buildings. It was built adjacent to the Mattancherry Palace temple on the land gifted to the Malabari Yehuden community by the Raja of Kochi, Rama Varma. The Mattancherry Palace temple and the Mattancherry synagogue share a common wall.

The Malabari Jews formed a prosperous trading community of Kerala, and they controlled a major portion of world wide spice trade. In 1568, the Jews of Kerala constructed the Paradesi Synagogue adjacent to Mattancherry Palace, Cochin, now part of the Indian city of Ernakulam, on land given to them by Paraja, the Raja of Kochi. The original synagogue was built in the 4th century in Kodungallur (Cranganore) when the Jews had a mercantile role in the South Indian region along the Malabar coast now called Kerala. It was later moved to Kochi from Kodungallur.

The first synagogue of the Malabari Jews in Cochin was destroyed in the Portuguese persecution of the Malabari Jews and Nasrani people of Kerala in the 16th century. The second synagogue, built under the protection of the Raja of Cochin along with Dutch patronage, is the present synagogue. It is called Paradesi synagogue because it was built with Dutch patronage at a time when Kochi was under Dutch occupation, thus the name paradesi synagogue or "foreign synagogue".

In 1968, the synagogue celebrated its 400th anniversary in a ceremony attended by Indira Gandhi, the Indian Prime Minister.

Vembanad Lake in kerala

Vembanad Lake is at the heart of Kerala Backwaters tourism with hundreds of kettuvallams crisscrossing it and numerous resorts nestling on its banks. The Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is located on the east coast of the lake. The lake is famous for its scenic beauty and has become a major tourist attraction.

The Vembanad Wetland system has formed an intricate network of estuaries, lagoons and canals which spans over 196 km in the northsouth and 29 km in the east-west directions. Almost all villages in these areas can be accessed via water transport. The major rivers of Muvattupuzha, Meenachil, Pamba and Achencovil rivers, are all navigable up to distances of about 30 km upstream in the tidal reach. The Kottappuram-Kollam segment of the west coast canal system has a major chunk passing through the Vembanad Lake and spans a total of 209 km. It has been declared as a National Waterway.

On July 27, 2002, twenty-nine people were killed when an overcrowded boat capsized in the Vembanad lake. The boat was carrying more people than twice its slated capacity. The boat was a daily ferry service which connects Muhamma village on the west coast to Kumarakom on the east. The crowd were going in for writing a PSC test.[8]

Rajamalai National Park (Eravikulam National Park)

The Eravikulam National Park was created to preserve the Nilgiri Tahr, a rare species of the wild goats found only in the south of the Himalayas.

This park is abundantly rich with shola forests and grasses, and is yet fairly new as it was after construction in 1978. The park is sited in the Idukki district. It is located on the borders of Kerala and Tamilnadu.

The history says that during the British rule, this region was owned by Rajamalai and Eravikulam, and then it was given to Kannan Deven Hills for tea plantation. Later it was declared as sanctuary and was founded in 1975 and upgraded as national park in 1978.

Some of the animals spotted here are Elephant, Nilgiri langur, Nilgiri marten, small-clawed otter and a rare tiger or leopard and the Nilgiri wood pigeon.

Alappuzha in kerala

Alappuzha (Malayalam: ആലപ്പുഴ), also known as Alleppey, is a town in Alappuzha District of Kerala state of southern India. A town with picturesque canals, backwaters, beaches, and lagoons, it was described as the one of the places known as "Venice of the East" by Marco Polo (1292). It is the administrative headquarters of Alappuzha District. Malayalam is the most spoken language. Hindi, English and Tamil are also widely spoken in the town.

Wynad Wildlife Sanctuary

Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is an animal sanctuary in Wayanad, Kerala, south India. It is on the way from Mysore to Sultan Battery. Wild animals such as Indian Bison, elephant, deer and tiger has been spotted. There are also quite a few wild birds in the sanctuary.Peacocks and Peafowl tend to be very common in the area.

Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is the second largest wildlife sanctuary in Kerala. It is bestowed with lush green forests and rich wildlife. Also known as the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary, this wildlife area houses some of the rare and endangered species of both flora and fauna.

Established in 1973, the sanctuary is now an integral part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. It’s bounded by protected area network of Nagarhole and Bandipur of Karnataka in the northeast, and on the southeast by Mudumalai of Tamil Nadu.

It is part of the Wayanad plateau and the vegetation is predominantly of the south Indian moist deciduous teak forests. Also, the sanctuary has pastures of the west-coast semi-evergreen trees. The wildlife sanctuary comes under Protect Elephant and one can spot herd of elephants roaming in the area.

Elephant rides are arranged by the Forest Department,Kerala. Discovering and observing the wildlife while being atop an elephant is an enthralling and unforgettable experience.

It is spread over 344 km² and is about 16 km east of Sultan Battery, the nearest large town.

Wayanad district has the largest population of aborigine people in Kerala. The native aadivasis mainly consist of various sects like Paniyas, Kuruma s, Adiyar s, Kurichya s, Oorali s, Kattunaikkan s etc. Comprising an area of 2126 km2, Wayanad has a powerful history. Relicts and edicts found in various parts of Wayanad speak of an importatnt prehistoric era. Historians are of the view that organised human life existed in these parts, at least ten centuries before Christ.

The sanctuary is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The Western Ghats, Nilgiri Sub-Cluster (6,000+ km²), including all of the sanctuary, is under consideration by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for selection as a World Heritage Site.[1]
Map of Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, showing Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in relation to multiple contiguous protected areas