Aryankavu - Hill Station of Kerala

Journey in train towards best hill station is always a dream for me because that way I can view the natural beauty closer compared going through flight or other sources. Today I found a place that is a small but cute hill station of Kerala known as Aryankavu. It is the village comes under Kollam region of backwater state Kerala. This Indian tourist place is yet unpopular and that’s the reason less people reach this town on vacations. However, my choice is such kind of places where I find fewer crowds no matter if the spot is having limited attractions.

After long research I decided to visit this green town through train and believe me my journey to Aryankavu was best then most of the places of India. However, it is the hill station so you will not get the direct or broad gauge line for this station. You have to reach Shenkottai through road and from there you can get the train for Aryankavu. Frankly telling there was less places to visit in the town but still I enjoyed a lot. I and my team mate spend 4 days in the town and that we can say were the memorable moments of our life.

There is another way to attain the town and that is NH 744 closer to Thenmala (our next targeted Indian tourist place). This mountain pass of Western Ghats is easily reachable through Punalur to Shenkottai route and you will get the train for these stations as well. Aryankavu town is just 78 kms far from Kollam town, though Paravur is 81 km distant from the destination. A climate condition is tropical here and languages used are English and Malayalam. Important spots where you can visit are Palaruvei waterfalls, Kadamanpara forest, Junction, Rose Mala, big temples and few more spots.

Attraction in Aryankavu:

Maximum places of South India are famous for holy values. Aryankavu is also having some historical temples, houses and locations to visit.

Sastha Temple: Initial tourism spot of town is Ayyappan temple that is listed in big temples of Lord Ayyappa. People believe Lord Ayyappa came to this place as a teenager with a different identity known as Tiru Aryan. That’s the reason this temple is also recognized as Aryankavu Sastha Temple. This shrine is between the forests though you have to take the route of Trivandrum - Tenkasi NH. If we talk about the values this temple is again similar to Sabarimala. Females from 10 years to 50 are not allowed to enter the temple. Rituals and traditional pujas are done in Tamil style so the male devotees have to remove their shirt before entering the temple. Females can take pleasure of this natural beauty instead of entering the temple. Whosoever is planning to reach here, the person should careful all time as the maximum part of Aryankavu is the jungle and full of wild animals. Some risk part is there in the town so be careful and take pleasure of this natural beauty spot.

Catholic Churches: Two wonderful structured churches known as St. George Malankara and St. Mary's Archdiocese founded by Mr. K. Abraham Vaidyer. Abraham was the popular Ayurveda physician and was the member of Grama (Village) Panchayat (Administration).

Palaruvi falls: Next place to visit in Aryankavu is Palaruvi falls. Palaruvi is basically made of two different words of Malayalam language. Pal is milk and aruvi means watercourse. The height of water is 300 feet and that’s the reason the water looks like milk. Water is crystal clear and the small pond allows you to take bath in nature. This could be different experience of your life because you are at real jungle and the original high waterfall area. Don’t miss this spot if you are real nature lover. Once you reach the falls you will find some of the mandapams or impressive cottages of ancient period. That states that kings of bygone empire came to this place and spend their valuable time. The important part of this fall location is the route is quite difficult and the forest pathways are full of mud. Trekkers will not face any problem here, anyway the place is good to visit and impressive in looks.

Rose Mala: Next tourism spot of this Indian tourist place located at 12 Km distance from the railway station of Aryankavu. Rose Mala is the enchanting ecotourism destination of Aryankavu. It is basically a dense forest scarcely populated especially for farmers and tribal. Rose Mala is closer to Thenmala dam so you can enjoy two different spots at one location.

Thenmala Dam: Greenery, forest and a big dam is quite impressive place to visit. Some tree houses are available in this area so enjoy the jungle life. Don’t forget to take permission from the forest department if you are entering the jungle.

Few other attractions of Aryankavu are Kadamanpara sandal forest (2^nd largest sandal forest) and Bourdillion plot that is first bemused planted garden of the world.

How to reach Aryankavu?

By Rail: Aryankavu is the hill station and meter gauge line is available in the town. However, the closest big station is Kollam that is few km distant from Aryankavu.

By Air: Closest airport is Thiruvananthapuram located at 95 Km distance. Flights for Thiruvananthapuram are available from Delhi, Pune, Bangalore and many other cities so people looking to reach Aryankavu.

By road: Aryankavu is connected to both Kollam (77 Km) and Thiruvanantha Puram (85Km).

Sabarimala - Holy Place of Kerala

The holy destination Sabarimala of Kerala is our next Indian tourist place. The word Sabarimala means mountain of Sabari (a well-known character of Ramayana). This popular religious spot is between thick dense forests of Kerala. Sabarimala temple is the symbol of equality, love and spiritual devotion. Holy Pampa River is also flowing from the region of Pathanamthitta. People from north India are not much aware of Sabarimala because it’s a kind of secret holy place having huge values for south India people. Sabarimala is the most impressive temple located in jungle.

The Ayyappa Swami temple placed on mountain is major attraction of this place. Adventure lovers will get countless dangerous spots for trekking. Undulated mountainous environment, lush green jungles, fuzzy streams, tweeting birds and huge varieties of flowers turn the climb with enjoyable experience. To reach Sabarimala people can get the route of Pampa Town. From this Indian tourist place people have to cover 3 km trekking distance that will take nearly two hours to reach top.

This unpopulated place is still busy with pilgrims, stores and lodges. According to sources Saint Parasuram placed the idol of Ayyappa swami in this temple. Talking about the visit to temple, this shrine is not open all the time. The peak season to attain the place is from November to January. A big Mandala Pooja is conducted in this period when people do fasting for 41 days and end their fast in temple.

Millions of devotees of different caste visit the temple for blessings of God Ayyappa. A Muslim saint idol and Vavaru Swamy idol are other two must visit spots of Sabarimala. The finest feature of temple is females below 12 years are only permitted to enter Sabarimala temple. As this place is full of jungle and countless wild animals are in the forest, the forest department is handling the devotees attaining to this Indian tourist place. Along with department, army is also monitoring the area to protect visitors from animal attack. Because of such difficult place voyagers have to register with the administration for entering the temple area. The temple itself is having strict rules and pilgrims have to follow their conditions.

Once you attain to Sabarimala it will be unforgettable encounter for you.

Attraction of Sabarimala:

Ayyappa Temple: A prime location of this town is Ayyappa Swami temple. Idol of Malikapurathamma Devi is also placed in left side of temple. The other name of God Ayyappa is Manikantan.

Makaravilakku:The annual fest of Sabarimala is also the major attraction for visitors. The fest is conducted on January 14 when a Jewel Casket is taken from Pandalam Palace. The idol of Ayyappa is decorated with real regal jewels in this fest.

Malikappuram Devi Shrine: A shrine located on the small rock hill area is another attractive spot. The temple is placed on two minute walking distance only from main temple. The other name of this temple is Malika Puratha Amma temple popular for countless mythological stories. Local people will guide you about the correlation between God Ayyappa and Goddess Malika Puratha Amma.

Vavaru Shrine:A temple dedicated to Vavaru Swami (the Muslim saint) is next attaining spot of Sabarimala. This religious harmony Indian tourist place is amazingly maintained by local administration. As per sources Vavaru was the pirate came to Kerala through sea. He fought with Lord Ayyappa to get stay in the area. However, he was defeated by Ayyappa God and later god himself asked people to make his temple in particular region.

Attaining to Sabarimala:

If you are planning to reach the spot from Trivandrum then you have to cover the distance of 126 kms. However, Kochi/Cochin is 171 km away, Coimbatore is 320 km far, Bangalore is 547 km distant and Hyderabad is 1155 km far.

By Train: Closest railhead to reach Sabarimala is Chengannur located at only gap of 37 kms from Pamba. This station is on main route between Trivandrum-Kottayam. Private taxi and SUV cabs are accessible for Chengannur. Trains for Chengannur are available from Kollam, Bangalore, Chennai, Trivandrum, Delhi, Mumbai, Kanyakumari and some more cities of India.

By Air: The closest airbases for Sabarimala are Trivandrum and Kochi / Cochin. However, Trivandrum is International Airport located 126 km distant from city and NIA (Nedumbassery International Airport) of Kochi/Cochin is located at 171 km distance.

By Bus: If you have planned to go Sabar through road then try for KSRTC buses available in good volume for Pamba town. You have to complete the 4 kms trekking from town Pamba to reach Sabari. Town Pamba is properly linked to many big cities of Kerala through KSRTC buses. You can get the buses from Kochi / Cochin, Trivandrum, Kottayam, Changanacherry and Chengannur.