Tirur

Tirur is one of the important business centers of Malappuram district. Thunjan Parambu in Trikandiyur is 3 Km from Tirur railway station, is sacred for all who speak Malayalam. This is the birth place of Thunjath Ramanujan Ezhuthachan of the 15 century AD, honoured as the father of Malayalam literature. Important works of Ezhuthachan, Adhyatma Ramayanam and Maha Bharatham are widely recited in kerala homes. A memorium for the great poet has been built at Thunjan Paramba, where weeklong literary mela is organized in last week of December.

Stone Lamp at Chamravattom Temple

Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri

People in hundreds reach Thunjan paramba with their children, to initiate them into the world of letter on the vijayadasami day. Children are made to write on the white sands of Thunjan paramba with their fingers. Young poets of Kerala come on that day to offer their poem. A Nuxvomica tree, of which leaves are not bitter, is a surprise here. 12 Km south of Tirur is Chamravattom Shasta Temple, which is constructed on the Bharathapuzha. 6Km from Tirur, is Triprangode where the only temple of Kerala, consecrated to Garuda, the bird deity, is situated.

Thali Temple

Chandanakkavu, the birth place of the great Sanskrit poet and grammarian, Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri of 16th Century, is 10 Km away from Triur in Thiruvnnavaya Kottakkal road. A memoriam has been built there for the poet where small children are brought for their formal initiation into learning, on Vijayadasami day, as in Thunjan Parambu. Tirur-Koottayi road ends at Padinjharakkara, where the Bharathapuzha and Tirurpuzha converge to drain into the sea. This place is noted for migratory birds, gathering in thousands during February-April.

Tirur was a witness of the ill-famed Wagon tragedy of the 1921 rebellion. Seventy prisoners sent to Pothannur, filed up in an airtight goods wagon from Tirur railway station, died of asphyxiation. 

Chamravattom Temple

The wagons were returned with the dead bodies to Tirur. Tirur municipality has built a town hall on memory of the Wagon Tragedy.

Location: It is 41 Km south of Kozhikode, on the Mangalore-Madras railway line.

Guruvayur Temple

East gate/Kizhakke nada

                             Guruvayur is a well known krishna temple in India.It is one of the five famous Krishna\Vishnu temples in India. The others are Jagannath Puri in Orissa, Venkatachalapati in Andhra Pradesh, Nathdwara in Rajasthan and Dwaraka in Gujarat. Of course there are many other famous ones of Vishnu as well as of Krishna but these are considered to be the most popular. Even though the idol in Guruvayoor is that of Vishnu it is still known as a Krishna temple since the boy Krishna is always said to be running around incognito in the temple precincts. Guruvayoor is known as “Bhuloka Vaikunta” or the abode of Vishnu on earth.

           Lord Krishna in Guruvayoor is popularly called Sri Guruvayoorappan. Appan means lord or father so the title means the Lord of Guruvayoor. 

The small idol is made of the stone known as black antimony and is a magnetic stone said to have special medicinal properties. Every morning the Lord is anointed in oil. He is then sprinkled with a special cleansing powder made of herbs known as “vaka”. This powder is light brown in colour and gives an added hue to the idol.  Crowds go to the temple at 3 A.M in order to see this charming sight. Then water from the temple, consecrated with mantras is poured over the idol for his ritual bath. This holy water is then eagerly drunk by the devotees since it is said to contain a little of the miraculous properties of the stone of which the idol is made.

Devotees at West Gate

Location: The National highway is passing through Kunnamkulam which is just 8 kms away from Guruvayur. Around 80 km from Kochi.

Vadakkunnathan Temple

                     Vadakkunnathan Temple, is the well known temple in Kerala. It is also known as Thenkailasam and Vrishabhachalam, is an ancient Shiva temple located at the heart of Thrissur town. This temple is a classic example of the Kerala style of architecture and has formidable gopurams on all four sides and also a Koothambalam. Mural paintings that depict various episodes from the Mahabharata can be seen inside the temple. The shrines and the Koothambalam display exquisite vignettes carved in wood. According to popular lore, the temple was built by Parasurama. The sprawling Thekkinkadu maidan, encircling the Vadakumnathan temple, is the main venue of the Thrissur Pooram. The temple, along with the mural paintings, has been declared as a National Monument by the Union Government under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act.

             Vadakkunnathan Temple is a 1,000 years old temple, built by Lord Parashurama, one of the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu. The statue of Shiva, which is not visible, is covered under amount of ghee, formed by the daily abhishekam (ablution) with ghee over the years. A devotee looking into the sanctum can now see only a 16-foot-high (4.9 m) mount of ghee embellished with thirteen cascading crescents of gold and three serpent hoods at top. According to traditional belief, this represents the snow-clad Mount Kailash, the abode of Parvathy and Parameswara. This is the only temple without seeing Shivalinga.

Important festival of this temple is “Thissur Pooram”. Thrissur Pooram is called 'the pooram of all poorams' (festival).

Thrissur Pooram

It is the biggest of all poorams held in Kerala state. The Thrissur pooram, is celebrated every year in the month of Medam (mid-April to mid-may) as per the malayalam calendar. While all poorams have a huge influence on surrounding neighborhoods and towns, few other festivals require their active involvement. Thrissur town plays host, for 36 hours from the wee hours of the pooram day, to one of the most largest collection of people and elephants. The richly decorated elephant, as seen during the Thrissur pooram, is now globally recognized, and its association with Kerala. On the pooram day, fifty (50) or more elephants pass through the very center of Thrissur town, the Vadakkunnathan temple. The main features of the pooram (festival) are these decorated elephants with their nettipattam (decorative golden headdress), beautifuliy crafted kolam, decorative bells and ornaments etc. Add to this is the panchavadyam, the rhythmic beating of the drum, and what would be a cacophony otherwise is turned into an organized but spontaneous symphony. The fireworks display in the early hours of the next day, rival shows held anywhere in the world, without even using many of the modern and newer pyrotec

Location: About 58 km from Ernakulam. Short distance from Thrissur.

Details:  The temple opens daily at 03:00 am and closes at 10:30 am. The temple reopens at 04:00 pm and closes at 8.30 pm after 'Trippuka', the last rite for the day. Non Hindus are not allowed entry into the temple.

Erumely

                                                                                Erumely is on the Kanjirappalli - Pathanamthitta Route. A small river, Koratty, marks the entrance of Erumely town. Erumely is a small village in Kottayam District and Kanjirappally Taluk. It's situated very near to highrange.Erumely can be reached through Mundakkayam, Kanjirappaly, or Ranni. People coming from Kottayam can be reached throgh Kanjirappaly.People from highrange can access Erumely through Mundakkayam or Kanjirappally.

Sri Swami Ayyappa Temple

Erumely is the name extract from "erumakolli" (Killed the buffalo). Myth tells that Lord Sree Ayyappa Swami killed "Mahishi", sister of Mahishasur in this place on the way to collect tiger milk. Mahish means buffalo and "Eruma" in malayalam and hence the name extract "erumakolli". All Hindus who are going for Sabarimala Pilgrimage visit this place. There are two temples in this town of Lord Ayyappa and Famous Petta Thullal is there in November, December & January months. Erumely Nainar Masjid is situated opposite to Erumely Cheriya Ambalam. Ayyaapan devotes visits Vavar Swamy at Nainar Masjid before visiting Ayyappa Swami. 

Vavar Swami Darga

 Vavar is considered as the companion of Ayyappa. Devotes believe that Vavar swami is at the masjid. Devotes goes to Cheriya Ambalam from masjid. Then they will go to the Valiya Ambalam. The visit to Vavar Swamy and Valiyambalam is done in the form a dance known as Pettathulal. This is done by coloring self, holding wooden bows and arrows. The myth is that during the killing of Mahishi, the local tribals had helped Ayyapa Swamy and post the killing, they danced in joy. Pettathulal represents the joy amongst the people.At the end of the ayyappa season there is festival called Pettathullal where people from Ambalapuzha and Aalangattu will perform this. Ambalapuzha goes first and they will move to the Valiyambalam as usual. The Aalangattu will start this after the 'Krishnaparunth' and star is seen. Erumely is the gateway to Sabarimala . One of the important temples at Erumely is Lord Murugan Temple.

Famous shivaparvathy temple 'Anikkattilammakshethram' is situated at just 26 km away from here.

Location:  Pathanamthitta and Trivandrum people can come through Ranni. NH220 National Highway passes 10 km near to Erumely through 26th mile, which makes it reachable easily.

Chettikulangara Temple

Chettikulangara Temple

          Chettikulangara Sree Bhagavathi temple is one of the most renowned temples in Kerala. The temple is located at Chettikulangara in Mavelikkara taluk of Alappuzha district in the south Indian state of Kerala.

One important aspect of the Chettikulangara Sree Bhagavathi temple is that the deity appears as Maha Saraswathi in the morning, as Maha Lakshmi at noon and Sri Durga or Bhadrakali in the evening.

The 1200-year-old temple has 13 Karas (territories). The temple is at the centre of the oldest four Karas–Erezha South, Erezha North, Kaitha South and Kaitha North and the rest of the Karas Kannamangalam South, Kannamangalam North, Pela, Kadavoor, Anjilipra, Mattam North, Mattam South, Menampally and Nadakkavu surround this temple.

Kuthira

This is the second largest temple in terms of income under the control of Travancore Devaswom Board, second only next to Sabarimala.[1] It is estimated that the temple has earnings worth many crores per year. In 2009 it earned around 1.7 crore Rupees from a single type of offering called Chanthattam. A major part of the Nellu offered to the Bhagavathi is also used to make Appam and Aravana prasadams at Sabarimala. The income from the temple is also helpful to run the daily rituals and Poojas at various temples under the Travancore Devaswom Board.

Kettukazhcha

The Temple has a number of festivals. The important ones are: Parayeduppu, Kumbha Bharani, Ethirelpu Ulasvam, Aswathy Ulasvam, Kettukazhcha, Kuthiyottam.

Location: The temple is situated about 4 km west of Mavelikkara, 7 km north of Kayamkulam on SH6 (Kayamkulam - Thiruvalla Highway).

Aranmula

Aranmula Boat Race

                     Aranmula is situated in the south western state in India. It is situated on the banks of the river Pampa. Traditions, cultural variations, traditional village life, sceneries are unique for Aranmula. It is a suburb of Kozhencherry in Pathanamthitta District. Nearby important places are Pathanamthitta (10 km), Pandalam (14 km) Chengannur (10 km). 

Aranmula Mirror

The nearest railway station is at Chengannur and airports are at Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. It is the venue of the annual snake boat race on the Pampa river. Aranmula is also famous for its metal mirrors, known as Aranmula kannadi. The palace at aranmula ( Aranmula kottaram) has a history of 200 years.Aranmula Pardhasaradhi Temple is a famous old major temple in Kerala. Main idol is Krishna, who is the leader of Arjuna in Kurukshetra War. It is believed that this temple was built near Sabarimalai near Nilackal.

Aranmula Temple

There is a flight of 18 steps that lead to the Eastern Tower while 57 descending steps from the Northern tower reaches the Pampa River. The temple here has fine murals from the 18th century.Aranmula palace is a traditional keralite palace which has a history of 200 years. Aranmula palace (Also known as Aranmula Vadake kottaram or Aranmula Kottaram) is the halt place of the holy journey 'Thiruvabarana khosayatra' at Aranmula. Aranmula boat race is a very famous boat race in India.

Location: About 128 km from Trivandrum, capital city of Kerala. Only 10 km from Pathanamthitta.

Sabarimala

 Sabarimala  is a Hindu pilgrimage center located in the Western Ghat mountain ranges of Pathanamthitta District in Kerala. Sabarimala is believed to be the place where the Hindu God Ayyappan meditated after killing the powerful demoness, Mahishi. Ayyappan's temple is situated here amidst 18 hills. The temple is situated on a hilltop at an altitude of 468 m above mean sea level, and is surrounded by mountains and dense forests. Temples exist in each of the hills surrounding Sabarimala. While functional and intact temples exist at many places in the surrounding areas like Nilackal, Kalaketi, and Karimala, remnants of old temples survive to this day on remaining hills.

Sabarimala is linked to Hindu pilgrimage, predominantly for men of all ages; Ayyappan Devotees must go at least once in their lifetime and it is one of the largest annual pilgrimage in India with an estimated 45–50 million devotees visiting every year. Women between the ages of 10 and 50 are not allowed to enter the temple, since the story attributed to Ayyappa prohibits the entry of the women in the menstrual age group. This is because Ayyappan is a Bramachari (Celibate). The temple is open for worship only during the days of Mandalapooja (approximately November 15 to December 26), Makaravilakku (January 14- "Makara Sankranti") and Vishu (April 14), and the first six days of each Malayalam month.

Location: Distance between sabarimala and Trivandrum is 190km. Only 73km from Pathanamthitta.

Amruthapuri

 This place is noted for tourist attraction. The place is famous in the name of Matha Amruthanandamayi. The area has a smooth geographical feature. Backwaters and sea are present here. It is also known as Amruthapuri (in the name of Matha Aruthanandamayi). Amritapuri is the realisation of the ancient Indian ideal "the whole world is one family" (vasudhaiva kutumbakam).

Here we can see the traditional way of fishing like chinese fishing net. The area is calm and quiet. Hundreads of foreign visitors come to this place daily. Moreover, “Matha Amruthanandamayi Math” is situated here. Engineering college and Ayurveda College under Matha Amruthanandamayi trust is also present here.

Location: Amritapuri located at 110 kms from Thiruvananthapuram, capital of Kerala. Only 35 km from kollam city.

By bus or train: Kayamkulam (12 km north of Amritapuri) and Karunagappally (10 km south) are the major cities to reach. By air and taxi: The two closest airports are in Trivandrum (110 km south of Amritapuri) and in Cochin (140 km north).

Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple

The Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple also known as the Padmanabhaswamy temple. It is a famous Hindu temple of Lord Vishnu, located inside the Fort in the city of Thiruvananthapuram. This is an ancient temple and the city of Thiruvananthapuram derives its name from the name of the presiding deity enshrined in the temple. Lord Shri Padmanabhaswamy is known as Ananthapadmanabhan.

The foundation of the present gopuram was laid in 1566. The temple has a 100-foot, seven-tier gopuram. The temple stands by the side of a tank, named Padma Theertham (meaning the lotus spring). The temple has a corridor with 365 and one-quarter sculptured granite-stone pillars with elaborate carvings. This corridor extends from the eastern side into the sanctum sanctorum. An eighty-foot flag-staff stands in front of the main entry from the 'prakaram' (corridor).

The ground floor under the gopuram (main entrance in the eastern side) is known as the 'Nataka Sala' where the famous temple art Kathakali was staged in the night during the ten-day uthsavam (festival) conducted twice a year, during the Malayalam months of Meenam and Thulam.