INFORMATION ABOUT VARKALA

Varkala is a coastal town and municipality in Thiruvananthapuram district situated in the Indian state of Kerala. It is located 51 kilometres (approx. 32 miles) north of Thiruvananthapuram city.

VARKALA TOURISM

The Places of Interest in and around Varkala



• Cliffs on Varkala Beach : The landmark hill-top mausoleum of Narayana GuruVarkala is the only place in southern Kerala where one can find cliffs adjacent to the Arabian sea. These tertiary sedimentary formation cliffs are a unique geological feature in 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.



• Janardhana Krishna Temple entrance: Varkala is also famous for its 2,000 year old Janardanaswamy temple, which is an important Vaishnavaite shrine in India and is 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.



• JanardhanaSwa my Temple entrance,: VarkalaAnother major landmark in Varkala is the Sivagiri Mutt, established by the great social reformer Sree Narayana Guru. The hill-top mausoleum of Sree Narayana Guru, also located there, is one of the most famous monuments in Kerala. The adjacent hills house the East-West University of Brahmavidya and Sree Narayana Gurukulam. Both organizations belong to the late Nataraja Guru, a disciple of Sree Narayana Guru, and his famous disciples Muni Narayana Prasad and Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati. Another important place of pilgrimage located near to Varkala is the "Kaduvayil Thangal Dargah" which is on the National Highway 47 in between Kallambalam and Attingal. Local people, irrespective of religion visit this place to get the blessings of "Kaduvayil Thangal", a muslim saint.



• JanardhanaKrishna Temple Tank: VarkalaThe District Ayurvedic Hospital is also located in Varkala, which has now been almost completely renovated. Another important feature of Varkala is the now dilapidated Varkala Tunnel, through which passes the TS Canal, which was an all-important waterway during pre-independence times since other than this canal, there was no other water transport route for the erstwhile Travancore Dynasty's capital region , the present day Trivandrum.



• Beach, Varkala : Varkala Beach the town has excellent telecommunication facilities, round-the-clock power, an average-rated water supply system, fire station, several post offices and police station. The town boasts a government-run hospital in addition to nearly 10 private hospitals and some dental clinics. Several elementary and senior-secondary schools, both government-run and private are also functioning. In addition to an Arts and Science college named after Sree Narayana Guru, there are several private professional institutions offering courses like nursing and teaching. A dental college, Sri Sankara Dental College, has recently started functioning in Akathumuri with an intake permission of 50 students. People of Varkala are generally employed in service sector. A very good portion of them are working outside India mainly in the Middle East region. Varkala also has a very sizeable number of expatriates in the United Kingdom.

ACCOMODATION/STAY OPTIONS IN VARKALA

• TAJ GARDEN RETREAT


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