Varkala

Varkala is a wonderful coastal town situated in the Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala. The Location of Varkala is such that it is situated almost 51 kilometers from the northern side of the Thiruvananthapuram city. Varkala is dotted with elevated cliffs that are sedimentary and laterite in nature, and are situated adjacent to the Arabian Sea. These cliffs are a unique feature of the flat coastal terrain of Kerala, whereby the native geologists named it as the Varkala Formation. Catch up with the water spouts and spas located besides the cliffs of this region, which is an attraction in itself.

Varkala is recognized for its Janardanaswamy temple, a Vaishnavaite shrine in India. Being a 2,000 year old architecture, the temple is even called as the Dakshin Kashi (Benares of the south), which is situated near to the Papanasam beach. Take a sacred dip at the holy waters of the Janardanaswamy temple, which is known to clean away all your past sins and is renowned as an Ayurveda healing centre. The ancient bell of the temple came as a donation by the Dutch vessel captain, during its time of shipwreck.

Indulge in an excursion around Trivandrum, and trip down to the town of Varkala which is known for its mineral springs, rocky cliffs, romantic ambience and silvery stretch of sands. The name Varkala of the region derived from an ancient myth story, where a group of mendicants visited sage Narada and acknowledged the fact that they had committed a sin. It is said, Narada threw his valkkalam, a bark of tree that the sage wore which ultimately landed at the present Varkala. The mendicants were instructed to offer prayers at this very place of Varkala. This is how the place Varkala came into existence.